Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/07/2026

Game Time: 6:45 pm ET, Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Venue:  Nationals Park, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +101, Nationals -122; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Nationals -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Nationals -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

Houston Astros:  45-47 (3rd place, AL West)

Washington Nationals:  46-45 (4th place, NL East)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 9-4 MLB RUN for +$5,430 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

Washington Nationals:  5-5 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 45-47 record overall and have a road record of 22-23. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Mike Burrows is their starting pitcher on Monday while rookie pitcher Tatsuya Imai is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 5-4 with a 6.14 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 5 ER, 2 HR, and 5 BB with 2 SO on 4 hits through 1.1 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Nationals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 46-45 record overall and have a home record of 18-27. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .753 OPS. Miles Mikolas is their starting pitcher on Monday while Andrew Alvarez is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 2-1 with a 3.05 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 1 walk with 6 strikeouts on 2 hits through 4.2 innings pitched against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Nationals listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nationals have looked good in their games this season with their 46-45 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL East. They have looked terrible in their own ballpark too with their 18-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Astros haven't looked great in their games this season with their 45-47 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL West. They haven't been a good road team either with their 22-23 road record this year. The Astros are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they have been getting really hot lately as they were well under .500 just a few weeks ago. The Nationals are only 5-5 in their last 10 games and they just lost their last series to the Pirates, but the Nationals do have one of the best offenses in MLB and this is a pitching matchup that they are going to be able to take advantage of. The Astros are going with Imai in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. he is 5-4 with a 6.14 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs in this rookie season. The team has had a lot of success with him lately, winning 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, but that is due to change with how badly he has pitched. He is coming off another bad start in which he gave up 5 earned runs and that has been a common theme for him this year. The Nationals are going with Alvarez in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts. The team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, but he is coming off another great start in which he gave up no runs and that has been a common theme for him lately. The Nationals have the edge with this pitching matchup and their much better offense is going to put them over the line in this one. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nationals to win this game. 

Astros Nationals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, July 7, 2026 (6:45 pm ET start time) is Nationals 8 Astros 5.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Astros Washington Nationals prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Houston Astros: 104-107 (-6.7 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 56-50 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 41-38 (-7.5 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 20-11 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record. 8-2 OVER vs. a starting pitcher whose lasts less than 5 innings per start.

Washington Nationals: 17-16 (+6.3 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 183-233 (+8.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 57-65 (+9.2 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 30-13 OVER in home games. 11-2 OVER as a favorite of -110 or higher.

Houston Astros:  R. Delgado (2B) Day To Day - Finger. K. Teng (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. J. Pena (SS) Ten Day IL - Calf. B. Shewmake (SS) Ten Day IL - Groin. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. B. Sousa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. H. Wesneski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Blanco (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Washington Nationals:  J. Young (CF) Day To Day - Hand. M. Parker (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Lovelady (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Triceps. 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.

“Right before the All-Star break, I’m going to challenge our team and that should be our goal, let’s get to .500 baseball. There’s a ton of teams right here in the mix. I just want us to stay in the mix and make our move. We know how to do that. We need to continue to play clean ball, win series. We’re playing our best. We’ve just got to not get content, not get complacent and just continue good baseball.” - Joe Espada after his team’s win against the Rays in their game on Sunday. 

"He's had a lot to work through with the past five days. [There's] been a lot on his plate. I thought he was in a good head space given everything that has occurred this past week. [He] went out there in the first [inning] and looked like his normal self. The velocity, the stuff was there. Everything was just down [velocity-wise]. [We] went out there to make sure he wasn't hurt and it was just like he said he [had a] bad headache, out of gas a little bit. The weather was tough, obviously, it was hot." - Blake Butera after his team’s loss against the Pirates in their game on Sunday.

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Christian Walker (R) 1B

LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) LF

Cam Smith (R) RF

Taylor Trammell (L) CF

Nick Allen (R) SS

Christian Vázquez (R) C

James Wood (L) RF

Luis García Jr. (L) 1B

Curtis Mead (R) 3B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Dylan Crews (R) CF

José Tena (L) DH

Jorbit Vivas (L) 2B

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.320)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (104)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (29)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (67)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (9)

Wins:  Spencer Arrighetti (7)

Saves:  Josh Hader (9)

ERA:  Miguel Ullola (0.00)

Batting Average:  Joey Wiemer (.286)

Hits:  James Wood (93)

Home Runs:  James Wood (23)

RBI:  Luis García (64)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (32)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (9)

Saves:  Gus Varland (6)

ERA:  Eddy Yean (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)