by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Jun 02, 2022
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
Where to watch: MASN, Bally Sports Ohio
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record
Nationals: 18-34
Reds: 17-32
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Nationals - Reds preview and analysis
Well, if you’re a fan of the Washington Nationals, I’d like to pinpoint how this has been an awful stretch for your group as of late. Especially knowing they’re nowhere close to the New York Mets, getting blasted in a three-game series like that is likely not the best course of action.
I get losing to the Mets is something that’s to be expected, but to lose by a combined 28-5 in those three games is another matter entirely. Poor Patrick Corbin and Erick Fedde were on the receiving ends of some horrendous losses by nearly double digits, and the last one — a 5-0 loss on Wednesday to complete the sweep — was just unfathomable.
But it’s another notch in the “Washington is bad” belt when they given up eight hits and five runs come across. The Nats, meanwhile, were held to six hits and couldn’t solve the suddenly resurgent Carlos Carrasco.
How in the world are they supposed to contain the juggernaut Cincinnati Reds? I mean, what else are you to expect from a team that’s won five of seven and is now *checks notes* 17-32 in the NL Central? It’s almost the greatest comeback story ever told … even if the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle os such things, as well.
"I like what I saw," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of starter Evan Lee, who lasted just a whopping 3.2 innings in his big-league debut. "He's got good stuff. So he'll probably get another opportunity in five days to go back out there and start again. I thought he did a really good job of handling himself.”
The Nats are clearly in free-fall mode with no help in sight, and after the comments made by Nationals president and GM Mike Rizzo on not wanting to trade Juan Soto, this is the acceptance of the Nationals. The acceptance of being horrible, the acceptance that the World Series team from just a few years ago is a distant memory with no championship desire in sight. At least they’re, overall, doing better than Bryce Harper at the moment.
And that’s why they’re on equal footing with the Reds, who come in after losing 7-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, where they had just seven hits and Hunter Greene lasted just 3.2 innings despite striking out eight. He just wasn’t getting the run support needed.
"Honestly, for me tonight, I lost the focus on staying present," Greene said. "I felt very present in the first three innings. I slowly started to drift away in that next inning, in the fourth...That's going to happen, but trying to lock back in as quick as possible is what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, that was a little more of a challenge tonight. I don't want to think of it as an excuse, but looking back, I think that was a part of the issue in the fourth, trying to stay as present as possible."
Talk about a leader stepping up when needed.
Prediction
The Nationals are in free-fall mode, while the Reds are actually looking decent right now. I’d take the home team with the momentum right now. Reds win 7-4
Betting trends
Nationals are 43-69 the past three seasons when the line is between +125 and -125.
Nationals are 7-25 on Thursday the past three seasons.
Reds are 2-8 at home this season when the line is between +125 and -125.
Projected lineup
Nationals:
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Nelson Cruz (R) DH
Josh Bell (S) 1B
Yadiel Hernandez (L) LF
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Luis Garcia (L) SS
Riley Adams (R) C
Dee Strange-Gordon (L) CF
SP - Joan Adon
Reds:
Nick Senzel (R) CF
Brandon Drury (R) 3B
Tyler Stephenson (R) C
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Kyle Farmer (R) SS
Albert Almora Jr. (R) LF
Mike Moustakas (L) DH
Aristides Aquino (R) RF
Matt Reynolds (R) 2B
SP - Graham Ashcraft
Statistical leaders
Nationals:
Batting average: Josh Bell – .304
Hits: Cesar Hernandez – 61
Home runs: Juan Soto – 9
RBI: Josh Bell – 28
Wins: Josiah Gray – 5
Saves: Tanner Rainey – 5
ERA: Josiah Gray – 5.08
Reds:
Batting average: Kyle Farmer – .257
Hits: Kyle Farmer – 38
Home runs: Brandon Drury – 8
RBI: Brandon Drury – 26
Wins: Six tied – 2
Saves: Tony Santillan – 4
ERA: Tyler Mahle – 5.53
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
