Washington Nationals vs Baltimore Orioles Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/26/2026

Game Time: 7:05 pm ET, Friday, June 26, 2026

Venue:  Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +119, Orioles -143; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +120, Orioles -140; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +120, Orioles -145; Over/Under:  9 runs

Washington Nationals:  41-40 (4th place, NL East)

Baltimore Orioles:  38-44 (4th place, AL East)

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Washington Nationals:  5-5 last 10

Baltimore Orioles:  4-6 last 10

The Nationals lost their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1. They enter this game with a 41-40 record overall and have a road record of 24-16. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Orioles on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Philadelphia Phillies still to be played on Thursday. The Nationals won the series opener of that series on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .746 OPS. Cade Cavalli is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Andrew Alvarez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 1-0 with a 3.34 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 6 SO on 4 hits through 4 IP against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 38-44 record overall and have a home record of 22-19. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 16th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Rookie pitcher Trey Gibson was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Trevor Rogers is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-7 with a 5.30 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts on 1 hit through 7 innings pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The current betting odds have the Nationals listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nationals have looked good in their games this season with their 41-40 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL East. They have been a better road team though with their 24-16 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Oriols haven't looked good in their games this season with their 38-44 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the AL East. They have looked a lot better in their own ballpark though with their 22-19 home record this season. The Orioles are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately while the Nationals are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they are going to have the better pitching matchup here and also have the much better offense to help out. Alvarez is on the mound for the Nationals in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 1-0 with a 3.34 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and even his team has been having a lot of success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. Rogers is on the mound for the Orioles in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 4-7 with a 5.30 ERA and he has been giving up a lot of runs in his starts. He is coming off a great start in which he gave up no runs, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Nationals can take advantage of this better pitching matchup on the road where they have been a better team this season and they also have the much hotter offense to put up runs against a shaky Orioles pitching staff. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nationals to win this game. 

Nationals Orioles Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 26, 2026 (7:05 pm ET start time) is Nationals 7 Orioles 3.

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Washington Nationals: 178-228 (+7.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 90-111 (+23.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 54-67 (+8.7 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 24-15 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Baltimore Orioles: 19-21 (-5.3 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 204-204 (-22.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 105-99 (-23.5 units) on the moneyline in home games. 22-16 UNDER vs. poor fielding teams - averaging 0.75+ errors/game.

Washington Nationals:  M. Kranick (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Irvin (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Williams (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Baltimore Orioles:  J. Holliday (2B) Day To Day - Groin. A. Rutschman (C) Seven Day IL - Concussion. C. Bassitt (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. D. Beavers (RF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. C. Povich (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. D. Kremer (SP) Sixty Day IL - Quad. R. Mountcastle (1B) Sixty Day IL - Foot. Y. Hiraldo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. Z. Eflin (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Westburg (3B) Sixty Day IL - UCL. F. Bautista (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Selby (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

"Part of it is not overextending Ribalta. He obviously gave it everything he had for those three hitters, a long at-bat with Schwarber there. He emptied the tank on Schwarber." - Blake Butera after his team’s loss against the Phillies in their game on Wednesday. 

“Defense in general. We didn’t help ourselves at all, three errors today and we also had seven walks. That’s not a good recipe to win baseball games.” - Craig Albernaz after his team’s loss against the LA Angels in their game on Wednesday. 

James Wood (L) RF

Luis García Jr. (L) 1B

José Tena (L) DH

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Dylan Crews (R) CF

Jorbit Vivas (L) 3B

Drew Millas (S) C

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Taylor Ward (R) LF

Gunnar Henderson (L) SS

Leody Taveras (S) RF

Pete Alonso (R) 1B

Samuel Basallo (L) C

Colton Cowser (L) CF

Coby Mayo (R) DH

Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B

Blaze Alexander (R) 3B

Batting Average:  CJ Abrams (.287)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (83)

Home Runs:  James Wood (20)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (57)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (31)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (8)

Saves:  Gus Varland (6)

ERA:  Julian Fernández (2.25)

Batting Average:  Blaze Alexander (.305)

Hits:  Pete Alonso (78)

Home Runs:  Pete Alonso (18)

RBI:  Pete Alonso (55)

Stolen Bases:  Leody Taveras (9)

Wins:  Brandon Young (6)

Saves:  Ryan Helsley (7)

ERA:  Jose Espada (0.00)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Baltimore Orioles: Craig Albernaz (1st season)