Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins Picks and Predictions, Monday September 8, 2025

The NL East has been highly competitive in 2025, and while there has been some great performances at the top, other teams have struggled, including the two involved in our Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins prediction.

The Washington Nationals (58-84) have the potential to be one of the best squads in baseball, but without all of their young stars taking leaps forward, this is a team that's ready to end 2025 after yet another disappointing campaign.

On Monday, they take on the Miami Marlins (66-77), a team that has taken some strides forward this season, and with a bright young core, this is a team to watch out for in the coming years. Read on to see our Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins prediction.

Expected pitching matchup: RHP Cade Cavalli vs. RHP Janson Junk.

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Can the Nationals end a disappointing year with some positives?

The Washington Nationals have seen some of baseball's brightest young stars debut in recent years, but they've not been able to put it together as a team, as they've gone 29-42 on the road this season to sit way back in last place in the National League East. That lack of success for the Nationals comes from a team that has a 5.28 team ERA, good for 29th in the league, as well as just 601 runs scored, ranking them 24th in the league despite having stars like James Wood leading the way.

In this Monday matchup, Washington will look to 27-year-old righty Cade Cavalli, making just his eighth career start after posting a 4.85 ERA this season, striking out a solid 28 hitters in 29.2 innings this season, with six of his seven career outings taking place this year. Last time out for the Nationals was a big win over the Chicago Cubs, with Josh Bell providing most of the punch on a three-run home run as the team rode a solid 4.2 innings from Andrew Alvarez to the 6-3 victory.

Is the Marlins leap in 2025 for real moving forward?

The Miami Marlins may sit 11 games under .500 right now, but this is a team that's taken some very positive steps in 2025, but with the team going 32-29 at home this year, it's hard to tell whether that's something they can build on moving forward. Offensively, the Marlins have been solid as they rank 19th in baseball in runs scored this season, but with a team ERA of 4.72 on the year, there's still plenty more improvements to make for them before they can become genuine contenders.

On the mound for Miami here will be 29-year-old Janson Junk, who has made 17 appearances for Miami this season, posting a respectable 4.09 ERA in that time, with his 12 starts resulting in 88.0 solid innings of work for the Marlins. Last time out for the Marlins was a big win over the Philadelphia Phillies, with four RBI to rising star Otto Lopez leading the way as a bullpen game saw them limited the red-hot NL East rivals to four runs, picking up the 5-4 victory in this one.

Nationals vs. Marlins Pick

Spread Pick for Nationals vs. Marlins

• Miami -136 (4 units)

Neither of these teams have much momentum coming into this one, and with a 5-5 record in their last 10 head-to-head meetings, anything could happen when these two National League East rivals do battle.

While the Nationals have won three straight, the Marlins won five in a row before that, including going 2-1 in their three-game set in Miami earlier this season, and with a little more consistency as of late, expect the Marlins to pick up a big win in this one.

Over/Under Pick for Nationals vs. Marlins

• Over 7.5 (4 units)

In that three-game set in Miami earlier this season, the total runs scored between these two teams was 39, with the over now being 5-5 in their last 10 head-to-head matchups dating back to last season.

For the Nationals, the over sits at 5-5 in their last 10 overall games, with 26 runs allowed in their last four games played on the road, and for the Marlins, the over comes in at 5-4-1 in their past 10, with over 6.5 runs allowed per game during that stretch.

Keep it simple, take the over.