Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals – 8/28/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-08-28 19:30:00 EDT
The Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox meet Friday in MLB action from Fenway Park.
This will be the first edition of a three-game set between these teams this weekend. The Nationals are coming off a series versus the Phillies. Washington lost the first two games in that set 8-3 and 3-2. The Thursday game was postponed. As for the Red Sox, they just finished up against the Blue Jays. Boston split the first two games 9-7 (win) and 9-1 (loss). The Thursday game was postponed. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Nationals have relied on a few key bats so far this year, and have gotten mixed results at the plate overall. Juan Soto leads the way with his eight homers, 18 RBI, 17 runs and .380 batting average. Trea Turner is also doing well with a .309 BA, six homers and 14 RBI.
For the Friday opener, Washington will go with RHP Max Scherzer. Over six starts this season, Scherzer is 2-1 with a 4.31 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 31.1 innings of work. On his MLB career, Scherzer is 172-90 with a 3.21 ERA and 2736 strikeouts in 2321.1 innings.
Over on the Red Sox side, they’ve had some pretty tepid results on offense this season so far. Leading the team in home runs is Xander Bogaerts, with six homers, 17 RBI, 29 hits and 17 runs. Alex Verdugo is also having a solid year on a .291 BA, 18 runs, 30 hits, five homers and 12 RBI.
It looks like it’ll be Martin Perez taking the hill for the Red Sox on Friday. This season, Perez is 2-3 over six starts with a 3.45 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 31.3 innings total.
The Nationals are 10-1 in their last 11 interleague road games and 6-1 in their last seven road games versus a left-handed starter. Washington is also 6-2 in their last eight games as a road favorite and 15-5 in their last 20 road games.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are 53-21 in their last 74 versus the National League East and 66-28 in their last 94 interleague games. Boston is 13-6 in their last 19 Friday games and 8-21 in their last 29 home games.
Pick: I’m leaning Nationals here. Scherzer is making his start a day late, but that’s good news for Washington’s chances at picking up a win. That said, Scherzer is just 4-5 with a 5.90 ERA and 62 strikeouts in his career versus the Red Sox (11 starts). He’s also just 2-2 at Fenway Park with a 3.13 ERA. Boston’s pretty beat up right now though, so I feel okay with Scherzer out there.
