Washington Nationals vs Cleveland Guardians Picks and Predictions May 5th 2025

Nationals Face Big Challenge in Series Against Guardians

The Washington Nationals return to Nationals Park with a solid road trip behind them, but their next test will be a tough one as they host the red-hot Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series starting Monday night.

Irvin Looks to Rebound in Tough Matchup

Washington (15-19) is trending in the right direction, winning four of its last six games to close out a .500 road trip. But they’ll need a strong bounce-back effort from right-hander Jake Irvin, who is coming off his roughest start of the season. Against Philadelphia, Irvin surrendered six runs on eight hits across six innings.

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“He’s been so good. He couldn’t correct it. When he needed to make a pitch, it just wasn’t there,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Still, Irvin holds a 2-1 record with a 4.01 ERA and beat Cleveland in his only prior appearance, allowing two runs over six innings.

On the other side, Cleveland’s Luis Ortiz enters with confidence after tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his last start against Minnesota. He has a 2-3 record and a 4.78 ERA, though he’s struggled historically against the Nationals with a 6.75 ERA in two appearances.

Guardians Ride Momentum Into D.C.

The Guardians (22-13) have surged behind timely hitting and late-inning clutch plays. On Saturday, Daniel Schneemann’s ninth-inning grand slam sealed a comeback win over Toronto, and on Sunday it was closer Emmanuel Clase who closed the door in a tight 5-4 win.

“No one else on the planet I’d rather have on the mound in the ninth inning,” manager Stephen Vogt said of Clase.

Offensively, Gabriel Arias had three hits and two RBIs in the win. The team is also getting Jose Ramirez back healthy after a minor ankle scare.

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Nationals Need Continued Production

Luis Garcia Jr. helped power the Nationals’ 4-1 win over Cincinnati with a solo homer, while CJ Abrams extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a clutch two-run double. Abrams has been red-hot at the plate, now batting .284, while Dylan Crews broke out of an 0-for-23 slump with a key single.

Washington may be playing better baseball recently, but this series is a true litmus test for how far the young squad has come.