The Los Angeles Angels host the Washington Nationals on June 28, 2025. First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on FDSW.
Find my MLB betting preview and Nationals vs Angels prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
- Nationals vs Angels picks: Nationals First Five Innings ML (-120) | Play to -135
My Nationals vs Angels best bet is Nationals First Five Innings ML (-120). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Nationals vs Angels Odds
Nationals Odds | ||
---|---|---|
Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +153 | 9 -113o / -107u | +101 |
Angels Odds | ||
---|---|---|
Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -188 | 9 -113o / -107u | -122 |
Nationals vs Angels Projected Starting Pitchers
Michael Soroka (RHP) | Stat | Kyle Hendricks (RHP) |
---|---|---|
3-5 | W-L | 5-6 |
0.4 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.6 |
5.06 / 3.20 | ERA /xERA | 4.83 / 3.98 |
4.55 / 3.73 | FIP / xFIP | 4.95 / 4.82 |
1.09 | WHIP | 1.32 |
20.2% | K-BB% | 9.1% |
46.1% | GB% | 40.1% |
96 | Stuff+ | 82 |
97 | Location+ | 110 |
Kenny Ducey’s Nationals vs Angels Preview
The season which Michael Soroka is putting together may not appear all that glamorous on the surface, but it's been a pretty darn effective one. The right-hander owns a 5.06 ERA, but with some better defense his numbers could easily be better.
An issue for the righty is that he's tailored his game towards ground balls, and behind him sits the worst infield defense in the league by Outs Above Average. That's changed a bit in June with Brady House coming up from Triple-A to fill third base and while Washington ranks 24th in OAA, its mark of -3 outs is hardly as catastrophic as the pace it had been running entering the month.
Outside of that, the righty has blended together a 26.5% strikeout rate with a low 6.3% walk rate and few potential issues on contact. His barrel rate is a clean 6.3% to put him in the top quarter of the league, and his Expected Batting Average sits at a low .217. It'll come down to whether or not this defense continues to improve behind him, and helping matters will be the Angels — who have struck out at an egregious clip this year.
At the dish, the Nats are continuing to do their thing. They rank 11th in wRC+ in the last two weeks, wearing a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio with a solid-enough .173 Isolated Power. They do rank just 26th in OPS to ground-ball pitchers this year, however, which is slightly below where they are against fly-ballers.
Speaking of business as usual, Kyle Hendricks is still tossing at 35 years of age. We've experienced the same story as always from this expert of control as he's once again sported one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball with a low walk rate, focusing his efforts on getting outs on contact.
A new wrinkle for Hendricks is that his ground-ball rate has taken a five-point tumble to 40.1%, and that could simply be a case of a savvy veteran adjusting his approach to fit the modern game. It's far easier to get consistent outs in the air these days with so many players aiming to increase their launch angle, and Hendricks has managed to come up with an acceptable .256 xBA which is a marked improvement over his last season in Chicago.
The tough part, however, is that the Angels' defense has been downright horrid, and their inconsistent performance at the dish has made life all the more difficult. Over the last two weeks, L.A. is leaning heavily on power with a .207 ISO and has gotten on base via the walk 9.4% of the time, highlighting its all-or-nothing approach.
Nationals vs Angels Prediction, Betting Analysis
It's not often we use defense to handicap both sides of a matchup, but we have to face facts here. Neither team has done a good job of supporting their respective pitchers, who have certainly worked well enough to get outs on contact, and that's going to put the onus on missing bats and mastering the Three True Outcomes.
Soroka has to be my pick here to edge out Hendricks, simply due to the fact that he's done an excellent job of striking batters out this season. We noted that the Angels have been one of the guiltiest teams in this area, and they've struck out almost 26% of the time in the last two weeks.
With Washington's defense improving marginally, and Soroka performing well in the power department on top of his strikeout prowess, it should get a clear leg up here.
Pick: Nationals First Five Innings ML (-120)