Get the Injury Report for Nationals vs Royals – Tuesday August 12th, 2025

Washington Nationals

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Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals host the Washington Nationals on August 12, 2025, for the second game of their interleague series. The Royals come off a solid win yesterday, taking down the Nationals 7-4, while the Nationals continue to struggle, sitting with a disappointing 47-71 record this season. Kansas City is averaging a slightly better 59-60, showcasing a mediocre performance thus far.

Starting for the Royals is Michael Wacha, who has seen better days with a 6-9 record this year but boasts a commendable 3.36 ERA, ranking him the 64th best starter in MLB according to advanced metrics. Wacha’s last outing on August 6 saw him pitch effectively for six innings, allowing just two earned runs and striking out three, indicating he may be finding his stride as the season progresses.

In contrast, Mitchell Parker, projected to start for Washington, has been less reliable, struggling to a 5.43 ERA with a disappointing 7-12 record. His recent appearance resulted in four earned runs over five innings, reflecting ongoing issues. Parkers’s projections suggest he is prone to allowing 3.1 earned runs and 5.9 hits on average today, which could be problematic against a Royals offense that, while not explosive, ranks better than their overall numbers suggest.

The Royals’ offense ranks 26th overall but is currently finding ways to push runs across the plate. Their best hitter has recorded a sparkling .526 batting average over the past week, bolstering hopes for a more consistent attack. On the other side, the Nationals boast the 23rd best offense, unable to capitalize on their chances, which could tip the scales in favor of Kansas City. The Royals are favored with a moneyline of -190, indicating they are expected to capitalize on home-field advantage, while the game total is set at a high 9.0 runs, suggesting a potential for scoring.

Washington Nationals Insights

• Mitchell Parker – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+135/-170)
  Out of all starting pitchers, Mitchell Parker’s fastball spin rate of 2168 rpm is in the 7th percentile this year.
  Explain: Spin rate is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
• Luis Garcia – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-200/+155)
  The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Garcia Jr. in the 94th percentile when estimating his batting average skill.
  Explain: THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors and regularly tests among the most accurate systems available. Batting average is the most common measure of a player’s ability to generate hits.
• Washington Nationals – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Washington Nationals’ bullpen projects as the 9th-best among all teams in the majors.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game’s runs.

Kansas City Royals Insights

• Michael Wacha – Over/Under 17.5 Pitching Outs (-110/-120)
  Recording 17.1 outs per outing this year on average, Michael Wacha places in the 80th percentile.
  Explain: A pitcher who averages more outs per start than his Outs prop may be a good bet to go over, and visa-versa for the under.
• Jonathan India – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-205/+155)
  Jonathan India is penciled in 6th in the lineup today, which would be a downgrade from his 96% rate of hitting in the top-half of the batting order this year.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• Salvador Perez – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (-115/-115)
  Salvador Perez pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.8% — 94th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards the game’s 4th-deepest LF fences today.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• Kansas City Royals – Over/Under 5.5 Team Total (+110/-145)
  The Kansas City Royals have hit the Team Total Under in 70 of their last 109 games (+28.25 Units / 22% ROI)
• Over/Under 9.0 Game Total (-115/-105)
  The Washington Nationals have hit the Game Total Over in 29 of their last 48 games (+11.05 Units / 21% ROI)
• CJ Abrams – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-170)
  CJ Abrams has hit the Total Bases Over in 17 of his last 25 away games (+11.00 Units / 38% ROI)