Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals on Saturday’s MLB slate.

The opening days of the 2026 MLB season have been an absolute blast to watch, and as we head into the second weekend of action on the diamond, there are plenty of games for fans and bettors alike to choose from.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Dodgers (5-2) opened their series against the Washington Nationals (3-4) with a standout 13-6 win in the nation’s capital. After the offensive explosion, the visitors are surely looking to follow it up with another big outing on Saturday. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. EST.

Here’s a betting prediction and pick for today’s Dodgers vs. Nationals matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Dodgers vs. Nationals prediction, preview

As the games pile up in these early stages, stats turn from a blip to a trend as we learn about who these rosters will be this season. The Dodgers are easily the favorites to win the NL West and World Series at that, and they’ve started the campaign in pretty strong fashion. The bats have produced the fifth-most runs per game with 5.14 thanks to a .790 OPS that ranks fifth in the sport and a .264/.336/.454 slash line. Not too shabby, right? Couple that with their MLB-leading 12 home runs and the second-best ISO at .189 and suddenly Los Angeles feels like the contender that was promised. The Dodgers have also kept strikeouts down for the most part and have a respectable 0.42 BB/K, too. Somehow, Andy Pages is the hottest player at the plate with a .480/.500/.760 slash line and team-high 12 hits with two homers… just as we all expected. The pitching has proven quite productive as well with a 3.29 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, both of which are top-10 marks.

Looking toward the Nationals, nobody expects them to contend this season. Growth is the goal for this roster, and a 3-4 record thus far isn’t bad by any means. They’re averaging an impressive 6.29 runs per game, second most of any team in the MLB. A .783 OPS ranks sixth just behind the Dodgers, coming off a .283/.350/.433 slash line with the best AVG in baseball. They’re 14th in ISO at .150 with eight homers as well, and while a .342 BABIP paces the sport, it’s certainly not sustainable moving forward. Washington also has an 0.41 BB/K. While James Wood is slumping to start the year with a 4-for-31 line, young outfielder Daylen Lile has the team lead with 12 hits in an excellent start to his second MLB season. Despite the scorching offense, the arms may be a problem for this team. The Nationals have a 5.46 ERA that ranks third worst along with the second-worst WHIP at 1.51.

RHP Tyler Glasnow gets the starting nod for the Dodgers having gone six innings with two earned runs allowed on four hits and a walk in his opening game. He also struck out six batters. Last season, he compiled a 3.19 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 90.1 innings, striking out 106 hitters with an 87th-percentile K% of 29.0%.

RHP Jake Irvin is on the mound for the Nats after lasting five innings with seven punchouts, plus three hits and two earned runs allowed with one walk in his opening start. He’s looking to keep improving after a horrible 2025 in which he gave up more homers than any other MLB pitcher, finishing that campaign with a 5.70 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.

Dodgers vs. Nationals pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dodgers as -308 Moneyline favorites on the road this Saturday. The Nationals are listed at +244 odds to win outright with the run total set at a combined 9.5.

Best Bet: LA Dodgers over 6.5 runs (+105)

No disrespect intended, but Irvin was pretty terrible in 2025. The Dodgers are surely looking at the matchup with glee, especially given last night’s scoring outburst. When combining the starter’s presence with the fact that Washington’s relivers have a 4.35 ERA and the third-worst FIP at 6.76 thus far, it seems Los Angeles may be positioned to put up another massive night on the scoreboard. The visitors may be able to swing away given that Irvin had a sixth-percentile K% last season and the bullpen sits tied for last in the same stat this year at 14.0%.

Strong Lean: Tyler Glasnow to record a win (-128)

Sometimes the wins market for pitchers just isn’t really worth it, but this is one I feel pretty confident in. Glasnow was awesome last season when healthy and is certainly the better hurler in this matchup. Yes, the Nats are hitting well, but the Dodgers should be more productive at the plate through the early innings in particular. I have no doubt they build a lead before Glasnow exits the game, and I think he’ll do a nice job of limiting the damage against this Washington lineup himself.