Buehler Has Been Awful On The Road, Take The Nationals

Red Sox vs. Nationals, 4:05 ET

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! Most of all, I hope you had a safe one, and one that made you some money. If you tailed my bets you would've won something for the day which is nice. Joey Chestnut was able to down 70 hot dogs, but didn't go over his total. Miki Sudo, on the other hand, had a pretty embarrassing showing even though she still won the pink belt. Today, we have another opportunity to look at some patriotic teams, but no hot dog contest as the Red Sox take on the Nationals. 

The Red Sox are still fighting to figure out this season. They are a middling team at this point in the year. Right now, they are one game under .500 for the year, and they sit in fourth place. After a super hot start for the Yankees, they have taken some steps back, and Boston would've had a chance to make a run at the division. They still have some time, but they need to start making a run immediately. Make no mistake, the current record and the whole season isn't a result of them trading away Rafael Devers. The offense has been pretty good overall, and the pitching staff's numbers aren't terrible. It just seems like they can't get a consistent run to give themselves some positive success. One pitcher who has struggled this season for them is Walker Buehler. Buehler is 5-6 for the season, but has a 6.45 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Those numbers are pretty high. The reason for those inflated numbers are due to his road performances. He has gone 30 innings and allowed 32 earned runs on the road this season. Over the past four road starts, he has allowed at least five earned runs to opponents. He has also gone more than five innings just once in his last five starts, taxing the Red Sox bullpen. Nationals hitters are 8-for-31 against Buehler in their careers.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 20: Walker Buehler #0 of the Boston Red Sox warms up in the bullpen before game against the New York Mets at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Recently, The Athletic posted an article about how the Nationals declared their rebuild was over, only to start failing instantly this year. I feel like they do have some young talent that will eventually develop and provide a reliable and good team for Washington, but we aren't there at this point yet. For the year, the Nationals are 14 games under .500. They've struggled on both the road and at home this year, but that's probably expected for a team that is a losing club. They have a lot to work out, but they have solid numbers on offense. What probably needs to improve is the pitching. Right now, they have a team ERA of 5.16 and a 1.40 WHIP. Today they have Mitchell Parker taking the ball. For the season, he is 5-8 with a 4.63 ERA, and a 1.35 WHIP. Those numbers aren't terrible, but they also are closer to the back end of a rotation than front end. Parker has been pretty good at home this season with a 3.78 ERA. Two of his past three home starts were quality outings. He has never faced the Red Sox, so he should get an advantage at least the first time through the lineup.

The Red Sox are playing fairly decent baseball at the moment. As I mentioned before, though, the team isn't one of those that is running off 10 straight wins. They are a bit more unpredictable than that, but I don't think they have a good situation today. With Buehler on the hill, on the road, the Red Sox have really struggled. I think we get some value on a dog here with the Nationals. I'll back them to win today. I'd lean toward the over as well. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024