The Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals will wrap up a three-game set on Sunday afternoon, after squeezing in a doubleheader yesterday when the opener was postponed due to inclement weather.
Milwaukee took both of the seven-inning games yesterday and with the return of Christian Yelich are looking to move up the NL Central standings. The Brewers are riding a three-game winning streak while the Nats have dropped four of their last five.
Washington will look to right the ship today, as oddsmakers have Max Scherzer and the home side as a slight -115 MLB betting favorite with the total opening at 6.5.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals on Sunday, May 30 with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET.
Brewers vs Nationals game info
• Location: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
• Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021
• Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
• TV: MASN, BS-WI
Brewers vs Nationals odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Brewers vs Nationals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Brandon Woodruff (3-2, 1.41 ERA): The Brewers have a loaded rotation, so when Brandon Woodruff has the NL’s third-best FIP... but it's only second-best on your team, you’re doing pretty well. Woodruff has allowed more than three hits just twice over his 10 starts and has been one of, if not the, most underrated pitcher in all of baseball. He’s allowed only 31 hits over his 64 innings of work and has surrendered just three long balls all year.
Max Scherzer (4-3, 2.27 ERA): Thanks to some rotation shuffling and yesterday’s doubleheader, the Nats will go with Max Scherzer in the series finale. The three-time Cy Young winner last pitched on Tuesday, where he was saddled with a loss despite throwing seven innings and allowing just five hits. Scherzer has given up more than two runs just twice in his 10 starts this year and owns a career 2.29 ERA versus the Brewers.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Brewers: None to report.
Nationals: Luis Garcia SS (Questionable), Victor Robles CF (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in Woodruff’s last four starts versus a team with a losing record. Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Nationals.
Moneyline pick
Sunday brings us a pair of sub-1.00 WHIP hurlers as Woodruff opposes Scherzer in the final game of the series. Woodruff has become a top-tier starter, sitting third in the NL in WAR. Woodruff isn’t an elite strikeout pitcher (10.34 K/9) but is consistent and pitches to weak contact. His BABIP of .144 is a little concerning though, as it's the third-lowest mark in the NL, but facing a Washington lineup that sits 24th in runs per game at home and is hitting .184 over its last three matches is a little reassuring.
The big question is can the Brewers get their starter any run support?
Scherzer is three years removed from his last Cy Young award but is enjoying his best season (statistically) in years. However, the offense hasn’t always supported Washington’s ace, as evidenced by Scherzer’s seven innings of two-run ball in his latest outing earned him a loss.
The Milwaukee offense has started to pick things up of late and a lot of that has had to do with the return of Christian Yelich. The outfielder has played just 20 games this season but the Brew Crew are 6-2 SU in their last eight with the former MVP in the lineup. He hasn’t been bashing (just one homer since his return on May 18) but he has been producing runs and scored four times over yesterday’s two games — plus he is a career .350 hitter against Scherzer with a pair of long balls.
Yesterday the Brewers managed six runs on 12 hits in the second game of the doubleheader with Luis Urias and Lorenzo Cain going a perfect 6 for 6. Yelich didn't start Game 2 on Saturday, meaning he should be good to go this afternoon.
The Milwaukee bullpen tossed nearly four innings yesterday and didn’t give up a run. The same can’t be said about Washington’s relievers, who gave up five runs over three innings in yesterday’s 6-2 loss. Neither bullpen should be needed too much today with Woodruff and Scherzer on the bump but the Brewers hold a slight advantage if and when they do need to turn things over.
The Brewers haven’t won four straight all year but we’re backing them — and a well-priced Woodruff — on Sunday afternoon.
PREDICTION: Milwaukee (-105)
Over/Under pick
With 30 wins to the Under already this year, the Nationals are the league’s most profitable Under team. Heading into this series the Nats were 2-6 O/U in their last eight games and are scoring an NL-worst 3.48 runs per game at home.
This is also a Washington offense that has hit a bump in the road of late, having managed two or fewer runs in four of its last five games. Over those five matches, the Nats’ offense has an OPS of .534 and a slugging percentage that is nearly identical to its OBP. Only the Rockies have a lower slugging percentage than the Nationals over the last five games, so Woodruff should get deep into this game.
We obviously like having Yelich back in the lineup, but this is still a Milwaukee offense that has struggled for the most part of 2021. The Brewers’ 3.79 runs per game is the fifth-lowest mark in all of baseball and after yesterday’s 14 innings of ball, we don’t expect the bats to come out and hit versus Scherzer in the afternoon.
The Washington starter has been stingy all year as teams are slashing just .145/.217/.210 against Scherzer, whose only flaw this year has been the long ball. Luckily, the Brewers rank in the bottom-third in the league in home runs per game.
With the total of 6.5, we’ll need both starters to come out and hit their spots early as there isn’t much room for error with the low total. But with what is arguably Sunday’s best pitching matchup, we’re hitting the Under.
PREDICTION: Under 6.5 (-115)
Brewers vs Nationals betting card
- Milwaukee ML (-105)
- Under 6.5 (-115)
Picks made on 5/30/2021 at 8:32 a.m. ET
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