Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins – 8/23/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals meet in an NL East division matchup from Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.

The Miami Marlins will look to build some steam after salvaging a split with Washington in Saturday’s double-header, with the Nationals taking game one 5-4 while Miami took game two 5-3. In game one, Matt Joyce had a two-run home run while Jonathan Villar went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Jesus Sanchez added an RBI as well to cap off Miami’s scoring. In game two, Corey Dickerson had a two-run home run while Lewis Brinson and Jon Berti each had an RBI as well. In game one, Daniel Castano took the loss after allowing two runs in less than an inning of work while Sixto Sanchez got the win in game two while Brandon Kintzler picked up the save. Humberto Mejia will start here and is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA and 7 strikeouts this season. This will be Mejia’s first career start against Washington.

The Washington Nationals will try to rebound after having to settle for the double-header split on Saturday. In game one, Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera, Josh Harrison and Victor Robles each had an RBI with Harrison going 2 for 2 in addition to Trea Turner chipping in a double as well. In game two, all of Washington’s damage on the board came via home runs as Victor Robles had a two-run dinger and Yan Gomes added a solo shot while going 2 for 3 at the dish. Kyle Finnegan got the win in relief in game one while Daniel Hudson picked up the save and Wil Citeme took the loss on the mound for the Nationals in game two. Anibal Sanchez will start here and is 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA and 14 strikeouts this season. In his career, Sanchez is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA and 34 strikeouts against Miami.

Miami is 1-5 in their last 6 games overall and 2-6 in their last 8 games against a team with a losing record while the over is 5-0 in their last 5 games against a right-handed starter. Washington is 2-12 in their last 14 home games and 1-4 in their last 5 games within the division while the over is 7-1 in their last 8 games overall. Miami is 14-38 in the last 52 meetings between these two teams.

I get why the Nationals would be favored as Mejia doesn’t have much experience at the big league level. However, Miami earned a split with Washington on Saturday in the double-header, and Anibal Sanchez this season is not a pitch I’m looking to lay this kind of juice with. It’s a lean, and the over could be worth a look, but I just think there’s too much value with the Fish to pass on here. Give me Miami and the plus money in this one.