Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies Picks and Prediction for Monday, March 30, 2026
The MLB season rolls on after a great first weekend of action. Read our Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies prediction along with our other Free MLB Picks on the night. On Monday, March 30. The Nationals are 2-1 after winning their opening series against the Cubs. The Phillies are 1-2 after losing back-to-back games to the Rangers. The Nationals will be starting Foster Griffin, while the Nationals turn to Taijuan Walker. The first pitch between the two teams is set for 6:40 P.M. EST.
Washington is 2-1 overall this season. The Nationals have started the season strong by winning the opening series over the Cubs.
Washington defeated Chicago 10-4 in the first game of the season. They followed it with a 10-2 defeat, but they won the series thanks to a 6-3 win on the road on Sunday, March 29.
Last year, the Nationals ended in last place in the National League East Division. They ended with a 66-96 record, which placed them 10 games behind Atlanta to avoid last place.
On Monday, Foster Griffin gets the start for the Nationals. The right-handed pitcher is making his first MLB start since 2022. Griffin has pitched in Japan’s professional baseball league for the past three seasons. Last year, he made 17 starts and held a 3.95 ERA in those games. During spring training, Griffin made two starts pitching eight innings allowing four earned runs.
Last year, the Nationals hit .242 from the plate, ranking them 21st in the league. They ranked 20th in the league in runs scored and 21st in hits. The Nationals hit .244 when playing on the road this year. They hit .240 when playing against the National League. The Nationals hit .234 in 13 games against the Nationals last season, too.
The Nationals are hitting .260 in the first three games of the season. They have hit the third-most home runs while scoring the seventh-most runs so far this season.
Philadelphia has started the season with a 1-2 record. The Phillies opened the year with a 5-3 win over the Rangers. They followed it with back-to-back defeats against Texas to lose the series. The Rangers took down the Phillies 5-4 in 10 innings, followed by a 8-3 win on Sunday, March 29.
On Monday, Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Phillies. The right-handed pitcher finished last year with a 5-8 record and an ERA of 4.08. He made 21 starts and 13 relief appearances. Walker made 17 appearances at home, ending his season with a 4.29 ERA. He also tossed a 3.74 ERA in 12 games against the National League East teams. Walker started three games against the Nationals, pitching 17.1 innings allowing six earned runs.
Last year, the Phillies hit .258 from the plate, which ranked second-best. Philadelphia scored the eighth-most runs and the second-most hits. Philadelphia hit the ninth-most home runs in the sport, too. The Phillies hit .276 when playing at home last year. They hit .257 against the National League, and .264 in 13 games against the Nationals.
Through the first three games of the year, the Phillies have hit .186 and they’ve hit the fourth-fewest amount of hits.
• Take the Phillies to cover (5 units)
Philadelphia will begin a new homestead with the Nationals on Monday. After losing back-to-back games, the Phillies should go ahead and get this win against the Nationals. Philadelphia is starting experienced pitcher Taijuan Walker, who pitched great in three starts over the Nationals last year. Washington is starting Foster Griffin, who is making his first MLB appearance in four years. Griffin has been pitching in Japan for the past several years. Philadelphia’s offense should get back on track and dominate Griffin and the Nationals bullpen for a big win.
Take the Phillies to cover.
• Take the over (5 units)
Foster Griffin gets the start for the Nationals. It’s his first MLB start in four years, after playing for several years in Japan. Griffin wasn’t exactly dominate in Japan, he held a 3.95 ERA in 17 starts last season. The Nationals lineup should get back on track after a tough opening weekend and score many runs. Taijuan Walker was also susceptible to big innings last year, too. He should give the Nationals chances to score, after they started the season strong with a big weekend of action against the Cubs.
Take the over (5 units).
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