Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/05/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Venue:  Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +135, Phillies -163; Over/Under:  10 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +135, Phillies -165; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +135, Phillies -160; Over/Under:  10 runs

Washington Nationals:  55-59 (4th place, NL East)

Philadelphia Phillies:  60-53 (2nd place, NL East)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Vegas Writer is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 75-57-1 MLB RUN for +$16,560 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Washington Nationals:  3-7 last 10

Philadelphia Phillies:  4-6 last 10

The Nationals are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 4-game series against the Atlanta Braves 4-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-59 record overall and have a road record of 32-25. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Phillies on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Nationals lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .768 OPS. Carson Palmquist is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Jake Irvin is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 2-5 with a 5.56 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 appearance, he allowed 5 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 1 SO on 3 hits through 5 IP against the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 60-53 record overall and have a home record of 29-27. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Nationals on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Phillies won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .706 OPS. Jesús Luzardo is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while rookie pitcher Andrew Painter is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 1-8 with a 6.72 ERA this season. His team lost their last 6 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Phillies listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked good in their games this season with their 60-53 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 29-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Nationals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 55-59 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NL East. They have been a great road team though with their 32-25 road record this year. The Phillies are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately, but they have still looked better than the Nationals who are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have been in a big slump. The Nationals do have a great offense, but that offense hasn't been putting up runs lately and their pitching has been terrible all year. They are going with Irvin in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 2-5 with a 5.56 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs all year. He is coming off another bad start giving up 5 earned runs which has been a common theme for him this season and the team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. The Phillies are going with Painter in this one and he hasn't looked any better this season. He is 1-8 with a 6.72 ERA and the team has had a ton of trouble with him all year. They have lost 6 games in a row now with him starting, but he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and looked a lot better in that one. Neither starter has been good this season, but Painter is still young and starting to improve now. The Nationals also have one of the worst bullpens in the league this season, so the Phillies do have the edge at home here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Phillies to win this game. 

Nationals Phillies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 5, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Phillies 8 Nationals 7.

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

Washington Nationals: 98-120 (+23.6 units) on the moneyline in road games. 146-200 (+14.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 75-85 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline when the total is 9 to 9.5. 17-9 UNDER as a road underdog of +100 to +150.

Philadelphia Phillies: 78-63 (-5.9 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 55-53 (-4.7 units) on the moneyline vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game. 74-51 (-4.1 units) on the moneyline vs. NL teams allowing 4.5 or more runs/game on the season. 18-12 UNDER vs. NL teams allowing 4.5 or more runs/game on the season.

Washington Nationals:  J. Wood (RF) Day To Day - Side. A. Chaparro (1B) Day To Day - Head. P. Poulin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. C. Early (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. D. Millas (C) Ten Day IL - Finger. B. Lord (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Side. M. Parker (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Lovelady (RP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Philadelphia Phillies:  T. Banks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. R. Marchan (C) Ten Day IL - Knee. B. Keller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Rojas (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Garcia (RF) Sixty Day IL - Lat.

“I went back to the field after the [at-bat], so it was fine doing all that stuff. But I tried taking a couple swings to see where I was at, and I didn’t really feel comfortable going on with it.” - James Wood on his injury after their loss against the Phillies on Monday.

"It’s going to be a work in progress out there. We're talking about a plan for him. Haven't got through all of it with him, but I think we have to be a little careful, just with the amount of movement out there compared to first, the throwing differences and things like that. So I think we want to make sure we're building that in a way that's safe for him." - Don Mattingly on the team acquiring Luis Arraez.

James Wood (L) RF

Abimelec Ortiz (L) 1B

José Tena (L) DH

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Daylen Lile (L) LF

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Jorbit Vivas (L) 3B

Jacob Young (R) CF

Trea Turner (R) SS

Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

Bryce Harper (L) 1B

Alec Bohm (R) 3B

Bryan De La Cruz (R) RF

Bryson Stott (L) 2B

Edmundo Sosa (R) LF

Derek Hill (R) CF

Garrett Stubbs (L) C

Batting Average:  Abimelec Ortiz (.400)

Hits:  CJ Abrams (117)

Home Runs:  James Wood (30)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (85)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (40)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (12)

Saves:  Clayton Beeter (11)

ERA:  Trevor Williams (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.429)

Hits:  Trea Turner (112)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (33)

RBI:  Bryce Harper (68)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (19)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (14)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (25)

ERA:  Bryse Wilson (0.00)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)