Diamondbacks vs. Nationals Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, April 19 (Is MadBum Back?)

After a rainout on Monday, the Nationals and Diamondbacks get set for a doubleheader on Monday.

It wasn’t too long ago that I viewed Madison Bumgarner as a guy to always bet on when he was on the mound. However, since leaving San Francisco, the 32-year-old righty appears to have forgotten how to pitch. For Arizona last year, Bumgarner finished with a 4.67 ERA. It was his highest ERA to ever end a season aside from his first year in Arizona when he finished with a 6.48 mark.

He will get the ball on Tuesday afternoon as the Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals play the first of two on Tuesday. RHP Josiah Gray gets the start for Washington. The pair were slated to start on Monday but that game was rained out so the series will begin this afternoon instead.

Here are the odds for this game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Diamondbacks vs. Nationals Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

Diamondbacks: -1.5
Nationals: +1.5

Moneyline

Diamondbacks:
Nationals:

Total:

Total (Over -110/Under -110)

Diamondbacks vs. Nationals Prediction and Pick

The Nationals have had one big issue to start the season. Overall their pitching staff has been terrible. The Nats rank 28th in the MLB in terms of ERA at 5.49. Gray falls into the “part of the problem” side of things and is not looking like part of the solution. He’s made two starts this season and, despite ten strikeouts, has a 4.00 ERA and nine hits in nine innings. They have been decent at the plate with a 16th-ranked batting average of .232.

As far as MadBum, he is off to a suspiciously strong start. It appeared over the last two years that his career totally derailed after turning 30 and being traded to ARI. But, he has put together two encouraging starts to be in 2022. In two starts. Bumgarner has an ERA of 2.25 with six hits and two runs in eight innings. I am a little worried about his current WHIP of 1.50 and efficiency, but Bumgarner is not getting shelled at least. He has the skill to compete, and he is young enough that his arm should still have some mileage on it.

However, the Diamondbacks' offense has been awful this year and has the worst batting average in the league at .152. It’s not even close really as the next worst team, the Cincinnati Reds, who are hitting .180 as a team. It should come as no surprise that the D-Backs are also 30th in the league in RBIs, total bases, and slugging.

There is no way I am going to bet on the worst offense in the MLB with a pretty big question mark on the mound. And even if Bumgarner has a great game, Arizona’s lack of offense can still cause them to lose. They are 3-5 against the run line in their last eight and it could be a struggle to cover tonight if the bats don’t wake up.

Pick: Nationals ML (up to -150)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE