Cleveland Guardians vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 5/5/2025 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs Washington Nationals

Date: Monday, May 5, 2025

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: MASN

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (-145) Washington (+125)

The Cleveland Guardians (18-13) are traveling to Nationals Park on Monday where they will play the Washington Nationals (14-18). The moneyline on this game has Cleveland at -145 while Washington is opening at +125. The over/under comes in at 8. The men taking the mound will be Luis Ortiz and Jake Irvin.

Cleveland owns a slugging percentage of .379 and have struck out 246 times, while taking a walk on 97 occasions. They have accounted for 111 runs batted in as well as 233 base knocks on the season, while their average at the plate sits at .233. The Guardians have accumulated 40 doubles as a team and have knocked 34 balls out of the stadium. They have tallied 118 runs and hold an OBP of .303. As a unit, the Cleveland Guardians are putting up 3.8 runs per game, which has them sitting at 23rd in the league.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.27 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.42. Guardians pitchers have given up 38 home runs and 142 total runs (19th in baseball). Cleveland has conceded 275 hits (9.0 per 9 innings) and 131 earned runs. The Guardians are sitting with a team ERA of 4.30 so far this season (23rd in the league), and they have struck out 261 batters. They have walked 115 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 4.28 as a squad so far this season.

The Guardians have dispatched 108 relief pitchers to the hill for the year. The relief pitchers have inherited 38 runners so far this season with 21.1% of them earned a run for their team. They have accumulated 10 saves this season and have blown 4 out of their 14 chances to save the game. The Guardians bullpen have a save percentage of 71.4% and stepped onto the hill in 43 save situations. The relievers have accumulated 29 holds for the year (2nd in the league). Guardians pitchers have stepped onto the hill with opponents on base 28 times in addition to having 31 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cincinnati Reds have earned 822 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 237 assists and 19 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .982 which has them ranked 22nd in baseball, and they have turned 27 double plays. The Guardians have transformed 67.4% of balls in play into outs in their 2,466 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 28th in the majors.

Ortiz has pitched in 270 innings and has accounted for 219 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. Ortiz (14-16 career record) sits with a FIP of 3.97 while he has gone up against 1,165 opposing hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.03 (121 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.337. He has allowed 245 hits (8.2 hits per 9 innings) and has 116 walks.

The Washington Nationals are sitting with a team OBP of .305 as well as a team batting average of .238 on the campaign. They have been called out on strikes on 250 instances (20th in the league) and have earned a total of 252 base hits. Washington has hit 33 home runs this season and 126 runs batted in. The Nationals hold a team slugging percentage of .384 and they have an average of 4.22 runs per contest (17th in baseball). They have put up 44 doubles, while taking a walk 95 times as well as putting up 135 runs.

The Nationals are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.427 in addition to having a FIP of 4.20 as a squad this season. They sit at 26th in baseball as a staff in total hits given up with 283. The Washington pitching staff have relinquished 166 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 5.18 (160 earned runs surrendered). Their K/BB ratio is 8.40 (260 strikeouts against 114 walks). They have conceded 33 homers and they surrender 5.37 runs per 9 innings (26th in the league).

Washington relievers have an inherited score rate of 47.0% out of 66 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have taken the field 26 times in high leverage situations in addition to 36 occasions with base runners. Sitting with 30 save situations, the Nationals have recorded 15 holds and 5 blown saves. They rank 16th in MLB with a save rate of 66.7%, and they have sent 106 relievers to the mound on the campaign. Washington has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 15 save opportunities and they have tallied 10 saves.

The Washington Nationals have gotten 23 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .988 (10th in professional baseball). The Nationals have 280 assists, 14 errors and have accounted for 836 putouts during this campaign. Out of their 2,508 innings played, the Nationals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 67.7% (23rd in pro baseball).

So far in his career, Irvin has conceded 328 base knocks while accumulating 288 punch outs in 350 innings pitched. He has allowed 173 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.270 and a FIP of 4.4. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.46 and he has faced 1,472 opposing batters during his career. Irvin (15-22 career mark) has a 4.44 earned run average while giving up 8.4 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Washington (+125)

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