Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 4/14/2024

Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics Overview

• Date: April 14, 2024
• Venue: Oakland Coliseum
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Trevor Williams - Nationals
  • Alex Wood - Athletics
• Run Line: Nationals 1.5 -185, Athletics -1.5 160
• Money Line: Nationals 115, Athletics -135
• Total (Over/Under):8.5 -110

Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics Win Probabilities

Implied Win %:

• Washington Nationals - 45%
• Oakland Athletics - 55%

Projected Win %:

• Washington Nationals - 40.48%
• Oakland Athletics - 59.52%

Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics Game Preview & Prediction

In a highly anticipated Interleague matchup, the Oakland Athletics will face off against the Washington Nationals at Oakland Coliseum. The game is scheduled to be played on April 14, 2024.

The Athletics will have the home-field advantage, while the Nationals will be the away team. Both teams have struggled this season, with the Athletics recording a 6-9 record and the Nationals holding a 6-8 record.

The Athletics are projected to start left-handed pitcher Alex Wood, who has had a tough start to the season with an 8.03 ERA. However, his 5.10 xFIP suggests that he has been unlucky and may perform better going forward. On the other hand, the Nationals are projected to start right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams, who has been performing well with a 2.61 ERA. However, his 4.99 xFIP indicates that he may regress in his future outings.

The Athletics offense has struggled this season, ranking as the 29th best in MLB. They lack power, ranking 30th in team home runs, but excel in stolen bases, ranking 5th in the league. On the other hand, the Nationals offense ranks 21st in MLB, with a strong team batting average but a lack of power, ranking 29th in home runs.

Based on the current odds, the Athletics are favored to win with a 54% implied win probability, while the Nationals have a 46% chance of victory. The game total is set at 8.5 runs.

Considering the matchups, the Athletics may have an advantage with Alex Wood's pitching against the Nationals' low-strikeout offense. However, Trevor Williams' ability to limit walks may neutralize the Athletics' impatient offense.

Quick Takes Washington Nationals:

When estimating his strikeout ability, the leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Trevor Williams in the 11th percentile among all starters in MLB.

• THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors and regularly tests among the most accurate systems available.

Joey Gallo has strong power (100th percentile) if he makes contact, but that's never a sure thing (39.2% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Alex Wood has a pitch-to-contact profile (0th percentile K%) — great news for Gallo.

• If he is less likely to strikeout, he'll be more likely to make contact, which is often hard, home-run contact.

The Washington Nationals bullpen ranks as the 2nd-worst in the league, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

• Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game's runs.

Quick Takes Oakland Athletics:

The Oakland Athletics infield defense projects as the 3rd-best among every team on the slate today.

• Defense is an integral part of preventing hits and runs.

The Washington Nationals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Seth Brown has a strong chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game.

• Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.

J.D. Davis has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.9%) and will be challenged by the league's 10th-deepest RF fences today.

• This player's skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Nationals vs Athletics Prediction: Nationals 3.72 - Athletics 4.32

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