A series opener between the Washington Nationals (8-10) and Houston Astros (6-14) is scheduled for Friday at 6:45 PM ET, at Nationals Park.

The Nationals play as a home underdog (+144) against the Astros (-172). The starting pitchers are Justin Verlander for the Houston Astros, and MacKenzie Gore (2-0) for the Washington Nationals.

Friday, the Nationals took down the Dodgers 2-0. Jake Irvin was the winning pitcher after throwing six innings without giving up an earned run on four hits, while striking out six. C.J. Abrams paced the Nationals’ offense, going 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Before this Astros vs. Nationals matchup, here is everything you need to prepare for Friday’s MLB action, including viewing options.

Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 3:16 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Astros (-172, bet $172 to win $100)
  • Underdog: Nationals (+144, bet $100 to win $144)
  • Over/under: 8.5

Astros vs. Nationals: Live streaming info & game time

  • Game Day: Friday, April 19, 2024
  • Game Time: 6:45 PM ET
  • Stadium: Nationals Park
  • TV Channel: MASN
  • Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Astros stats and trends

Astros betting records

  • This season, the Astros have won four out of the 15 games, or 26.7%, in which they’ve been favored.
  • Houston has not entered a game this season as bigger favorites on the moneyline than the -172 odds on them winning this game.
  • The implied probability of a win from the Astros, based on the moneyline, is 63.2%.
  • Games involving Houston have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in eight of 20 chances this season.
  • The Astros are 6-13-0 against the spread this season.

Justin Verlander (Astros probable starter)

  • Verlander makes his first start of the season for the Astros.
  • The 41-year-old righty started and threw 5 2/3 innings in his last appearance on Friday, Oct. 20 against the Texas Rangers.
  • Last season he compiled a 13-8 record, a 3.22 ERA and a 1.133 WHIP over his 27 games.
  • The Nationals have MLB’s 26th-ranked scoring offense (66 total runs) and have racked up a .231 batting average as a team while hitting 17 home runs (19th in the league) this season.
  • He ranked eighth in ERA (3.22), 14th in WHIP (1.133), and 34th in K/9 (8.0) among qualified pitchers in the majors last year.

Astros batting stats

  • The Astros rank third in Major League Baseball with 24 home runs.
  • Fueled by 64 extra-base hits, Houston ranks fifth in MLB with a .429 slugging percentage this season.
  • The Astros’ .270 batting average is among the best in baseball, ranking third in MLB.
  • Houston ranks 14th in the majors with 87 total runs scored this season.
  • The Astros are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking fourth with an OBP of .342.
  • Houston is one of the most-disciplined teams at the plate this season, ranking second with an average of 6.7 strikeouts per game.

Nationals stats and trends

Nationals betting records

  • The Nationals have come away with seven wins in the 16 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
  • Washington has a mark of 5-5 in contests where sportsbooks favor it by +144 or worse on the moneyline.
  • Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Nationals have a 41% chance of pulling out a win.
  • Washington and its opponents have hit the over in eight of its 18 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
  • The Nationals are 10-7-0 against the spread in their 17 games that had a posted line this season.

MacKenzie Gore (Nationals probable starter)

  • Gore gets the start for the Nationals, his fourth of the season. He is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA and 23 strikeouts through 16 2/3 innings pitched.
  • In his most recent time out on Saturday, the left-hander threw five scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics while surrendering four hits.
  • The 25-year-old has a 2.81 ERA and 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings over three games this season, while giving up a batting average of .246 to opposing hitters.
  • Gore will look to go five or more innings for his fourth straight start. He’s averaging 5.3 frames per outing.
  • He has had one outing this season that he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.
  • The opposing Astros offense has the fifth-ranked slugging percentage (.429) and ranks third in home runs hit (24) in all of MLB. They have a collective .270 batting average, and are second in the league with 189 total hits and 14th in MLB play scoring 87 runs.

Nationals batting stats

  • The Nationals rank 19th in baseball with 17 total home runs.
  • So far this year, Washington is 19th in the majors, slugging .376.
  • The Nationals are 21st in the majors with a .231 batting average.
  • Washington is the fifth-lowest scoring team in MLB action averaging 3.7 runs per game (66 total).
  • The Nationals are 19th in MLB with an on-base percentage of .308.
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