Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/27/2022

Time: 7:05 p.m. ET

Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, DC

Where to watch: AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, MASN

DraftKings: NL

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: NL

Pirates: 29-43

Nationals: 27-48

That was a rather impressive weekend from the Washington Nationals. In a series where no one really should have expected them to even win a game against the Texas Rangers, they went ahead and took two of three in Arlington to rebound after a rough end to their stint in Baltimore last week.

Now the Nats will be taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, returning to Nationals Park and what will be a seven-game homestand that will stretch into next week. For the Nationals, this is a prime opportunity to build off what’s been a rather successful six-game run to this point. Washington, in addition to taking two of three against the Rangers, also won against Philadelphia and got a shutout victory against Baltimore.

The Nationals capped off the series win with a 6-4 victory on Sunday. Even though they jumped out to a 6-0 lead, that was more than enough after rocking Texas starter Glenn Otto through barely two innings. Even at 27-48 this season, though, the Nationals should be looking for anything to get excited about. A series win – days removed from losing eight straight – is one of those things.

“We started chasing it a lot,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Sometimes that’s how the game goes. … But, I thought, you know, us coming out today after yesterday and scoring early was awesome.”

The Nats were inches away from a sweep had it not been for Adolis Garcia’s walk-off shot in the 9th inning on Saturday, but to come from behind on Friday and win that game, as well, is a good sign that the Nationals can, in fact, do some things right.

Nelson Cruz returned to Arlington to mash against his former team, going 2 for 5 and driving in three runs, and Josh Bell had three hits at five at-bats to push his season average to .308. If you’re looking for a valuable trade chip when the deadline finds its way.

But the true winner of the day was Jackson Tetreault giving up just one run in six innings while striking out four. The youngster reached his second win of the season and has looked comfortable since making his MLB debut a few weeks ago.

"Every time I go out there, I'm expecting to win," Tetreault said. "I believe I deserve to be up here. Whenever I go out there, I'm just trying to compete, compete for the team. I'm super grateful every time (manager Dave Martinez) hands me the ball."

The Pirates, meanwhile, could not capitalize off their series victory last week over the Chicago Cubs, getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays and it capped off by Shane McClanahan striking out 10 over seven innings. The Pirates lost 4-2 and were held to just six hits for the entire game with not a single batter getting more than one hit. And funny enough, things looked bright until the seventh when the Rays tagged them for three runs.

"I would be hard pressed to find a better left-hander pitcher in the American League or in the National League than the guy we saw today," Pirates maanger Derek Shelton said. "The slider is elite, and then the thing he does really well is when he goes and gets a fastball he goes fastball inside to right-hander's 97-99 (mph)."

The Pirates have not yet named a starter for Monday’s game, but the Nationals will be sending out Erick Fedde, currently in the midst of the best season of his career (5-5, 4.46 ERA). He’s not the ace yet, but he’s at least looking like somewhat promising of a first-round pick … even if he’s just turning 30.

The Pirates just ran into a very tough opponent this weekend. The Nationals might be taking their foot off the gas given how great they’re feeling after the weekend. They may look too comfortable at home and I think this is a prime chance for Pittsburgh to take advantage. Pirates win 6-3

Pirates are 8-15 in June this month.

Pirates are 7-21 on Monday games the past three seasons.

Nationals are 46-73 the past three seasons when the line is between +125 and -125.

Pirates:
Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
Bryan Reynolds (S) DH
Michael Chavis (R) 1B
Diego Castillo (R) SS
Bligh Madris (L) LF
Jack Suwinski (L) CF
Yu Chang (R) 2B
Cal Mitchell (L) RF
Tyler Heineman (S) C
SP - TBD

Nationals:
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Josh Bell (S) 1B
Nelson Cruz (R) DH
Yadiel Hernandez (L) LF
Lane Thomas (R) CF
Luis Garcia (L) SS
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Riley Adams (R) C
SP - Erick Fedde

Batting average: Ke'Bryan Hayes -- .263

Home runs: Jack Suwinski -- 12

RBI: Michael Chavis -- 25

Wins: Chris Stratton -- 4

ERA: JT Brubaker -- 4.14

Batting average: Josh Bell -- .308

Home runs: Juan Soto -- 14

RBI: Josh Bell -- 46

Wins: Josiah Gray -- 6

ERA: Josiah Gray -- 6