Carlos Rodón will get the start for the Yankees (60-64, 35-31 home) as they host the Nationals (57-68, 28-32 away) at Yankee Stadium. The Nationals will give the starting nod to Josiah Gray. Check out my prediction for game one of this interleague matchup between the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS NEW YORK YANKEES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Nationals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 ET on Tuesday, August 22nd.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

  • The Nationals will be taking on a Yankees club that is just 2-8 vs. the runline in their past ten games.
  • Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Yankees are just 4-6 against the runline.
  • Carlos Rodón has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 12.94 over his last two starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS LOOKING FOR UPSET AS ROAD UNDERDOGS

On a record of 57-68, the Nationals find themselves in 5th place in the NL East. When playing away from home, Washington is just 28-32 and come into the game with an overall series record of 16-22-2.

Josiah Gray will take the mound for the Nationals with a 7-10 record this season. He has made 24 appearances, and his ERA is 3.96. His K/9 rate is 7.91, and his FIP is 4.81 while his OBP sits at .333.

Josiah Gray will attempt to recover from a brief appearance against the Red Sox. During the Nationals’ 5-4 defeat, Gray allowed five runs in three frames of action.

The Nationals have been one of the top power lineups in the league of late, having hit 9 home runs over their last ten games. Compared to other clubs, this is 9th best in that span. For the season, they are ranked 22nd in home runs and 19th in slugging percentage. Overall, Washington is averaging 4.4 runs per game (17th).

The Nationals’ offensive leader Lane Thomas has been a consistent presence at the plate this season, boasting a .289 batting average and .480 SLG%. His OBP of .335 further cements his place as one of the team’s most reliable hitters.

WILL THE NEW YORK YANKEES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Yankees take on the Nationals with the hopes of snapping their eight game losing streak. This recent skid has their record sitting at 60-64, putting them 5th in the AL East. When looking at their overall series numbers, they have gone 16-17-7. At home, they are 35-31 and 25-33.

Carlos Rodón is off to a rocky start this season, with an overall record of 1-4 and an ERA of 7.33. On the road, he has yet to find success, going 0-2 with an ERA of 9.83. At home, he has fared slightly better, posting a mark of 1-2 and ERA of 7.71. His WHIP stands at 1.52 and opponents are batting .213 against him, while slugging .463 when facing him on the mound.

Carlos Rodón’s latest start did not go as planned, as he surrendered five runs over 2 2/3 innings in the Yankees’ 9-7 loss to the Astros. The left-hander was unable to pick up a decision in the contest.

Having gone deep 5 times in their last five games, the Yankees are 7th in that span. At 4.2 runs per game, New York is 23rd in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .230 while hitting a total of 168 home runs (6th).

Anthony Volpe has been the Yankees’ leader in home runs over their last ten games, hitting two and bringing his season total to 17. His overall batting average stands at .217.