Washington Nationals vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/05/2026

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Friday, June 5, 2026

Venue:  Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +110, Diamondbacks -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +110, Diamondbacks -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +110, Diamondbacks -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Washington Nationals:  31-32 (3rd place, NL East)

Arizona Diamondbacks:  32-29 (3rd place, NL West)

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Washington Nationals:  5-5 last 10

Arizona Diamondbacks:  5-5 last 10

The Nationals are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 31-32 record overall and have a road record of 19-12. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .733 OPS. Andrew Alvarez was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Foster Griffin is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-2 with a 3.76 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 3 HR, and 2 BB with 5 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the San Diego Padres.

The Diamondbacks got swept in their 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners 3-0. They enter this game with a 32-29 record overall and have a home record of 19-12. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers still to be played on Thursday. The Diamondbacks won the 1st game of this series on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 20th in the MLB with a .699 OPS. Ryne Nelson is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Merrill Kelly is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-3 with a 5.06 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 start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 2 homers, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts on 8 hits through 5.1 innings pitched against the Seattle Mariners.

The current betting odds have the Nationals listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nationals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 31-32 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL East. They have been a much better road team though with their 19-12 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks have looked good in their games this season with their 32-29 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL West. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 19-12 home record this season. The Diamondbacks were rolling before this week, but they ran into the hot Mariners and Dodgers in their last 2 series' and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games now. The Nationals haven't looked any better as they are also 5-5 in their last 10 games and just got swept at home by the Marlins, but they have played better on the road all season and they do have the better pitching matchup in this one. The Nationals are going with Griffin in this one and he hasn't looked bad this year. He is 6-2 with a 3.76 ERA and the team has been having a lot of success with him. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start, but they have won 3 games in a row now with him starting and they also have a really good offense this season too. The Diamondbacks are going with Kelly in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-3 with a 5.06 ERA and his team has been having a lot of success with him, but he has also been giving up a lot of runs. They have won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting and he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start too, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season. The Diamondbacks do have a good offense themselves, but they have been shut down in their last 2 series with not many runs scored. Look for the Nationals to bounce back after getting swept in their last series and take advantage of this better pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nationals to win this game. 

Nationals Diamondbacks Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 5, 2026 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Nationals 4 Diamondbacks 3.

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Washington Nationals: 85-107 (+21.6 units) on the moneyline in road games. 136-181 (+20.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 100-120 (+6.7 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 42-29 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 106-88 (-5 units) on the moneyline in home games. 106-82 (-10.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 33-38 (-12.4 units) on the moneyline at home when the total is 8 to 8.5. 47-24 OVER at home when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Washington Nationals:  D. Millas (C) Day To Day - Lip. D. Crews (CF) Day To Day - Undisclosed. 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.

Arizona Diamondbacks:  C. Santana (1B) Sixty Day IL - Groin. L. Gurriel Jr. (LF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. McCann (C) Ten Day IL - Quad. J. Lawlar (LF) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. B. Walston (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Mena (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. A. Puk (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Burnes (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Martinez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Saalfrank (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“I think the big blocks of creating a place, an environment where guys want to get better every single day … we’re seeing that. It’s starting to set that foundation. Now it’s just about making small improvements every single day to keep getting better.” - Blake Butera after his team got swept by the Marlins in their last series. 

"I don't think [wildness is] part of his game plan. I think those balls just got away from him. It looks like at times he's battling his delivery, and there were some big misses and big mistakes, but he shut us down. Whatever he did worked. We got to solve the puzzle and figure it out next time we face him." - Torey Lovullo on Shohei Ohtani after his team’s loss against the LA Dodgers in their game on Wednesday. 

James Wood (L) DH

Dylan Crews (R) RF

Curtis Mead (R) 3B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Jacob Young (R) CF

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Luis García Jr. (L) 1B

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS

Corbin Carroll (L) RF

Gabriel Moreno (R) C

Nolan Arenado (R) 3B

Pavin Smith (L) DH

Ryan Waldschmidt (R) CF

Ildemaro Vargas (S) 2B

Jose Fernandez (R) 1B

Tommy Troy (R) LF

Batting Average:  CJ Abrams (.288)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (65)

Home Runs:  James Wood (16)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (47)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (22)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (6)

Saves:  Gus Varland (4)

ERA:  Orlando Ribalta (1.65)

Batting Average:  Jordan Lawlar (.333)

Hits:  Corbin Carroll (61)

Home Runs:  Ketel Marte (10)

RBI:  Ildemaro Vargas (37)

Stolen Bases:  Geraldo Perdomo (8)

Wins:  Michael Soroka (7)

Saves:  Paul Sewald (15)

ERA:  Brandyn Garcia (0.75)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (10th season)