The Tigers are legit. Their return to the postseason last year wasn’t a fluke — it was just the beginning of a new era in Detroit.
Headlined by Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, the Tigers lead the American League with a 54-33 record. It’s the second best record in the majors, just behind the Dodgers. Detroit split yesterday’s double-header with the Nationals and play the third game tonight.
The Tigers are -149 favorites on the moneyline, and the game total is set at over/under 9.5 runs on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nationals are +123 underdogs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Thursday’s Tigers vs. Nationals matchup.
Tigers vs. Nationals prediction
Tonight’s game between the Tigers and Nationals will decide the winner of the series. The two teams split the double-header yesterday.
Detroit will start Dietrich Enns, a 34-year-old lefty that’s pitched just 12 MLB games since debuting in 2017. He’s rarely stuck around in the majors, having played limited games in only 2017, 2021 and 2025. He did, however, have a good game in his sole outing this year. Enns allowed one hit through five scoreless innings against the Athletics.
Perhaps Enns can recreate this against the Nationals, who are 36-50 this year. Although they have a poor record, Washington does still have some impressive bats. James Wood is among the best hitters in the National League, batting .283 with 22 home runs, 65 RBIs and 55 runs.
The Nationals will start Jake Irvin, who has a 4.73 ERA through 99 innings. He’s not an overly dominant pitcher, but he eats innings and has been relatively healthy in his career. He totaled 187.2 innings and led the majors with 33 starts last year.
Irvin will have a difficult test against an elite Tigers offense. Detroit scores 5.05 runs per game, which ranks fifth in the majors. The Tigers have a lot of great bats, and Riley Greene may just be the best one at the moment.
Greene is slashing .355/.397/.664 with eight homers and 29 RBIs since the start of June. He had two home runs and six RBIs in the first game of yesterday’s double-header.
Tigers vs. Nationals pick, best bet
Tonight’s pitching matchup isn’t exciting, unless you’re hoping for a ton of offense. Neither Enns nor Irvin should have a phenomenal outing, and both should give up a few runs at least in the first few innings.
Bullpens will take over, which shouldn’t change the outcome. The Nationals have the worst reliever ERA in the majors, while the Tigers rank 16th.
Yes, 9.5 runs is a steep hill to climb, but it’s doable for these teams. The past two games have gone over 9.5, so let’s make it a third to wrap up the series.