Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 8/8/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals

Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: Nationals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati (-128) Washington (+106)

The Washington Nationals (56-61) welcome the Cincinnati Reds (56-58) at Nationals Park on Saturday. The moneyline on this matchup has Cincinnati at -128 while Washington is opening at +106. The over/under is set at 9. The pitchers taking the mound will be Chase Burns and Andrew Alvarez.

Cincinnati has a slugging percentage of .399 and have struck out 1,088 times, while taking a walk on 418 occasions. They have compiled 453 runs batted in as well as 874 base knocks for the season, and their team batting average is .230. The Reds have hit 169 two-baggers as a unit and have knocked 150 balls out of the park. They have 476 runs while having a team OBP of .310. As a squad, the Cincinnati Reds are putting up 4.2 runs per game, which has them sitting at 22nd in MLB.

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The Reds are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.42 on the campaign (23rd in the league), and they have struck out 912 hitters. Reds pitchers have conceded 143 home runs and also 536 runs in total (21st in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 482 opposing players and their FIP is 4.71 as a team so far this year. Cincinnati has conceded 941 hits (8.3 per 9 innings) and also 498 earned runs. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 1.89 and their pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.40.

Reds bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 124 times in addition to having 142 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have earned 66 holds for the year (11th in baseball). The Reds relief pitchers have accumulated a save rate of 61.7% and have entered the game in 116 save situations. They have recorded 29 saves so far this season and have blown 18 of their 47 save chances. The relievers have inherited 176 base runners on the year and 27.3% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The Reds have dispatched 405 relief pitchers to the mound this season.

The Reds have converted 70.7% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 9,135 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 10th in professional baseball. The Cincinnati Reds have earned a total of 3,045 putouts so far this season, in addition to 931 assists and 61 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .985 which has them ranked 18th in professional baseball, and they have turned 81 double plays.

Burns (13-4 career mark) sits with a FIP of 2.91 while he has gone up against 665 hitters in the majors. He has given up 128 base hits (7.1 hits per 9 innings) with 59 walks. His earned run average is 2.96 (53 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.159. Burns has taken the ball for 161 innings and is sitting with 204 strikeouts in his MLB career.

Washington has hit 168 home runs so far this year to go along with 594 RBIs. They have put up 203 doubles, while walking 416 times as well as scoring 623 runs. The Washington Nationals have accounted for an on-base percentage of .327 as well as a batting average of .250 on the campaign. The Nationals hold a slugging % of .439 and they tally 5.32 runs per game (1st in MLB). They have been called out on strikes on 972 instances (15th in baseball) and have a total of 1,004 base hits.

The Nationals have a WHIP of 1.402 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.78 as a pitching staff this year. Their K/BB ratio sits at 7.60 (879 strikeouts against 411 walks). They rank 28th in baseball as a staff in total hits surrendered with 1,052. They have allowed 161 dingers and they relinquish 5.29 runs per 9 innings (28th in MLB). The Washington pitching staff have conceded 613 runs this season while holding an ERA of 4.78 (554 earned runs allowed).

They rank 28th in the league holding a save percentage of 51.6%, and they have sent 370 relief pitchers onto the diamond this season. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 126 times in high leverage situations and also on 118 occasions with runners on. With 125 save situations, the Nationals have compiled 58 holds in addition to 30 blown saves. Washington has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 62 save opportunities and they have walked away with 32 saves. Washington relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 42.9% out of their 182 inherited runners.

The Washington Nationals have turned 100 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .980 (30th in the majors). The Nationals have recorded 1,095 assists, 88 errors and have accounted for 3,131 putouts on the campaign. Out of their 9,393 innings played, the Nationals have a efficiency on defense of 69.0% (25th in professional baseball).

So far in his career, Alvarez has given up 78 base hits while he has tallied 83 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched. Alvarez (3-4 mark in his career) is the owner of a 3.51 ERA while conceding 8.1 hits per nine innings. He has surrendered 34 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.366 and having a FIP of 3.5. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.02 and he has gone up against 374 batters during his MLB career.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington (+106)

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