Sunday’s showdown between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium highlights two teams at vastly different stages in their development, yet both aiming to close the weekend with a statement. The Dodgers enter the game with a 47–31 record and remain firmly entrenched as one of baseball’s premier clubs, while the Nationals, sitting at 27–22, continue to grow around a young, energetic core that has flashed competitiveness despite roster limitations. The main storyline for the Dodgers is the return of Shohei Ohtani to the mound for his second start since Tommy John surgery, and though he is expected to pitch only one or two innings, the excitement and intrigue around his presence alone brings energy and edge to the ballpark. Behind Ohtani, the Dodgers will likely deploy a bullpen game with ample support from their deep relief corps, including high-leverage arms like Daniel Hudson and closer Kirby Yates. On the other side, the Nationals will start MacKenzie Gore, the promising left-hander who has shown flashes of brilliance this season but continues to battle inconsistency and high pitch counts.

His performance against a relentless Dodgers lineup that features Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani at the top of the order will be critical to Washington’s chances of staying competitive. The Nationals’ offense will rely on emerging star James Wood, who has provided clutch power recently, and veterans like Brandon Lowe and Joey Meneses to support him with timely hits and patient plate appearances. However, the lineup’s lack of depth beyond the top four or five hitters remains a concern, especially against a bullpen as deep and talented as the Dodgers’. Los Angeles, playing at home where they are particularly dominant, has been excellent at jumping on inexperienced pitchers early, and if they manage to chase Gore in the middle innings, their odds of blowing the game open increase significantly. The Dodgers have consistently performed well as heavy favorites and have covered the run line in most games when priced around –250 or better, which is the case here. While the Nationals have fought hard and stayed close in a handful of games as significant underdogs, including several late covers this month, the talent gap and situational leverage of this matchup heavily favor Los Angeles. The game total is set at 10, which feels appropriate given the potential for early offense and bullpen variability, particularly with Ohtani’s short leash and Gore’s volatility. If the Nationals can get five decent innings from Gore and piece together a few runs early, they might keep it close into the sixth or seventh, but if the Dodgers execute their plan and let their bullpen finish strong, a 6–3 or 7–4 Dodgers win seems the most probable outcome. In a clash between a club developing its foundation and one chasing another deep postseason run, the gap in experience, depth, and situational mastery is likely to decide the outcome unless the Nationals can pull off one of their most complete efforts of the season.