Washington Nationals at Milwaukee Brewers 5/20/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The struggling Washington Nationals will have their hands full when they go on the road to American Family Field to take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington has nearly the worst record in baseball and already trails the NL East by 12.5 games, they’ve lost seven of their last ten and narrowly avoided being swept by the Marlins in their last action. The Brewers, on the other hand, have one of the best records in baseball, hold a four-game lead in the NL Central, and are an impressive 12-5 on their home field.

The Brewers' pitching is what will lead them to a deep playoff run, assuming they make it there, but the offense is nothing to slouch at either. Milwaukee is 8th in OPS, fourth in homeruns, and 8th in scoring offense averaging 4.71 runs per game. Hunter Renfroe has been a worthy offseason acquisition leading the team hitting .250 and is 8th in the MLB with 9 homeruns.  

Big left-hander Eric Lauer will get the start and look to continue his dominant start to the season. Lauer was solid last season but this year has been on a different level going 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA and is striking out 6.1 batters for every walk he’s issued. The problem for him has been the long ball and that was the case in his last start where he allowed three homers in five innings as the Brewers fell 9-3 to the Marlins.

The Nationals' offense is hitting .251 on the year which ranks 4th in the MLB, but they’re also in the bottom five of homeruns and walks. They’ve managed to score 4.05 runs per game which ranks 20th in the MLB, but they’re just not getting enough hits in clutch situations. Juan Soto is still one of the best young players in baseball, he’s hit 8 homeruns and continues to draw a ton of walks, leading the MLB with 32.

Right-hander Erick Fedde will get the start for a Nationals’ pitching staff that is one of the worst in baseball. As a staff, they’ve posted a 4.93 ERA on the season with Fedde slightly beating those numbers with his 4.24 ERA in 34 innings. Fedde has actually been far better on the road this season going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his four road starts this season.