The MLB Trade Deadline puts a firm line between most of the contenders and the pretenders. That line was set far earlier in the season between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals.
This will be the sixth straight losing season for the Nationals since winning the World Series in 2019. They’ve struggled to recoup after losing Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, and plenty of others. The good news is that the Soto deal put a jolt into the rebuild: James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, and CJ Abrams have all made All-Star games with Washington, but the team has a ways to go.
Milwaukee can’t relate to prolonged playoff droughts. Since 2017, they’ve had a winning record in all but one season, the COVID-shortened year in which they went 29-31. They currently own the top record in the National League and made reinforcements at the Deadline. The World Series still eludes them, but this year it’s within their grasp.
The Brewers are -187 favorites on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The run total is set at eight runs. Let’s dig into a Brewers-Nationals prediction and pick.
Nationals vs. Brewers prediction, pick
The Brandon Woodruff comeback story continues on Saturday. He’s been cooking in his return from a long layoff, recording a 2.01 ERA across his first four starts of the year. Incredibly, Woodruff has punched out 29 batters without issuing a single walk. Talk about a shot in the arm for the Brewers.
After taking a step forward last season, Nationals starter Jake Irvin has regressed in 2025. It’s been a disappointment for the 28-year-old. With so much of this Washington team in flux, the last two months of the season are a “prove you belong” stretch. A strong stretch run for Irvin could solidify his spot in the rotation next year, though a bad run could have management questioning his future.
That’s going to be a difficult task against this Brewers offense. They’ve had some huge performances after the All-Star break, most of all Friday night’s explosion in Washington. Milwaukee racked up over 20 hits while demolishing Nationals starter Mitchell Parker for eight earned runs. I don’t see things looking very different on Saturday.
