Watch the Game Highlights for Nationals vs Angels – Saturday, June 28, 2025

Washington Nationals

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Los Angeles Angels

As the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals face off on June 28, 2025, at Angel Stadium, both teams are looking to bounce back from a high-scoring previous game, where the Nationals triumphed over the Angels 15-9. The Angels, currently at 40-41, are having an average season, while the Nationals sit at a disappointing 34-48, marking them as one of the worst teams in baseball this year.

Los Angeles is set to start Kyle Hendricks, who has struggled this season with a 5-6 record and a below-average ERA of 4.83. Despite being ranked as the 243rd best starting pitcher in MLB, Hendricks has an expected ERA (xERA) of 3.96, suggesting he has been a bit unlucky and may improve. However, he faces a Nationals offense that, while underperforming overall, is low in strikeouts, which could play to his advantage as he typically relies on getting hitters to swing and miss.

On the other side, Washington will counter with Mike Soroka, who has a better track record this season with a 3-5 record and a 5.06 ERA. He is ranked 59th among starting pitchers and has shown potential with a high strikeout rate of 26.5%. Soroka’s projected performance indicates he may allow only 2.4 earned runs today, a promising sign for a struggling Nationals offense.

While both teams have below-average bullpens—ranked 26th and 29th respectively—the Angels’ power-hitting prowess, as evidenced by their 121 home runs (3rd best in MLB), could exploit Soroka’s tendency to give up fly balls. The projections suggest a close matchup, with both teams having an implied total of 4.50 runs. As the Angels look to even the series, this game promises to be a crucial one for both squads.

Washington Nationals Insights

• Washington Nationals – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (-125)
  Mike Soroka is an extreme groundball pitcher (43.6% GB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT), which should make him somewhat immune to the dangers of pitching in Angel Stadium — the #10 HR venue among all stadiums — today.
  Explain: This pitcher’s skill set matches up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to better-than-expected performance.
• James Wood – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+110/-140)
  James Wood has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 99.8-mph average to last season’s 96.6-mph EV.
  Explain: Most home runs are flyballs, and the harder those flyballs are hit, the more often they turn into home runs. This is a strong indicator of power.
• Washington Nationals – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Washington Nationals’ bullpen ranks as the 2nd-worst out of all the teams in the league.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game’s runs.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Kyle Hendricks – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (-135/+105)
  Given his reverse platoon split, Kyle Hendricks will hold the advantage being matched up with 6 hitters in the projected batting order of opposing handedness in today’s outing.
  Explain: A pitcher with a reverse platoon split will perform better against opposite-handed hitters (i.e. a right-handed pitcher will be better against a left-handed hitter). Holding this advantage against several hitters can have a huge impact on whether a pitcher will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• Mike Trout – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+100/-130)
  Hitters such as Mike Trout with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Mike Soroka who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create boosted performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Mike Trout – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+100/-130)
  Mike Trout projects as the 10th-best batter in MLB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X).
  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.

Betting Trends

• Los Angeles Angels – Run Line +1.0 (-150)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Run Line in 28 of their last 43 games (+12.65 Units / 23% ROI)
• Washington Nationals – Run Line -1.0 (+130)
  The Washington Nationals have hit the Run Line in 22 of their last 34 away games (+9.65 Units / 22% ROI)
• Luis Garcia – Over/Under 1.5 Hits Runs and RBIs (-150/+120)
  Luis Garcia has hit the Hits Runs and RBIs Over in 14 of his last 20 away games (+7.70 Units / 32% ROI)