The Texas Rangers host the Washington Nationals on August 20, 2026. First pitch from Globe Life Field is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
The Rangers are favored by -172 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Nationals are +158 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 7.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Nationals vs Rangers prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Nationals vs Rangers Prediction
- Nationals vs Rangers Pick: Over 7.5 (-102, FanDuel | Play to -102)
My Nationals vs Rangers best bet is 8+ total runs. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Nationals vs Rangers Odds
| Nationals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -152 | 7.5 -102o / -120u | +158 |
| Rangers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +126 | 7.5 -102o / -120u | -172 |
- Nationals vs Rangers moneyline: Nationals +158, Rangers -172
- Nationals vs Rangers over/under: 7.5 (-102o / -120u)
- Nationals vs Rangers spread: Rangers -1.5 (+126), Nationals +1.5 (-152)
Nationals vs Rangers Probable Pitchers
| Andrew Alvarez | Stat | Jacob deGrom |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | W-L | 8-8 |
| 1.6 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 3 |
| 3.72 / 4.49 | ERA / xERA | 3.95 / 3.68 |
| 3.21 / 3.82 | FIP / xFIP | 3.25 / 3.15 |
| 11.4 | K-BB% | 23.3 |
| 50.2 | GB% | 34.9 |
| .306 | BABIP | .307 |
| 96 | Stuff+ | 109 |
| 100 | Location+ | 108 |
Nationals vs Rangers MLB Betting Preview
Washington Nationals Betting Preview
Cade Cavalli threw six scoreless innings while racking up 11 strikeouts on Wednesday, helping the struggling Nationals snap a four-game losing skid. After an encouraging start to the season, Washington is just 24-29 since July 1 and is now a near lock to extend its playoff drought to seven consecutive seasons.
Despite their poor record, the Nationals have remained productive offensively, posting a league-leading 122 wRC+ since July 1, along with a 121 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. They also own MLB's best BB/K ratio versus righties during that span and rank first in wOBA at .350. Their offensive upside is somewhat diminished with James Wood on the IL with a left oblique strain, however, as the star slugger has been sidelined since suffering the injury on August 3.
It's been an up-and-down season for Andrew Alvarez, who was recalled from Triple-A on August 3 and has split time between starting and working in long relief. Over his last 42 2/3 innings, Alvarez has pitched to a 4.01 ERA, 4.57 xERA and 4.66 xFIP, with six of those nine appearances coming as traditional starts. He holds a strikeout-minus-walk rate of 6.1% in that span and a Pitching+ rating of 94.
The Nationals bullpen's struggles in high-leverage situations have been well documented this season, as Washington's relievers have posted an 8.86 ERA in those situations over the course of the year. In all situations, the bullpen has a 5.04 ERA since June 1 and owns MLB's second-highest xFIP during that span.
Texas Rangers Betting Preview
Jacob DeGrom exited last Thursday's start versus the Angels after only two innings with right triceps fatigue, but imaging revealed nothing concerning and he supposedly felt good at Tuesday's bullpen session. The future Hall of Famer holds an xERA of 4.44 and an xFIP of 3.54 throughout his last six starts, along with a Pitching+ rating of 114 in that span.
The Rangers bullpen has also struggled of late, ranking 29th in MLB in xFIP since the start of July while posting a 5.52 ERA. Over the last 30 days, the unit ranks 26th in strikeout-minus-walk rate and 17th in Pitching+.
Texas has been hitting lefties quite effectively for a lengthy sample of play, as since June 1st it ranks second in MLB with a wRC+ of 127.
Nationals vs Rangers Pick, Betting Analysis
Given the recent form of both lineups and the shaky work from both bullpens, it doesn't seem that deGrom vs. Alvarez is a strong enough pitching matchup to warrant a low total of 7.5 in this game, despite the matchup obviously taking place in a very pitcher-friendly venue.
DeGrom has not been entirely dominant of late, and there's obviously some volatility regarding the kind of length he will be able to offer in this matchup. Alvarez is obviously an even less convincing option and has offered some fairly modest underlying splits over the last two months.
At -110 or better there looks to be value backing this matchup to feature over 7.5 runs.
Pick: Over 7.5 (-102, FanDuel | Play to -102)
