Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/08/2026

Game Time: 6:45 pm ET, Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Venue:  Nationals Park, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +113, Nationals -136; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +115, Nationals -135; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +115, Nationals -135; Over/Under:  9 runs

Houston Astros:  45-48 (3rd place, AL West)

Washington Nationals:  47-45 (4th place, NL East)

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Houston Astros:  5-5 last 10

Washington Nationals:  6-4 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 45-48 record overall and have a road record of 22-24. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Astros lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .727 OPS. Rookie pitcher Tatsuya Imai is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Spencer Arrighetti is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 7-4 with a 3.81 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 2 hits through 6 IP against the Tampa Bay Rays.

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 47-45 record overall and have a home record of 19-27. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Nationals won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .757 OPS. Andrew Alvarez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Foster Griffin is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 9-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The current betting odds have the Nationals listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nationals have looked good in their games this season with their 47-45 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 19-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Astros haven't looked great in their games this season with their 45-48 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL West. They haven't been a good road team either with their 22-24 road record this year. The Astros have been really hot over the last few weeks as they were well under .500 and now have themselves right back in the race for the AL West, but lately they haven't looked as good and are only 5-5 in their last 10 games now. The Nationals have been getting hot though, now 6-4 in their last 10 games, and they also have one of the best offenses in MLB. They are going to have a good pitching matchup in this one too with Griffin on the mound here. He is 9-2 with a 2.87 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He is coming off a great start in which he gave up 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him and the team has won 4 games in a row now with him starting too. The Astros are going with Arrighetti in this one and he has looked good this season too. He is 7-4 with a 3.81 ERA, but lately he hasn't looked great and the team hasn't been having as much success with him either. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but lately he has been giving up a lot more runs in his starts. The team has also lost 4 games in a row now with him starting and the bullpen has been giving up some late runs too. All signs are pointing to the Nationals taking this one with the better pitching matchup and the much hotter offense too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nationals to win this game. 

Astros Nationals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 8, 2026 (6:45 pm ET start time) is Nationals 5 Astros 1.

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Houston Astros: 104-108 (-7.7 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 56-50 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 41-39 (-8.5 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 21-11 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record. 

Washington Nationals: 18-16 (+7.3 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 184-233 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 58-65 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 31-13 OVER in home games. 

Houston Astros:  K. Teng (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. J. Pena (SS) Ten Day IL - Calf. 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.

“Just couldn’t get swing and miss on the changeup or the fastball. He got going there a little bit in the second and third inning, but after that it was hard to get quick outs. Credit to that offense.” - Joe Espada after his team’s loss against the Nationals in their game on Monday. 

“I've been using the word ‘impressive’ too many times already, but I have no other way to describe it. What he does, it's fun to be in the dugout watching him do his thing. When he hits it and then looks in the dugout at his teammates and fires everybody up, it's pretty cool.” - Blake Butera after his team’s win against the Astros in their game on Monday. 

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

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Braden Shewmake (L) SS

Brice Matthews (R) CF

James Wood (L) DH

Luis García Jr. (L) 1B

Curtis Mead (R) 3B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Dylan Crews (R) RF

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Jacob Young (R) CF

Drew Millas (S) C

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.318)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (105)

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 (94)

Home Runs:  James Wood (24)

RBI:  Luis García (65)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (33)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (9)

Saves:  Clayton Beeter (7)

ERA:  Eddy Yean (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)