The MLB postseason is upon us and the first Wild Card game will see two plucky National League teams take on each other with the Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals. Both teams come into the wild card game under different circumstances. While the Brewers started off the season off pretty well, the team certainly did start to show some cracks towards the end of the season. However, pretty much the opposite is true for the Nationals, who only started pick up their game after the season halfway mark.
The Brewers pretty much only found out that they had made it to the Wild Card round on the very last game of the season, whereas the Nationals had secured their spot pretty early on. This means that they had some time to rest some players. Although many sportsbooks are placing the Nationals as the favorite, could there be a chance to make some good money on the underdog?
Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals Picks
Well, let’s get into some cold hard stats, and then we’ll tell you which team we believe is going to win in this upcoming matchup and why.
- The Milwaukee Brewers actually has a pretty good record when stacked as the underdog. The team posted a record of 44-23 when playing as an underdog this year, which is a win percentage of 0.656, and that number is pretty high.
- On the other side, the Washington Nationals have a rather disappointing record when set up as the favorite. Thus far this season, they have posted a record of 55-56 when playing as a favorite, which is a win percentage of 0.495. This does not reflect well on the team.
- Max Scherzer has been named starting pitcher for the Nationals for the upcoming match. Scherzer has had a pretty good season, with a winning percentage of .611, and finished the season ranked eighth with regards to pitchers in the league. In his last game, he struck out 10 batters over the course of six innings.
- With regards to the Brewers, Brandon Woodruff has been named starting pitcher. He has had a relatively good season with a total winning percentage of .786. He didn’t quite reach the numbers that Scherzer did but he was able to strikeout 143 batters this year, so he is a pretty reliable option.
- The Brewers’ top batter Christian Yelich was injured before the end of regular season and thus will not be available for the game.
- The Brewers won this year’s season series against the Nationals 4-2. One interesting titbit is that the spread was covered in five games.
So, with all these stats covered, here are our predictions for the first MLB postseason game this year:
- Moneyline – we’re going for the Nationals. Despite the Brewers having won the regular season series, they lost too much momentum when they lost Yelich to injury. With Yelich out, Scherzer may have a better time striking players out.
- Run line – this is a bit of hard one, but we don’t believe that the Nationals are going to run riot on the Brewers if they do win, which is why we recommend going for a Nationals line of -15.
Kim’s MLB Postseason Record so far: 0-0
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John Ford has been writing online gambling content for over 18 years. Born and raised in the heart of the Short Pump, Virginia, John’s journey through the casino industry began on the casino floor itself. He started as a dealer in various games, including blackjack, poker, and baccarat, cultivating an understanding that only hands-on experience can provide. John’s passion for writing casino guides stems from his casino experience and his passion for helping fellow punters. His articles are more than reviews; they are narratives that guide both novices and seasoned players through the labyrinth of online casinos.