Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Odds, Analysis, MLB Betting Pick

The Washington Nationals (57-37) begin the final leg of their road trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks (55-40) on Friday as favorites at the sportsbooks.

The Nationals are 5-1 through the first six games, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in four games before splitting a two-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Angels. The Diamondbacks have dropped six of their past eight games.

Betting line: The Nationals opened as -137 favorites (wager $137 to win $100) with sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 5.6-3.6, Nationals. MLB picks on every game.

Why the Nationals Can Pay on the MLB Lines

Washington has won six of seven dating back to the end of the first half and will have ace Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.01 ERA) on the mound for the series opener with Arizona. The Nationals have won Scherzer's past four starts, with him going 3-0 during that stretch.

Scherzer is coming off a great performance at Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings with four walks and 10 strikeouts. The 32-year-old leads the National League in strikeouts, with 183, totaling 10 or more in nine of 10.

Why the Diamondbacks Can Pay on the MLB Lines

The Diamondbacks ended a six-game road trip on a positive note by taking two of three from the Reds. They are battling the Colorado Rockies for second place in the National League West.

Arizona is one of the best home teams in baseball, boasting an impressive 33-15 mark at Chase Field. Only the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers have been better, at 39-12. At plus-110 The Diamondbacks also rank third in MLB in run differential, behind the Dodgers and Houston Astros.

Smart Betting Pick

It is hard to imagine taking Arizona here considering Scherzer will be toeing the rubber for the opposition, and Washington has dominated the series lately. The Nats have won eight of the past 11 meetings and swept the D-backs in a three-game set the last time they visited Phoenix.

Arizona was outscored 32-8 by Washington in those three games, with all of them decided by five runs or more. In fact, seven of the past eight wins for the Nats have been decided by two or more, so take them on the runline.

MLB Betting Trends

Washington is 6-1 in its past seven games.

Washington is 6-1 in its past seven games on the road.

The total has gone under in four of Arizona's past five games at home.

All MLB lines and betting trends relayed by Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.