MLB Betting Picks: Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
Added on Aug 09, 2012 by Jack Thurman in
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A common metaphor that we use in describing a matchup of a good team against a bad team is “two teams heading in different directions”. That never applied more than it does to this matchup between the NL East leading Washington Nationals and the worst team in Major League Baseball. Washington is four games ahead of the second place Atlanta Braves as they look to the playoffs while Houston’s only goal at this stage is to avoid embarrassing themselves when they take the field.
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
August 9, 2012 5:05 PM Pacific
The Houston Astros are a bad team but they deserve at least some credit–they’ve kept fighting throughout their brutal post All Star Break downturn. A prototypical (?) bad team gets blown out every time they take the field but that hasn’t been the Astros’ M.O. They’ve continued to scrap and have lost a ridiculous number of extra inning games and one inning games during their downward spiral. Of course that doesn’t get them anything in the standings and the reality is that they’ve lost 30 of their last 34 games.
For that reason it’s almost impossible to find spots to play ‘on’ the Houston Astros. And this doesn’t look to be one either. The Nationals have won 7 of their last 10 games and have been a huge moneymaker on the road this season with a record of 36-21. They’ve also cleaned up against right handed starters going 47-30 +13 units. They’ve had little problem with Houston this season winning 6 of 7 head to head meetings including all 3 in Texas.
Miraculously, the Astros have been ‘in the black’ all season long but that was before the downturn. Now they’re a team that can only when when all of the stars align and with the Nationals needing to keep pace with the surging Atlanta Braves this is a game that they can’t take lightly. Credit to Lucas Harrell who continues to pitch well for this lost cause of a team but Houston will have their hands full with underrated Washington right hander Jordan Zimmerman. Stephen Strasburg may get most of the press but all Zimmerman does is win and win consistently. The Nationals have won 8 of his 11 road starts and they should be able to get this one as well.
Bet Washington Nationals (Zimmerman) -172 over Houston Astros (Harrell)
