Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals Pick – 8/15/2025
The Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals will play the second game of a four-game series on Friday night at Nationals Park. This game features the top team in the NL East taking on the team in last place in the division. The Phillies are favored with one of their aces on the mound in this contest. Will they live up to the hype? Find out below as I make my Phillies vs Nationals prediction.
Our Phillies vs Nationals Pick
- Pick: Phillies -1.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
- Date & Time: Friday, August 15, 2025, 6:45 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. MacKenzie Gore (WSH)
- Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
- Broadcast: MASN and NBCS-PH
Key Storylines
Pitching Matchup
The Phillies will hand the ball to Zack Wheeler. He enters the contest with a 10-5 record and a strong 2.68 ERA over 144.2 innings. Wheeler is second in the league in strikeouts and third in WHIP this season. He will be expected to help Philly get the win in this matchup. Washington will counter on the mound with MacKenzie Gore. Gore has a 5-12 record and a 4.09 ERA across 132 innings. He has solid stuff but the results have been inconsistent from the lefty.
Playoff Picture
The Nationals have the second-worst record in the National League. They will not be competing for a playoff spot. But the Phillies are at the top of the NL East standings and should have no problem making the postseason. Philly is five games ahead of the second-place New York Mets and they will look to extend their division lead with a win tonight.
Recent Team Streaks
The Phillies have dropped their last three games and will look to even this series at a game apiece tonight. The Nationals are coming off a win in game one of this series and have won two games in a row.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Kyle Schwarber | Over 0.5 Home Runs |
| James Wood | Under 1.5 Total Bases |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Philadelphia leads the season series 4-3 over the Nationals.
- The Nationals have won their last two games against Philly. That includes Thursday’s series opener.
- Philadelphia is 62-59 on the runline this season.
- Washington is 59-62 on the runline for the year.
Phillies vs Nationals Model Projection
Score Projection: Phillies 5 – Nationals 2
Win Probability: Phillies 60%, Nationals 40%
Final Thoughts
Zack Wheeler being on the mound should be just what the Phillies need to snap their three-game losing streak. The Nationals are playing some decent baseball lately, but I don’t think that will be enough to overcome the combination of solid starting pitching and explosive offense that the Phillies bring into tonight’s game. I will lay the runline with the Phillies and expect them to remain at least five games clear of the Mets in the NL East by the end of Friday’s games.
