Nationals vs. Tigers Prediction, Odds & Props for Sept. 21: Detroit gets W

Written By Jason Green | Published at September 21, 2026

Nationals vs. Tigers prediction for interleague series opener. Both teams have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. — Detroit Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene (31) avoids the ball at bat during the seventh inning against Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.

In the opener of an interleague series between two teams officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Detroit Tigers host the Washington Nationals. Let’s get into this Nationals vs. Tigers prediction to get the game info, the latest odds, the starting pitching matchup, and some player prop bets we like.

While the Nationals (73-83) are out of the playoff picture and are coming off a loss, they have won six of their last eight games.

The Tigers have the same record as the Nationals, and they have lost two in a row and four of their last five games.

Nationals vs. Tigers Odds

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Tigers as favorites at -156, with the Nationals at +132 and a total of 8.5 runs.

No Broom for the Nats

The Nationals were going for the sweep in their last game but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 in the series finale. In the loss, CJ Abrams hit a two-run home run, and Jacob Young drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

While Washington ranks third in the Majors in runs scored, they only rank 26th in team ERA.

Abrams (.261, 31 home runs, 99 RBIs) leads the Nats in home runs and RBIs, and while going yard in the last game, he is only batting .211 this month with two home runs and seven RBIs. James Wood (.265, 30 home runs, 76 RBIs) ranks second on the club in homers but has seen a power outage, not going yard since the end of July, and he missed most of August with an injury.

While the Nationals are 10 games under .500 on the season, they are 26-19 in interleague games.

Washington Starter for Series Opener

DJ Herz gets the start for the Nats, making his season debut after being recalled from the minors; his only season in the Majors was with Washington in 2024, when he went 4-9 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

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No Surprise, One Run Does Not Cut It Again for Tigers

The Tigers have scored only one run in each of their four losses in their last five games. In their last game, they lost to the Chicago White Sox 8-1, where Max Clark had the lone RBI.

In looking at the stats, you would think the Tigers would have a better record, as they rank 13th in runs scored and a legit sixth in team ERA.

Dillon Dingler (.243, 27 home runs, 89 RBIs) leads the club in home runs and RBIs but is hitting under the Mendoza line this month (.189) and was out of the lineup in the last game. Riley Greene (.285, 21 home runs, 75 RBIs) is riding a 10-game hitting streak, with five multi-hit games, two home runs, and 11 RBIs.

Detroit Starter for Series Opener

River Ryan is the Tigers' starter for the Series Opener and is making his season debut. He came to Detroit in the Tarik Skubal trade with the L.A. Dodgers, and he is ranked #68 on the MLB Pipeline for minor league players. His lone action came in 2024 with the Dodgers, where he went 1-0 in four appearances with a 1.33 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over 20 1/3 innings.

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Nationals vs. Tigers Prediction

This interleague game sees two starting pitchers who have not seen MLB action since 2024. Rivers is a solid prospect and should have a good debut, even against a strong Washington lineup. I do not see either starter lasting long in their season debut, which gives the Tigers the advantage, as they rank 11th in bullpen ERA (3.84) while the Nationals rank second-to-last (5.04). Detroit will not light it up at the dish but will get some runs, and with Rivers having a good debut and the better bullpen, the Tigers will get the W in this series opener.

Best Bet: Tigers ML – (-156, FanDuel)

Nationals vs. Tigers Prop Bets

Here are some solid value Nationals vs. Tigers player prop bets at FanDuel:

River Ryan Over 2.5 strikeouts: (+114, FanDuel) – In the minors this season, Ryan had 47 strikeouts in 41 innings and will get over 2.5 in this game facing a Washington lineup that has never seen him.
DJ Herz Over 3.5 strikeouts: (-113, FanDuel) – Pretty much the same reasoning for Herz to go Over 3.5 Ks, as he had more strikeouts than innings pitched this season in the minors, and in his lone MLB season in 2024, he fanned 106 batters in 88 2/3 innings.
Riley Greene to record 2+ bases: (+130, FanDuel) – Greene is hot as of last and in his last 10 games has at least two hits in five of them.