There appears to be a chance of rain in Washington, D.C., where the Nationals and Royals will face off at Nationals Park. The game is getting started at 6:45 PM ET and is being televised by MASN. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Royals are favored on the money line (-121).
Wednesday’s matchup features Michael Lorenzen for the Royals and DJ Herz for the Nationals. Kansas City is currently 2nd in the AL Central, while the Nationals are 4th in the NL East. Washington comes in on a two-game losing streak, while the Royals are 83-74 overall.
Lorenzen Takes the Mound Against Nationals
The Royals are 83-74 overall, and they are 7.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. They are 33-19 against other teams in the AL Central. So far, the Royals have won 22 series, and their overall series record is 22-26-2. They are currently on a 2-series losing streak and are 3-7 over their last 10 games. In today’s game vs. the Nationals, the over/under line is set at 8 runs.
Michael Lorenzen is 7-6 this season with a 3.43 ERA. He has made 23 starts and has nine quality starts. The Royals are 42-34 against the run line on the road, and they have an overall run line record of 85-72. Their average run margin is +0.6 runs per game. Offensively, the Royals are 13th in scoring at 4.6 runs per game. They are sending Lorenzen to the mound today, and he will be looking for help from Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who have been two of their top hitters this season.
Nationals Look to Break Losing Streak Against Royals with DJ Herz on the Mound
The Nationals are 69-88 overall, and they are 23.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. They have dropped two straight games and are 3-7 over their last 10. Washington is 15-13 as the favorite and 54-75 as the underdog. They are 25-31 as the home underdog and 19-25-6 in series matchups. The O/U line for today’s game vs. the Royals is set at 8 runs, which is slightly below their season average of 8.8 runs per game. The Nationals have gone 10-11-1 when the line is set at 8 runs. So far, the under has hit in each of their last four games. Overall, they are 73-78 vs. the O/U line.
Washington’s offense has been below average this season, ranking 25th in scoring at 4.1 runs per game. They are sending DJ Herz to the mound today, and he is 4-8 with a 4.30 ERA. Herz has two quality starts this season and is averaging 11.08 strikeouts per nine innings. He will be facing a Royals lineup that is led by Salvador Perez, who has 48 homers and 121 RBIs. The Nationals are 87-70 vs. the run line, including a 41-35 mark at home. They have been a better bet on the road at 46-35. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM ET.
Royals Over Nationals
Our predicted final score for this Royals and Nationals matchup is 6-4 in favor of the Royals. Given that they are also the favorites on the money line, we would recommend taking the Royals to win at -121.
Looking at some of the starting pitcher projections, Michael Lorenzen is projected to go deeper into the game than DJ Herz. We have Lorenzen finishing with five strikeouts compared to Herz with six.
