Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals Prediction: A much needed contest for the home side

On Friday, the Great American Ball Park will play host to the first game of a Major League Baseball series between the Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds are looking to end a streak of three consecutive losses. The Cincinnati Reds are currently in second place in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers after dropping six of their most recent ten games overall. The pitching staff of the Cincinnati Reds is ranked 26th in terms of earned run average (4.84), walks allowed per nine innings (1.44), and quality starts (31). The offensive production of the Reds ranks eighth in terms of runs per game (4.92), thirteenth in terms of batting average (.253), and seventeenth in terms of home runs (125). While Jonathan India and TJ Friedl have combined for 187 hits and 90 RBI, Spencer Steer leads the Reds in hits and runs batted in with 108, and he is followed by TJ Friedl. Graham Ashcraft is going to pitch, and so far this year he has a record of 6-7, a 5.31 earned run average, and 76 strikeouts. In his career against the Washington Nationals, Ashcraft has posted a record of 2-0 with a 1.38 earned run average and 7 strikeouts.

After winning eight of their previous thirteen games, the Washington Nationals hope to play the role of spoiler. Since the All-Star break, the Washington Nationals have won a total of 21.7 percent of their games, which is a significant portion of their overall victory total. The Nationals pitching staff currently ranks 27th in earned run average (4.92), 28th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.48), and 23rd in quality starts (32). The offense of the Nationals ranks 22nd in terms of runs per game (4.29), 5th in terms of batting average (.259), and 29th in terms of home runs (94). While Lane Thomas leads the Nationals in hits and runs batted in with 121 and 57, respectively, Joey Meneses and Dominic Smith have combined for 214 hits and 88 RBI between them. The next pitcher is Patrick Corbin, who is currently 7-11 with a 5.07 earned run average and 87 strikeouts for the season. In his career against the Cincinnati Reds, Corbin has a record of 5-5 with a 4.31 earned run average and 79 strikeouts.

Nobody has been more critical of Patrick Corbin over the years than I have been, and I'm not really enthusiastic about supporting him now. Despite this, the Cincinnati Reds have just lost three of four games against the Chicago Cubs, a series in which the pitching starters performed poorly. Ashcraft, however, has pitched 105 innings and has a 5.31 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP so far. On the other hand, the Washington Nationals have won eight of their most recent 13 games, giving them 21.7 percent of their total wins for the season since the break. The Nationals have value in the role of the underdog, especially recently, as seen by the fact that they are among the top five earners over the past 30 days. Therefore, despite the fact that this match appears to be in pole position for the Cincinnati Reds, especially when considering the winning odds, the Washington Nationals should do well to close the points spread considering their recent results.