Several games were rained out or suspended due to inclement weather on Tuesday, which has created a zany Wednesday schedule in the MLB world. To wit, this afternoon’s tilt between the Tigers and the Nationals is one of three doubleheaders on today’s slate.
Let’s preview this unexpected matinee matchup with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tigers vs. Nationals prediction, preview
Tyler Holton will open this contest against Washington, his fifth “start” of 2025. Overall, the lefty has not been nearly as effective this season as he was in 2024, when Holton posted a 2.19 ERA and a 2.78 xERA across 94.1 innings of work. Over 34 appearances and 37.1 innings, Holton sports a 4.91 FIP, proving life is just a little bit more difficult when you’re surrendering 1.93 opponent home runs per nine and your opponent BABIP goes up 86 points. In Holton’s last start on June 19, the 29-year-old conceded two long balls and three earned runs to the lowly Pirates in only 1.1 innings of action. Not ideal.
Still, there’s some good pitching news for Detroit on the horizon — though it won’t impact the team on Wednesday. It was possible that Reese Olson was going to be activated off the IL to pitch in a bulk role in Game 1, but that will not be the case. Olson hasn’t taken the mound in an MLB game since May 17 and he was in amazing form at the time of his injury. In fact, in Olson’s past six starts, the RHP is in possession of a 1.60 ERA and a 2.46 FIP thanks, in part, to a stunning 28.4% strikeout rate. Looks like a straight-forward bullpen day for the Tigers.
Finally, let’s talk a bit about Trevor Williams. The veteran right-hander likely isn’t as bad as his ghastly 5.65 ERA suggests — he’s been the victim of a unsustainably low 63.0% strand rate — but Williams’ style of pitching isn’t doing him any favors, either. Williams enters today’s start with first percentile average fastball velocity (87.5). That’s translated into a 12th percentile mark in whiff rate (19.7%) and a 16th percentile mark in strikeout rate (17.2%). Simply put, Williams just doesn’t miss bats, and opposing LHBs make him pay for that flaw. Lefties are slashing .373/.415/.576 off Williams in 2025 and the Tigers employ several good left-handed bats — even with Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) currently on the IL.
Tigers vs. Nationals pick, best bet
Best Bet: Riley Greene 2+ Total Bases (-115)
Greene has a .993 OPS and a .308 ISO against RHPs so far this season.
Strong Lean: Tigers -1.5 (+102)
Detroit has won the most games of any AL team and they have the bullpen game formula down pat.
