Milwaukee Brewers @ Washington Nationals - August 2, 2024

As a die-hard baseball fan, there’s nothing quite like the excitement of heading to Nationals Park for a game day showdown. This Friday, it’s a thrilling matchup between our beloved Washington Nationals and the Milwaukee Brewers. I’m sporting my lucky jersey because let’s be real: every little bit helps when you’re rooting for your team!

Let’s talk pitching. The Brewers are sending Frankie Montas to the mound, who has had a rocky season with a 4-8 record and a 3.8 ERA. Now, those numbers don’t exactly scream dominance, but you can’t underestimate him either—he has an impressive ability to strike batters out at just over 8 punch-outs per game. He may be struggling this year, but if he finds his groove against our hitters, it could spell trouble for us.

On the other side of the diamond is Jake Irvin for the Nationals, standing at an even 8-8 with an ERA creeping up to about 4.5. Irvin has shown flashes of brilliance lately and is capable of keeping opposing teams in check with similar strikeout numbers as Montas. However, our boys need to back him up! If we can get on base early and often, we might just rattle Montas into another rough outing.

When it comes to batting stats this season, the Brewers hold the edge offensively—they’ve managed to average around 4.7 runs per game with better batting figures across the board compared to our Nats who are averaging just over 4 runs per game with a lower batting average of .234. That said, our boys have been showing signs of life despite their recent struggles; they’ve managed to go OVER in five out of their last six games which shows they can put some runs on the board.

The Brewers come into this contest not riding high themselves—they were recently dealt a loss against Atlanta and have only won two out of their last six games overall. Both teams are looking for that spark; it’s as if we’re both searching for lightning in a bottle.

Oddsmakers have opened Milwaukee as slight favorites at -119 while setting the total score line at 9.5—a nod towards potentially high-scoring expectations based on recent trends from both teams’ offenses. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this one stays under that number given how both pitchers can rise to challenge when needed.

So here’s my prediction: I believe tonight will see the Brewers walk away victorious—but it won’t be easy! Given Irvin’s potential and our team’s never-say-die spirit (even after losing four straight), we might keep it closer than expected but still drop this one by a narrow margin—with final scores falling short enough that I think it’ll end up being under that total set by oddsmakers.

Baseball is unpredictable, folks! But regardless of what happens on that field tonight—I’ll be cheering loud and proud in my lucky jersey right until that last pitch! Let’s go Nats!