Will the Guardians Defy the Odds? Inside Expert Predictions and Surprising Trends for Nationals Showdown on May 5

Well, here we are—Monday, May 5, and the Cleveland Guardians (20-14) are heading into Nationals Park, ready to tussle with the Washington Nationals (16-19). It’s shaping up to be an intriguing duel, especially with Luis L. Ortiz taking the hill for Cleveland up against Jake Irvin for Washington. What a stage for these two to square off.

Now, if you’ve been keeping tabs, the Nationals just snagged two outta three games against Cincinnati over the weekend, including a solid 4-1 win yesterday. That seventh-inning surge—three runs to push past a tie—definitely kept the momentum on their side. Meanwhile, the Guardians have been cruising, winning five out of their last six after taking two of three from the Blue Jays. And shoutout to Gabriel Arias, who went yard with three hits in that 5-4 victory yesterday—a real spark plug for the Guardians’ offense.

There’s a lot to unpack here, from pitching matchups and recent forms to betting odds and player trends. So, buckle up—we’re diving deep into what makes this game tick, breaking down all the essentials, and offering insights that might just help you snag a wise bet or two.

Curious to see the full scoop and get those expert predictions? Here’s where you’ll want to go next: LEARN MORE.

Its Monday, May 5 and the Guardians (20-14) are in Washington to take on the Nationals (16-19).

Luis L. Ortiz is slated to take the mound for Cleveland against Jake Irvin for Washington.

The Nationals took two of three over the weekend against Cincinnati. Yesterday Washington bested the Reds 4-1. The Nats scored three in the seventh to break a one-all tie and secure the win.

The Guardians took two of three against the Blue Jays and have now won five of their last six overall. Gabriel Arias collected three hits yesterday for Cleveland as the Guardians downed the Jays 5-4.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Guardians at Nationals

• Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
• Time: 6:45PM EST
• Site: Nationals Park
• City: Washington, DC
• Network/Streaming: CLEG, MASN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Guardians at the Nationals

The latest odds as of Monday:

• Moneyline: Guardians (-118), Nationals (-102)
• Spread: Guardians -1.5
• Total: 9.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Guardians at Nationals

• Pitching matchup for May 5, 2025: Luis L. Ortiz vs. Jake Irvin
  • Guardians: Luis L. Ortiz (2-3, 4.78 ERA)
    Last outing: 4/30 vs. Minnesota – 6.1IP, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 5Ks
  • Nationals: Jake Irvin (2-1, 4.01 ERA)
    Last outing: 4/30 at Philadelphia – 6IP, 6ER, 8H, 3BB, 2Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Guardians at Nationals

• The Guardians have won 8 of their last 10 road games against teams with losing records
• The Over is 10-6-2 in Guardians’ road games this season
• Dylan Crews has 1 hit in his last 21 ABs
• Jose Ramirez is 7-26 over his last 7 games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Guardians and the Nationals

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Guardians and the Nationals:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Cleveland Guardians on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Nationals at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)