Nationals vs Giants Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 8 (Back San Francisco With Anthony DeSclafani Starting)

The San Francisco Giants (15-18) will aim to climb closer to the .500 mark when they host the Washington Nationals (14-20) in the first matchup of their three-game series on Monday, May 8.

Nationals vs Giants Game Info

• Date: Monday, May 8, 2023
• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• Venue: Oracle Park -- San Francisco, CA
• Coverage: NBCS-BA and MASN2

Not falling too far behind in their respective divisions needs to be the top priority for both of these teams in the month of May. The Nationals are coming off a series in which they lost two of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Giants are fresh off winning two of three contests against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Nationals vs Giants Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: WSH: (+190) | SF: (-230)
• Spread: WSH: +1.5 (-113) | SF: -1.5 (-106)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Giants enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:45 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with both sides available at -110 odds.

Nationals vs Giants Betting Trends

• Washington is 2-7 straight up in its last nine games against San Francisco.
• The total has hit the under in five of Washington's last seven games.
• San Francisco is 7-2 straight up in its last nine home games.
• The total has hit the over in four of San Francisco's last five games against Washington.

Nationals vs Giants Prediction & Pick

The Nationals are sending Jake Irvin to the mound to make his second career start. The 26-year-old held the Chicago Cubs to 1 run on 2 hits (4 walks) across 4 1/3 innings during his MLB debut last week in a 2-1 loss for Washington. He became the 25th homegrown starter in Nationals history to reach the majors.

The Giants will counter with Anthony DeSclafani, who has gotten off to an impressive start in 2023. The veteran hurler has posted a 2.13 ERA and an NL-best 0.82 WHIP across six starts for San Francisco with a 3-1 record. DeSclafani also leads the majors with a minuscule 0.7 walks per nine innings mark so far.

Experience on the mound gives San Francisco an advantage, as does its superiority at the plate. The Giants rank fourth in the majors in home runs (54) and should be able to get to Irvin early. Meanwhile, Washington ranks 27th in runs per game (3.88) and 20th in on-base percentage (.315), which will limit its ability to launch a counterattack.

Final Score Prediction: Nationals: 2 | Giants: 5

Nationals vs Giants Best Bet

There's no one on the San Francisco roster hotter than Thairo Estrada is right now. The 27-year-old utility player has gathered a total of 18 hits over his last 11 games and has gotten on base at least once in 10 of those contests. Rather than taking juiced odds for him to record a hit (-260), back Estrada to score a run. The Giants speedster has crossed the plate in four of his last five games.

Bet: Thairo Estrada to Record a Run (-125)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.