The Detroit Tigers travel to Nationals Park to take on the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. First pitch is set for 1:05 PM ET. Detroit enters the game at 53-32, tied with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Washington is 35-49 and near the bottom of the NL standings.
These two teams have already played three times this season, with the Tigers winning two of those games. In their last meeting on June 13, Detroit won 7-2 behind six solid innings from Casey Mize. Detroit has now won seven of the last ten meetings in this matchup. Both teams will send struggling right-handers to the mound in Jack Flaherty and Trevor Williams.
Tigers Preview – Looking to Stay Hot on the Road
Detroit’s offense is scoring 4.99 runs per game while allowing just 3.82. They’ve been one of the top teams in the American League thanks to strong pitching and timely hitting. Their starting rotation ranks near the top of the league in ERA and WHIP.
Jack Flaherty is 5-9 with a 4.80 ERA on the season. He gave up three earned runs in his last start against Oakland and has allowed 15 runs over his last three starts. Despite that rough stretch, he has a good career mark against Washington, going 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA in six starts.
The Tigers bullpen has been solid with a 3.32 ERA over 298 innings. Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest have helped hold leads late in games. Detroit has gone over the total in 19 of its last 29 road games, showing a trend toward offense in away matchups.
Nationals Preview – Hoping to Build on Road Win
Washington has allowed more runs than they’ve scored this year, giving up 5.17 per game while scoring 4.36. They just wrapped up a 4-5 road trip that ended with a 7-4 win in extra innings over the Angels. Before that, they had lost seven straight series.
Trevor Williams is 3-9 with a 5.65 ERA in 2025. He went 0-4 in June and did not make it past the sixth inning in any start. He has been better against the Tigers in his career, posting a 2-0 record with a 4.15 ERA in five games.
The Nationals bullpen has struggled with a 5.32 ERA and a WHIP of 1.51. Kyle Finnegan has been a bright spot, recently throwing three innings to get a win. The rest of the relievers have combined for high walk and home run rates, which has made it tough to protect leads.
Betting Prediction
Detroit enters this game as the clear favorite, with better stats in most areas. They’ve hit the moneyline in 53 of their last 82 games and are also strong on the first five innings line. Their offense is averaging nearly five runs per game and should have chances against Williams and a weak Washington bullpen.
The Nationals have covered the run line in seven of their last nine games but remain a risky play at home, where they are just 16-24. Look for Detroit to pull away in the middle innings and cover the -1.5 run line. A final score around 6-3 or 7-4 in favor of the Tigers is a solid projection.
Pick: Tigers -1.5
