The Washington Nationals look to emerge victorious in MLB odds action as the Pirates arrive at Nationals Park on Monday.

Paul Maholm, with a record of 1-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Pirates, while the Nationals trot John Lannan to the mound in this one. He is 2-4 so far in 2011.



View Pittsburgh vs Washington Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Washington opened as -120 moneyline favorites in this baseball match, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 8.

Power Rankings:
The Nationals sit at No. 12 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Pirates sit at a National League No. 16 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Washington's National League No. 12-ranked scoring average of 3.8 runs per game, against a Pirates offense rated No. 14 and scoring 3.6 runs per game in the league. The Nationals have averaged 7.4 hits per game to date this season, less than the Pirates hitters have managed (7.6 per nine innings).

Defensively, Pittsburgh features the National League's No. 12-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.7 runs per game. Washington, meanwhile, comes in at No. 12 in the National League at home, scoring 3.6 runs per game.

Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 9-6 loser as they battled the Brewers on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Brewers at -168 were rewarded, while the 15 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Pittsburgh suffered a 9-6 loss against Milwaukee on Sunday, as Kevin Correia wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Miller Park.

The Nationals were an 8-4 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Marlins. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Washington at -131 on the moneyline, while the total score (12) was good news for OVER bettors. The Nationals enjoyed an 8-4 victory at the expense of the Marlins on Sunday, with Jason Marquis throwing 6 2/3 innings of 6-hit ball at Nationals Park.


Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Washington are 2-8
After playing Milwaukee are 2-8
After a loss are 6-4

Washington Nationals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

A few Pirates at Nationals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Washington, Tuesday, May 17