Baseball Betting Odds – Washington Nationals vs Florida Marlins

Baseball’s brightest young pitcher will take his talents to South Beach Friday night to open the second half of the season. Should Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals be your pick in the baseball betting odds?

Washington Nationals (39-50 SU, 46-43 R/L, 38-48-3 O/U) at Florida Marlins (42-46 SU, 43-45 R/L, 44-40-4 O/U)

Friday, July 16: 7:05 p.m.

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Betting Odds:

Washington: – 1 ½, +130, -130
(Stephen Strasburg-R)

Florida: +1 ½, -150, +110
(Ricky Nolasco-R)

Total Runs:

Over 7: EV
Under 7: -120

For those of you who don’t know about Strasburg, well where’ve you been? The No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft has taken baseball by storm in 2010, as he gets set to make the eighth start of his brief career Friday. So far this season Strasburg has been as good as advertised, with a 3-2 record and 2.32 ERA, not to mention an absurd 61 to 11 strikeout to walk rate.

However, for Strasburg to notch the win Friday, he’ll need better offensive support from his teammates, as in his two losses, he’s given up just four earned runs total.

That stat probably comes as a surprise to many baseball bettors, as Washington Nationals has one of the better lineups in the National League. Four regulars are batting .280 or better, including Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman who are each hitting .294 coming into this game. Adam Dunn (.288) leads this lineup with 22 home runs.

The pitcher who will be asked to cool down this strong Nationals lineup is Ricky Nolasco. Unlike Strasburg (who has struggled for run support all year), the Marlins bats have come through for Nolasco, who has recorded nine wins already, despite posting just a 4.56 ERA. To his credit, Nolasco has been significantly better recently than he was early on, as he has notched four wins in a row heading into the All-Star break. He pitched into the seventh inning in each of those four games.

Offensively, the Florida Marlins do everything well but nothing great, as at the All-Star break they were between the top third and top half in baseball in the following categories: Runs per game, home runs, team batting average and stolen bases. All-Star starter Hanley Ramirez is hitting .301 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.

So with Major League Baseball’s second half underway, who should be your Friday night baseball bet? None other than Strasburg and the Nationals.

With as much hype as there was surrounding the kid heading into the season, it’s hard to believe that he’s somehow lived up to it all. Watching Strasburg, he’s been absolutely masterful, and don’t expect the Marlins- who’ll be seeing him for the first time- to stand much of a chance in this game.

It’ll be another Strasburg show in South Beach Friday night, as the rookie will again light the baseball world on fire. Take Washington and their stud pitcher in Friday’s baseball betting odds.

Aaron’s Pick: Washington Money Line (-130)