Nationals vs Yankees Picks: Bats in the Bronx

Juan Soto and the Nationals' lineup should have success Sunday going up against Yankees starter Domingo German, who is allowing 2.16 HR per nine innings this year.

May 8, 2021 • 20:25 ET
Juan Soto Washington Nationals MLB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals and New York Yankees will wrap up a three-game set on Sunday afternoon as Joe Ross opposes Domingo German on the mound. The teams split the series' first two games, with the Yanks picking up a 4-3 extra inning win on Saturday.

Oddsmakers have the Yankees as -149 favorites in MLB betting with the total opening at 9 and trending upwards. 

Here are our free picks and predictions for Nationals vs. Yankees for Sunday, May 9 (1:05 p.m. ET).

Nationals vs Yankees odds

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MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report

By Patrick Everson

The Yankees opened as -152 favorites for the series finale in New York and are -154 at FanDuel as of 12:05 p.m. ET.  The Yankees are taking 79 percent of moneyline bets, while the Nationals are taking 28 percent of moneyline dollars. The total hasn't budged from 9, with the Under at -102 and 71 percent of the money coming in for the Over.

Check out the full line movement for this game

Nationals vs Yankees betting preview

Starting pitchers

Joe Ross (2-2, 4.39 ERA): Don’t let the ERA fool you. Joe Ross has had one bad start out of five, where he allowed a whopping 10 runs. In the other four turns, the righty has surrendered just three runs across 21 innings. 

Domingo German (2-2, 4.32 ERA): German is 2-0 SU over his last three starts and holds an impressive 25/5 K/BB ratio over his 25 innings of work this year. The right-hander has looked sharp over his last two turns, allowing just seven hits across 12 innings. However, German has been susceptible to the long ball this season, having given up six to date.

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.

Key injuries

Nationals: No injuries to report.
Yankees: Rougned Odor 2B (Out), Darren O’Day RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 3-1-1 in the Yankees’ last five games. Find more MLB betting trends for Nationals vs. Yankees.

Moneyline pick

The Yankees were looking like one of the league’s hottest teams but two straight losses ahead of Saturday’s bout curbed New Yorks’ ascension up the AL East standings. The New York bats were dominated by Max Scherzer, getting just two hits off the starter over 7 1-3 innings and whiffing 14 times. If it weren’t for a Brad Hand blown save, the Yankees would be riding a three-game losing skid and trying to avoid the sweep.

The Yanks will send Domingo German to the bump on Sunday. German has not allowed many free passes this season, but opponents are hitting .255 against the Yankees’ starter and his 1.24 WHIP is high, considering he has only walked five batters over 25 innings. At home this year, the right-hander has been hit hard as opponents have posted a big .982 OPS over his two starts at Yankee Stadium. 

The Washington offense hung 11 runs on the Yanks on Friday, including six runs against one of the league’s best bullpens in the eighth. They followed that up with getting the go-ahead run against Aroldis Chapman in the 10th, which is the only run the closer has allowed all year. Trea Turner, Juan Soto and the Nationals’ bats should not fear German and have proven successful against the Yankees’ strength — their bullpen.

Outside of one start that saw starter Joe Ross give up 10 earned runs, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in his other four turns. If you’re into betting against misleading ERAs, Ross’s start on Sunday is the perfect example. 

The Nats also own a Top-10 bullpen and over the last two weeks have posted a 2.08 ERA, which is the fourth-best mark in the MLB over that stretch. Riding with a +130 underdog that has a good-to-great bullpen is much easier on the nerves, despite Hand’s blown save. 

PREDICTION: Washington (+130)

Over/Under pick

Combined, both clubs are 22-37-3 O/U on the year and have been cashing Under tickets with the best of them. However, Saturday's extra inning game used up some important arms on both sides.

The Yankees came out of the gates with one of the league’s worst offenses, but things have changed over the last two weeks, as the Pinstripes are tied for the league’s highest wRC+ at 124 and have MLB’s highest wOBA. The Bombers have 44 homers as a team this season, with 22 of those coming just in the last two weeks. The Yanks are clubbing and Giancarlo Stanton is the catalyst.

Heading into Saturday’s matinee, the hard-swinging DH is 23-for-52 with four homers and 1.223 OPS over the last 14 days. Over his last 10 games, Stanton has had multiple hits in six and has led a New York offense that is averaging nearly five runs a game this month.

German may also aid the Nationals’ bats for the Over. The right-hander has given up his fair share of long balls and owns a 2.16 HR/9 which ranks him in the bottom-12 in the MLB among starting pitchers with at least 25 innings. 

The winds are also expected to be blowing out to left field at an Over-friendly 9 mph. This total opened at 9 and should trend up to 9.5. We’re hitting the Over 9 and think both clubs have a great shot at putting up four runs with the mediocre pitching matchup and taxed bullpen.

PREDICTION: Over 9 (-110)

Nationals vs Yankees betting card

  • Washington ML (+130)
  • Over 9 (-110)

Picks made on 5/8/2021 at 8:05 p.m. ET

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