The MLB is now heading towards the end of its seasons, and in this regard, the meeting of the Kansas City Royals (83-74) and the Washington Nationals (69-88) at Nationals Park is most interesting. Slated for Wednesday, more insight can be obtained from this game for those into free MLB latest picks. The Royals come into this game looking to build on their winning record, while the Nationals want to redeem their season in any way possible.
Kansas City Royals vs. Washington Nationals 9/25/24 Game Info and Odds |
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| When: | Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 6:45 PM ET |
| Where: | Nationals Park |
| Watch: | MASN2, ESPN, MLB.TV |
| Royals odds: | -116 Moneyline |
| Nationals odds: | -101 Moneyline |
| Total Line: | 8 |
Kansas City Royals (83-74) vs. Washington Nationals (69-88)
The Royals are standing solid this season, with a batting average of .250 and a stronger bullpen, reflected by their 3.86 ERA. Despite their good overall record, they’ve stumbled lately, evidenced by a tough stretch in their last five games. They managed a narrow win against the Nationals on September 24 (1-0) but suffered losses against the Giants and Tigers, showing vulnerabilities particularly in their offensive lineup.
| Kansas City Royals Last 5 Games | |||
| Date | Opponent | Score | SU |
| Sep 24, 2024 | WSH | 1-0 | Win |
| Sep 22, 2024 | SF | 0-2 | Lose |
| Sep 21, 2024 | SF | 0-9 | Lose |
| Sep 20, 2024 | SF | 1-2 | Lose |
| Sep 18, 2024 | DET | 2-4 | Lose |
In contrast, despite their weaker overall season performance, the Nationals share a nearly similar on-base percentage with the Royals. Their recent games haven’t been too promising either, with only one victory against the Cubs on September 21 amid a series of losses, reflecting challenges both on the mound and at bat.
| Washington Nationals Last 5 Games | |||
| Date | Opponent | Score | SU |
| Sep 24, 2024 | KC | 0-1 | Lose |
| Sep 22, 2024 | CHC | 0-5 | Lose |
| Sep 21, 2024 | CHC | 5-1 | Win |
| Sep 20, 2024 | CHC | 1-3 | Lose |
| Sep 19, 2024 | CHC | 6-7 | Lose |
Michael Lorenzen (7-6, 3.43 ERA) vs. DJ Herz (4-8, 4.3 ERA)
This season, Michael Lorenzen for the Royals has also been very steady and durable recording a 3.43 ERA and striking out a total of 92 in 126 innings. Given the tough situations he finds himself in, it is impressive that he manages to keep his WHIP figure down to 1.25. Yet, the problem still lies in how to contain the batters of the nationals, hence avoiding that blown-out scenario, especially in situations of pressure.
In contrast, DJ Herz of the Nationals has had it worse this season, a fact that is captured in his 4.8 W-L and 4.3ERA. He struck out a decent number of batters, 103 in 83.2 innings. Still, Herz has unfortunately given a lot of hits and even more bombs — equals trouble, particularly for the Royals hitters who may target such traits to maximize RBIs.
MLB Odds/Point Spread: Kansas City Royals -116, Total Odds: 8
The betting odds lean slightly towards the Royals owing to their relatively better performance in the season and a superior pitching lineup. The number has consistently gone UNDER in the previous games of both teams; therefore this could be a trend considering that both pitchers can dictate the pace of the game..
Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
Over the years, the Royals have demonstrated a trend of potent pitching staff, however, a return in downturn performance is quite necessary to take into consideration. Considering they’ve allowed the total to go UNDER in 5 of the last 6 games held by them, betting on under in this match should be a safe bet.
Washington Nationals Betting Trends
Likewise, the Nationals have also had their troubles, though they had a similar trend of keeping the scores low, going UNDER in 5 of their last 6 home games. Their pitching hasn’t been that good, and lately, they had been so much of an underdog that it affected the way they pitched.
Kansas City Royals vs. Washington Nationals 9/25/24 Betting Picks
Looking at all factors and patterns, the game between the Royals and Nationals is likely to be a close one with not many runs on board. The Royals appear to have the slight edge in pitching, just enough to swing the prediction towards the inclined UNDER on the total runs.
As for those interested in some paid analysis and picks, a good bet will be on the Royals to win the game as they are in better form this season whereas the Nationals have shown regression in their form. Also, it seems that these individual performances over the under/over strikeouts by pitchers may be profitable bet due to their stats this year.