Washington Nationals in Rare Spot as Favorites vs. Rockies on Tuesday Night

The Washington Nationals begin a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night as favorites in the game.

Jun 23, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) and right fielder Lane Thomas (28) celebrate with second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (2) after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals wrapped up a brutal stretch of games over the weekend.

They spent last week playing against World Series contenders, playing two contests against the Baltimore Orioles and four against the Philadelphia Phillies.

They bookended the this stretch with victories but had a four-game losing streak in between. Scoring was a challenge, as they put up nine and six runs in their wins, but a combined seven runs in their four losses.

Such is the rollercoaster ride of a young team who is looking to find their footing.

The Nationals moved on from several veterans ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. They also did the same after that date, releasing two players to make room for some youngsters.

They will be looking to get on track as they welcome the Colorado Rockies into the nation’s capital for a three-game set. This is the second series they will be facing off in.

In the first series of the season, Washington took two out of three games on the road. The Rockies will now be looking to return the favor in their final series against each other in 2024.

In a rare occurrence this season, the Nationals will be favored in the series opener. DJ Herz will be making his 13th start of the season for this team. 

To this point, the rookie has a 2-5 record with a 4.25 ERA. He will be opposed by Austin Gomber, who is making his 24th start of the season. Gomber owns a record of 3-8 with a 4.82 ERA

This is the second time that Herz will take the mound against Colorado.

On June 21 at Coors Field, he pitched only 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits, three of which were home runs, in an eventual 11-5 victory for Washington. Gomber didn’t pitch in the series, as this will be his first appearance against the Nationals in 2024.

Washington has been installed as -159 favorites on the money line. Colorado is +134 underdogs and the over/under has been set at eight total runs.

This is only the 21st time this season that the Nationals have been favored in a contest.

They have split those games, going 10-10. Their two matchups where they were this big of favorites they also split. Being an underdog is nothing new for the Rockies, as this will be the 126th time this season they have that designation.