Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/08/2026

Game Time: 6:45 pm ET, Saturday, August 8, 2026

Venue:  Nationals Park, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -142, Nationals +118; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -145, Nationals +120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Reds -145, Nationals +120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Cincinnati Reds:  56-58 (4th place, NL Central)

Washington Nationals:  56-61 (4th place, NL Central)

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Cincinnati Reds:  7-3 last 10

Washington Nationals:  2-8 last 10

The Reds are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Athletics 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 56-58 record overall and have a road record of 27-27. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 20th in the MLB with a .709 OPS. Chase Petty is their starting pitcher on Friday while Chase Burns is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 13-1 with a 2.35 ERA this season. His team won 8 of their last 9 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 9 SO on 2 hits through 6 IP against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Nationals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 4-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 56-61 record overall and have a home record of 23-34. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .766 OPS. Cade Cavalli is their starting pitcher on Friday while Andrew Alvarez is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6.1 innings pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The current betting odds have the Reds listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Reds haven't looked good in their games this season with their 56-58 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a great road team either with their 27-27 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Nationals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 56-61 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NL East. They have looked terrible in their own ballpark too with their 23-34 home record this season. The Nationals have been in a terrible slump lately, now 2-8 in their last 10 games, and they are quickly playing themselves out of the Wild Card race. The Reds have been rolling though, now 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they have played themselves right back into the playoff race. The Nationals have also looked a lot worse at home this season and the Reds are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Reds are going with Burns in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 13-1 with a 2.35 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He is coming off another great start in which he gave up 1 earned run, something that has been a common theme for him all year, and the team has been having a ton of success with him too, winning 8 of their last 9 games with him starting. The Nationals are going with Alvarez in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA, but the team hasn't been having a ton of success with him lately. They have lost 2 games in a row now with him starting and even though he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, that hasn't been a common theme for him. The Nationals have had a terrible bullpen this season too, so look for the Reds to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Reds to win this game. 

Reds Nationals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 8, 2026 (6:45 pm ET start time) is Reds 7 Nationals 1.

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Cincinnati Reds: 103-115 (+10 units) on the moneyline in road games. 15-5 (+8.3 units) on the moneyline as a road favorite of -125 or more. 50-48 (+15.5 units) on the moneyline vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game. 8-3 OVER vs. poor fielding teams - averaging 0.75+ errors/game.

Washington Nationals: 94-127 (-21.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 132-174 (-6 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 53-66 (-4.9 units) on the moneyline vs. NL teams allowing 4.5 or more runs/game on the season. 21-13 OVER vs. teams outscored by opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season.

Cincinnati Reds:  H. Greene (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Steer (1B) Ten Day IL - Wrist. N. Lodolo (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Finger. B. Dunn (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Santillan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. G. Ashcraft (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. B. Williamson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Washington Nationals:  J. Wood (RF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. P. Poulin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. C. Early (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. D. Millas (C) Ten Day IL - Finger. M. Parker (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Lovelady (RP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“I thought he pitched really well. When your starters get that deep, when you're into the seventh, and I think he could have gone on. When your pitchers go that deep, you can start trying to match up a little bit, and when they go five, you can't do that.” - Terry Francona after his team’s win against the A’s in their game on Thursday. 

“Personality-wise, he's one of the greatest kids I've had the chance to meet and get to know a little bit.” - Blake Butera on Andrew Pinckney after his team’s loss against the Phillies in their game on Thursday. 

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

Sal Stewart (R) 1B

JJ Bleday (L) LF

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Eugenio Suárez (R) 3B

Dane Myers (R) CF

Héctor Rodríguez (L) DH

Noelvi Marte (R) RF

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Dylan Crews (R) RF

Andrés Chaparro (R) 1B

Brady House (R) 3B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Harry Ford (R) DH

Andrew Pinckney (R) LF

Jacob Young (R) CF

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.282)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (111)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (25)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (87)

Stolen Bases:  Elly De La Cruz (21)

Wins:  Chase Burns (13)

Saves:  Emilio Pagán (13)

ERA:  Julian Garcia (2.18)

Batting Average:  Andrew Pinckney (.500)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (122)

Home Runs:  James Wood (30)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (88)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (40)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (12)

Saves:  Clayton Beeter (11)

ERA:  Trevor Williams (0.00)

Managers:

Cincinnati Reds: Terry Francona (2nd season)

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)