According to the line in the NLDS Game 5 Nationals at Dodgers free pick, hometown Los Angeles is set to get the victory in a low scoring affair. Dave Roberts’ team is a -170 favorite at home, the largest ML they’ve had all series. Oddsmakers also aren’t expecting a lot of runs in this premier pitching matchup, setting the total at just 7.
Washington Hopes to Avoid Flip-Flop Pattern
The Nationals and Dodgers have alternated wins so far in this series. The Dodgers got the 6-0 shutout in game one, but Washington took back home field with a 4-2 victory in game two. The Nationals laid an egg back in D.C in game three, dropping a 4-10 contest but redeemed themselves with a 6-1 victory at Chavez Ravine on Monday.
The way the series has played out, it’s not looking good for Dave Martinez’ team in the NLDS Game 5 Nationals at Dodgers free pick. Washington does send Stephen Strasburg to the mound in this one though which gives them a chance. The right-hander pitched the Nats’ to a win in game 2, striking out 10 Dodgers batters in 6 innings of 3 hit ball. Strasburg also came out of the bullpen to help eliminate Milwaukee in the wild card game and has a 0.94 ERA for this postseason.
The Nationals offense has their work cut out for them on Wednesday in LA. Washington has put up some good numbers in this series, especially against a deep Dodgers staff. The Nats have scored 4+ in each of the last three games despite only having 3 HR total in the series. Trea Turner and Ryan Zimmerman are also the only two Nationals starters hitting above .278 for the series.
Can Dodgers Afford to Be Patient Here?
The 5-inning total for the NLDS game 5 Nationals at Dodgers free pick is just 3.5 runs and even the under at that number looks good. This is not only because Stephen Strasburg has looked unhittable this postseason – it’s because Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler has been nearly unhittable-er.
Buehler took the hill in game one ahead of Clayton Kershaw and some of the other big-name Dodgers pitchers. All he did after that was throw 6 innings of 1-hit ball vs. these Nationals. Buehler allowed 2 ER or less in 6 of his last 9 games of the regular season and has just a 2.86 ERA at home this year. Buehler went 0-1 vs. Washington in two starts this year, but had just a 2.92 ERA to boot. Wednesday will also be Buehler’s 6th postseason start despite being just 25 years old.
One of the reasons the Nationals have a shot in this one is because LA hasn’t been getting much this series from their big name bats. Cody Bellinger is just 3-15 while Corey Seager has gone just 3-16 vs. Washington pitching. It’s been part-timers like Russell Martin mostly coming through for the LA offense but can they rely on that in such a big spot?
NLDS Game 5 Nationals at Dodgers Free Pick
It wouldn’t take much to hit the ‘over’ in this game but both pitchers are savvy and set for a solid night, especially against two offenses that have been ho-hum as individual batters. There’s no value on the Dodgers at such a high number -174 considering their offense can be so inconsistent. The total is the play in this one with likely 6-7 low scoring innings coming from the starters.
Pick: Nationals / Dodgers *Under* 7
