On July 20, 2024, the Cincinnati Reds are set to clash with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, with the first pitch at 6:45 PM under expected overcast skies. Nick Lodolo, who has maintained a 3.332 ERA, will take the mound for the Reds. Facing him from the Nationals’ side will be MacKenzie Gore, whose ERA stands at 4.014.

The Reds currently occupy the 10th spot in the 2024 NL Central Division with a 47-51 record, translating to a .48 winning percentage, and are ranked 4th in their division with a 12-14 divisional record. They are attempting to bounce back with 5 wins in their last 10 matches but face an ongoing 2-loss streak. Their home and away records show a slight discrepancy, with 25-28 at home and 22-23 on the road. They’ve shown a preference for night games, boasting 29 wins, as opposed to 18 in daytime matches. The team has scored 437 runs while allowing 402.

Similarly, the Nationals rank 13th in the 2024 NL East Division with a record of 45-53, holding a winning percentage of .46 and also rank 4th in their division. They have managed 16 division wins against 15 losses. Recently, they have 4 wins from their last 10 games and are currently enjoying a victory streak of one game. Their performance at home shows a 21-24 record, and 24-29 on the road, with division matches slightly favoring daytime gameplay with 24 wins.

In terms of betting odds, the point spread is set at 1.5 and the over/under for total runs is 8.5. For those betting on money lines, the Nationals are slight favorites at home with an odds of -110, while the Reds are at -108, indicating a closely matched contest. This subtle difference underscores what is expected to be a tightly contested game between two evenly matched teams.