Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Picks and Prediction for Sunday, September 14, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s the final 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 Sunday afternoon and we have you covered with our Pirates vs. Nationals prediction. In the opening game of the series Friday night, Washington hung on for a 6-5 win to draw first blood in the series. Which team prevails in the series finale here on getaway day? This article was published prior to the conclusion of the middle game of the series at Nationals Park Saturday afternoon. Don’t go down on strikes! Increase your bankroll with our MLB Betting Picks! Read more about this Pirates vs. Nationals prediction!
Pittsburgh Limping to the Finish Line
Pittsburgh dropped its seventh straight game as they were downed in the opening game of the series Friday night in the nation’s capital. The Pirates entered Saturday 64-84 and sat in the basement of the NL Central, 26 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. On Friday against Washington, Pittsburgh finished with 10 hits as Jared Triolo (two runs), Spencer Horwitz (run, two RBI) and Nick Gonzales (run) each had a pair. Horwitz (his ninth) went deep in the Pirates in the loss. Mitch Keller threw 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts, but didn’t factor in the decision. Kyle Nicolas (2-4) took the loss in relief as he allowed four runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning of work.
Mike Burrows is on the mound for the Pirates as he makes his 21st appearance, 18th start, of the season in this contest. He is 2-4 with a 3.99 ERA, a 1.237 WHIP, 30 walks and 88 strikeouts over 85.2 innings of work this season. Burrows didn’t factor in the decision in his last start, which came Tuesday on the road against the Orioles. He threw four innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a game the Pirates lost 3-2 in 11 innings. In his last three appearances, one start, Burrows is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, two walks and 10 strikeouts over nine innings of work. Burrows, in his 22nd career appearance, 18th major league start, pitches against the Nationals for the first time here. As a result, this marks his first career outing at Nationals Park as well.
Nationals Try to Secure Series Win
Washington managed to hang on for the win in Friday’s opener for their eighth victory in 11 games. The Nationals entered Saturday 61-86 and were in the basement of the NL East, 26.5 games behind the Phillies for the top spot. They were 14.5 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League playoff picture. Against Pittsburgh Friday night, Washington totaled eight hits as James Wood (two runs) and Robert Hassell III (run) each had two. Dylan Crews (his ninth) and Brady House (his fourth) went deep in the game. Wood gunned down Alexander Canario at the plate to help preserve the win. Brad Lord threw six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts, but didn’t factor in the decision. P.J. Poulin (2-1) worked a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out two, to earn the win in relief. Jose Ferrer allowed two runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout, for his ninth save.
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Cade Cavalli is on the mound for the Nationals as he makes his eighth start of the season in this contest. He has a 3-1 record with a 4.67 ERA, a 1.471 WHIP, nine walks and 29 strikeouts over 34.2 innings of work. Cavalli earned the win in his last start, which came on the road against the Marlins on Monday. He threw five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and one strikeout in a 15-7 Nationals victory. In his last three starts, Cavalli is 2-1 with an 8.03 ERA, a 1.70 WHIP, three walks and 11 strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work. Cavalli, in his ninth career major league start, pitches against the Pirates for the first time here. He makes his fifth career start at Nationals Park in this contest. Cavalli is 2-1 with a 3.92 ERA, a 1.161 WHIP, four walks and 23 strikeouts over 20.2 innings of work in those outings. Prior to being called up, Cavalli was 4-7 with a 5.35 ERA, a 1.446 WHIP, 30 walks and 79 strikeouts over 74 innings in 17 starts split between Single-A Fredericksburg of the Carolina League, Double-A Harrisburg of the Eastern League and Triple-A Rochester of the International League.
Pirates vs. Nationals Pick
Moneyline Pick for Pirates vs. Nationals
- Nationals (4 units)
Both teams are playing out the string, but have trended in different directions in September. Pittsburgh entered Saturday with seven straight losses, including the last four to fellow basement-dwelling squads. Washington has won eight of its last 11 games and looked competitive during that stretch, despite using a lot of youth in its lineup. Cavalli has been solid as a rookie and owns a pair of solid outings, including a win, over the Phillies. Burrows hasn’t done much in the way of volume innings-wise, having not gone more than five frames in any of his last seven outings. That would put more pressure on a Pittsburgh bullpen that we saw crack in Friday’s opener. Give the advantage to the Nationals as a result on getaway day.
Over/Under Pick for Pirates vs. Nationals
- Over (4 units)
Pittsburgh has seen the under post an 83-60-5 mark on the year heading into Saturday’s action. The Pirates are 30th in the majors with 3.59 runs per game and that number falls to 3.27 runs per game away from PNC Park. Pittsburgh averages 7.68 runs per game, but that number increases slightly to 7.75 runs per game on the road. Washington entered Saturday having gone over the total in 75 of their 147 games, with nine pushes, on the season. The Nationals are 19th in the majors with 4.30 runs per game, a number that falls to 4.01 runs per game at home. Washington has an average total of 9.76 runs per game and that number slips to 9.70 runs per game at home this season. We saw 11 runs in the opener thanks to both bullpens. Look for this game to wind up over the number as well.
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