Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Picks and Prediction for Friday, September 12, 2025
It’s the opening game of a three-game series between National League cellar dwellers on the diamond in the nation’s capital as the Pittsburgh Pirates travel to face the Washington Nationals Friday night and we have you covered with our Pirates vs. Nationals prediction. Pittsburgh was swept on the road by the Orioles as they were downed 3-2 in the series finale on Thursday. Washington split a four-game set with the Marlins as they were blanked 5-0 in the series finale on Thursday. In the first series between the teams this season, the Pirates took three of four at home April 14-17. Don’t go down on strikes! Increase your bankroll with our MLB Betting Picks! Read more about this Pirates vs. Nationals prediction!
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Pittsburgh Fading in Season’s Final Month
Pittsburgh suffered a sixth straight loss as they were swept on the road by Baltimore with Thursday’s loss. The Pirates entered Friday 64-83 and sat in the basement of the NL Central, 25 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot. They were 12 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot in the NL playoff picture. Against Baltimore Thursday, Pittsburgh had nine hits with Alexander Canario (run, RBI), Jared Triolo (run) and Nick Gonzales each picking up two. Canario (his sixth) went deep in the contest for the Pirates. Johan Oviedo threw 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts, but didn’t factor in the decision. Colin Holderman (0-2) took the loss in relief as he allowed one run on one hit with two walks and one strikeout in one inning of relief.
Mitch Keller is on the bump for the Pirates as he makes his 30th start of the year in this contest. He is 6-14 with a 4.16 ERA, a 1.257 WHIP, 44 walks and 136 strikeouts over 162.1 innings of work on the season. Keller took the loss in his last start, which came at home against the Brewers Saturday night. He threw 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in a game the Pirates eventually dropped 4-1. In his last three starts, Keller is 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, two walks and 20 strikeouts over 17/.1 innings of work. Keller makes his seventh career start against the Nationals in this contest. He is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.545 WHIP, 12 walks and 31 strikeouts over 33 innings of work against them. Keller is 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA, a 2.464 WHIP, six walks and nine strikeouts over 9.1 innings of work in two career starts at Nationals Park.
Nationals Looking to Regroup at Home
Washington wound up splitting a four-game series with the Marlins as they dropped the final two games of the set, including Thursday’s shutout defeat. The Nationals entered Friday 60-86 and were in the basement of the NL East, 26.5 games behind the Phillies for the top spot. They were 15.5 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League playoff picture. Against Miami on Thursday, Washington was limited to seven hits with no player having more than one in the contest. The Nationals were one of five with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. MacKenzie Gore (6-14) took the loss as he allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over five innings of work.
Brad Lord takes the ball for the Nationals in the opener of this series as he makes his 45th appearance, 16th start, of the season here. He is 5-8 with a 4.20 ERA, a 1.308 WHIP, 39 walks and 92 strikeouts over 109.1 innings of work this season. Lord earned the win in his last start, which came against the Cubs on the road Saturday. He threw 5.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in a 2-1 Nationals win. In his last three starts, Lord is 1-2 with a 9.69 ERA, a 1.77 WHIP, eight walks and 15 strikeouts over 13 innings of work. Lord took the loss in his lone career start against Pittsburgh, which came on the road April 14. He threw 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout in a 10-3 Nationals loss. Lord is 1-4 with a 5.23 ERA, a 1.444 WHIP, 19 walks and 45 strikeouts over 53.1 innings of work in 22 career appearances, eight starts, at Nationals Park.
Pirates vs. Nationals Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rob Vinciletti | +1,570.00 |
| 2 |  Dan Kaiser | +1,223.00 |
| 3 |  Ross Benjamin | +1,000.00 |
| 4 |  Earle Sports Bets | +916.00 |
| 5 |  David Hess | +706.00 |
Moneyline Pick for Pirates vs. Nationals
- Nationals -110 (4 units)
Both teams will likely be eliminated from playoff contention before the weekend is over. With that said, Pittsburgh has dropped six straight and was just swept by another last-place team in the Orioles. Washington is going nowhere this season,but they did split four games with Miami. The Pirates had shorter travel for this series, coming in from Charm City, but one can’t get excited about a 22-50 road record. Lord turned in a solid outing in his last outing, beating the Cubs on the road, and the Nationals have gotten decent production from their youth. Playing at home, you have to give them the edge over a Pirates team that has seemingly given up on the year.
Over/Under Pick for Pirates vs. Nationals
- Under 8 (4 units)
Pittsburgh has seen the under post an 83-59-5 mark on the year heading into Friday’s action. The Pirates are 30th in the majors with 3.59 runs per game and that number falls to 3.25 runs per game away from PNC Park. Pittsburgh averages 7.66 runs per game, but that number increases slightly to 7.71 runs per game on the road. Washington entered Friday having gone over the total in 74 of their 146 games, with nine pushes, on the season. The Nationals are 20th in the majors with 4.29 runs per game, a number that falls to 3.99 runs per game at home. Washington has an average total of 9.75 runs per game and that number slips to 9.69 runs per game at home this season. It’s tough to see either team doing a ton offensively in a meaningless game given their season-long issues. Take the under here as a result.
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