At Daikin Park on Monday, the Washington Nationals (42-62) begin a three-game series against the Houston Astros (60-45), at 8:10 p.m. ET.
The Nationals are an underdog (+198 on the moneyline) when they visit the Astros (-240). The Astros will start Framber Valdez (11-4) against the Nationals and Brad Lord (2-5).
The Astros lost 5-1 to the Athletics Saturday, with Hunter Brown (five innings, giving up one earned run on four hits while striking out five) on the hook for the loss. Christian Walker went 1 for 2 with a double to lead the Astros offensively in the defeat.
Saturday, the Nationals defeated the Twins 9-3. Mitchell Parker was the winning pitcher after he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on eight hits while striking out four. Alex Call led the Nationals’ offense, going 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs.
Ahead of this Astros vs. Nationals showdown, here’s everything you need to prepare for Monday’s MLB action, including viewing options.
Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals odds, line and spread
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 3:17 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Astros (-240, bet $240 to win $100)Underdog: Nationals (+198, bet $100 to win $198)Over/under: 7Astros vs. Nationals: Game time and live stream infoGame day: Monday, July 28, 2025Game time: 8:10 p.m. ETLocation: Houston, TexasStadium: Daikin ParkTV channel: SCHN and MASN2Live stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Watch Astros vs. Nationals on Fubo!
Astros stats and trendsAstros betting recordsThe Astros have won 40, or 55.6%, of the 72 games they’ve played as favorites this season.Houston has played as favorites of -240 or more twice this season and won both games.The moneyline for this contest implies a 70.6% chance of a victory for the Astros.Houston’s games have gone over the total in 44 of its 105 chances.In 105 games with a spread this season, the Astros are 53-52-0 ATS.Framber Valdez (Astros probable starter)Valdez (11-4) takes the mound for the Astros in his 21st start of the season. He’s put together a 2.67 ERA in 128 2/3 innings pitched, with 129 strikeouts.His last appearance was on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when the left-hander threw seven innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing seven hits.In 20 games this season, the 31-year-old has put up an ERA of 2.67, with 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .218 against him.Valdez is trying to prolong a second-game quality start streak in this matchup.Valdez is aiming for his 17th straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 6.4 innings per appearance on the mound.In five of his 20 total appearances this season he has not allowed an earned run.He will match up with a Nationals team that is hitting .244 as a unit (18th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .389 (20th in MLB) with 101 total home runs (23rd in MLB).Among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season, the 31-year-old’s 2.67 ERA ranks 12th, 1.125 WHIP ranks 22nd, and 9.1 K/9 ranks 22nd.Astros batting statsThe Astros’ 116 home runs rank 14th in Major League Baseball.Fueled by 284 extra-base hits, Houston ranks 13th in MLB with a .405 slugging percentage this season.The Astros rank second in MLB with a .257 team batting average.Houston ranks 16th in the majors with 455 total runs scored this season.The Astros are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking ninth with an OBP of .322.Houston is ranked 11th in strikeouts per game (7.9) among MLB offenses.Nationals stats and trendsNationals betting recordsThe Nationals have been underdogs in 88 games this season and have come away with the win 38 times (43.2%) in those contests.This year, Washington has won two of eight games when listed as at least +198 or worse on the moneyline.The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 33.6% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.Washington and its opponents have hit the over in 53 of its 103 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.The Nationals have posted a record of 53-50-0 against the spread this season.Brad Lord (Nationals probable starter)The Nationals are sending Lord (2-5) to the mound to make his eighth start of the season. He is 2-5 with a 3.39 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings pitched.In his most recent appearance on Tuesday, the righty tossed four innings against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up one earned run while surrendering six hits.In 36 games this season, the 25-year-old has an ERA of 3.39, with 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .249 against him.Lord has registered one quality start this season.Lord is trying to record his third start of five or more innings this year in this game.He has held his opponents without an earned run in 21 of his 36 appearances this season.The opposing Astros offense has a collective .257 batting average, and is sixth in the league with 910 total hits and 16th in MLB play with 455 runs scored. They have the 13th-ranked slugging percentage (.405) and are 14th in all of MLB with 116 home runs.Nationals batting statsThe Nationals rank 23rd in baseball with 101 total home runs.So far this season, Washington’s .389 slugging percentage is 20th in the majors.The Nationals have the 18th-ranked batting average in the league (.244).The offense for Washington is the No. 18 offense in MLB, scoring 4.3 runs per game (449 total runs).The Nationals’ .310 on-base percentage ranks 21st in MLB.