'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Oakland Athletics take on the Washington Nationals in a desperate clash at Nationals Park on Wednesday. Both of these sides have massively underperformed this season. Both enter this game at the bottom of their respective divisions.
The Nationals are currently 43-86 in the National League East, whereas the Athletics are 49-81 in the American League West. The win percentage reads .333 for the Washington side and .377 for Oakland, making them the two worst sides in the entire MLB.
The Athletics have been poor this season, but their recent form has been something of a bright spell. They have won their last three straight games, including a win over today’s opponents on Tuesday. It was the first of a three-game series with game two coming up. In the process, they have won six of their last 10 fixtures, so will have some confidence leading up to today's matchup.
Washington come into this game in mixed form, having lost four of their last 10 games. They are coming off two consecutive series losses against the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners.
Trending
In a season consisting mainly of negatives, Keibert Ruiz has been a positive for the Washington side. He has the best batting average on the entire team (.247). The Nationals have the least number of wins (43) and the worst team ERA (5.11) in the entire MLB.
"LUI GOES YARD" - Nationals
Tanner Rainey, Jackson Tetreault and Yadiel Hernandez are set to miss out for the home side due to long-term injuries.
For the Oakland squad, Sean Murphy and Cole Irvin have been the clear standouts this campaign. The former leads the side in batting averages (.258), has the most home runs (17), the highest RBI (58) and the most runs created (65.16). The latter has the best ERA of 3.35, the most strikeouts (104), the most pitches per innings (14.3) and the most strikeouts per nine innings (6.3).
Dany Jimenez and Paul Blackburn are key absentees for the Athletics due to injuries.
"Drumroll please" - Athletics
Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics match details
Fixture: Oakland Athletics @ Washington Nationals
Date and Time: Wednesday, August 31, 7:05 PM EDT
Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics betting odds
Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics best picks
The top picks for the game are Anibal Sanchez of the Nationals and James Kaprielian of the Athletics. The former has an ERA of 5.72 and the latter has an ERA of 4.88.
Washington Nationals vs Oakland Athletics prediction
This game may not hold much significance for either team with respect to their playoff chances. However, both teams will want to win as many games as possible by the end of the regular season. It's a tough one to call, but this looks like an Athletics win, as they are coming into this in better form.
Oakland Athletics: -1.5
