Nationals vs. Brewers Prediction and Odds for Sunday, May 22 (Get the Brooms Out)
By Joe Summers
After Milwaukee won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 12-1, the 26-14 Brewers hope to complete a sweep as they host the 13-28 Washington Nationals today at 2:10 p.m. EST.
Aaron Sanchez is tasked with salvaging a win for Washington and he's had his fair share of struggles this year. He's 2-3 with a 7.94 ERA and has yet to make it past the fifth inning in any of his five starts. Sanchez is coming off an eight-hit, four-run outing against Miami in which he only lasted 3.2 innings, so the Nationals are hoping better days are ahead for the 29-year-old righty.
Milwaukee will counter with Freddy Peralta, who seems to have settled in after a rough start to the season. In his last five starts, Peralta has a 1.60 ERA over 28.2 innings while striking out 38 batters.
Can Peralta stay hot to notch a sweep or will Washington's bats come alive to snag a road win behind Sanchez?
Here are the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook as we figure that out and find some value in this Nationals vs Brewers matchup:
Nationals vs Brewers Odds, Run Line and Total
Run Line:
- Nationals +1.5 (-110)
- Brewers -1.5 (-130)
Moneyline:
- Nationals: +220
- Brewers: -260
Total:
- 8.5 (Over -105/Under -115)
Nationals vs Brewers Prediction and Pick
Despite Juan Soto's heroics, the Washington Nationals offense is performing like one of the worst in the league. They've scored two or fewer runs in seven of their last nine games and are averaging just 1.5 runs per contest over their last six. Now they'll have to find a way to score against a pitcher in Freddy Peralta that's allowed only one run in his last 14.2 innings pitched.
After finding his footing following a poor first couple of starts, Peralta has been sensational. He ranks in the 90th percentile in barrel percentage and strikeout percentage, so he's preventing hard contact while generating swings-and-misses. The Brewers' bullpen isn't as deadly as it was last year, but they still have the fifth-lowest ERA in the National League, so runs should be hard to come by for the inept Nationals lineup.
On the other end, Milwaukee should have no problem scoring on Sanchez. He's in the first percentile in average exit velocity, second percentile in hard hit percentage, and third in strikeout percentage. As a reminder, this isn't golf, so low numbers are bad. Very bad, in fact.
Sanchez has gotten worse as the year has gone on too, amassing a 8.78 ERA in May, putting pressure on a Washington bullpen that has the fourth-worst ERA in the NL.
The Brewers are 13-3 in their last 16 as a home favorite, with 10 of those wins coming by multiple runs. Meanwhile, the Nationals are 2-8 in their last 10 as a road underdog, with seven of those eight losses coming by multiple runs.
I expect both trends to continue behind another stellar performance from Peralta as Milwaukee earns a dominant sweep.
Pick: Brewers -1.5 (-130)
Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.