The Baltimore Orioles had high hopes for this season, while the Washington Nationals’ rebuild was expected to continue. Yet it’s the Nats who are off to a better start this season, flirting with .500 and on the periphery of the playoff race. Meanwhile, the O’s are floundering in the early going, falling to 20-25 after Friday’s loss. Will the Nationals continue to climb, or will the Orioles get their payback?
First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. ET. The two teams are deadlocked as -110 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at O/U 10 runs.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Orioles-Nationals game.
Orioles vs. Nationals Preview
First things first, let’s get to know these starting pitchers.
Chris Bassitt steps to the mound for the Orioles on Saturday. The 37-year-old left the Blue Jays for the O’s this past offseason, and so far, the Jays aren’t crying over spilt milk. Bassitt has a 5.21 ERA this year despite keeping his average exit velocities down; the low strikeout rate and high fly-ball rate are burning him. When you spend most of your time in AL East ballparks, that’s a bad formula. Though Bassitt’s struggles hardly stand out in this Baltimore rotation, arguably the worst in baseball as we round the quarter pole of the regular season.
When Bassitt steps to the mound, you see a lot of breaking and off-speed pitches. Sinkers, curveballs, and cutters compromise 83% of his offerings this season. If he can keep them down and off the heart of the plate, he can be effective, but that’s been far from a given.
Toeing the mound for the Nats is Cade Cavalli. After losing the 2023 and 2024 seasons to injury, Cavalli made his comeback in 2025; an impressive feat by itself. Once again, Cavalli is producing perfectly cromulent results for Washington. Cavalli could use some better command, but he’s got legit stuff, with a fastball sitting at 96 MPH. He also has a big-breaking sweeper, a lightning sinker, and a power changeup in his arsenal. His 4.02 ERA through nine starts isn’t cause for celebration, but considering where he was at two years ago, being on the bump every fifth day is a victory for Cavalli and the Nats.
Baltimore’s mediocre offense isn’t a big surprise; its lack of depth and infield injury woes are difficult to ignore. But Washington’s lineup has been a pleasant surprise; led by All-Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams, they have the bats to carry a lineup, and don’t have many holes behind those two. With so many players in their lineup getting their first full-time MLB action, it’s quite the achievement to have a wRC+ of 107 as a team this deep into the season.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who is going to take this one home?
Orioles vs. Nationals Pick, Best Bet
I love the value here for Washington. With a dead split on the moneyline, Washington is effectively a home underdog, despite having the better starting pitcher and a lineup performing at a higher level. I’d be silly to not take the value on the Nats here.
