MLB Baseball
2026-07-25 - Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Saturday 25th July 2026 - Scheduled 4:05pm EST
9:05pm (British Time)
Preview
After spending three years in Japan, Foster Griffin returned to the Major League by signing a one year contract with the Washington Nationals (52-52). His relatively low salary meant it was a 'no risk' decision for the Nationals, but Griffin has been so much better than that and that leaves Washington with a big decision to make.
The season for the pitcher has been a memorable one and saw him play in the All Star Game, while the Washington Nationals are just 3 games out of the Wild Card spots in the National League.
However, the next contract signed by Foster Griffin is likely going to be a significant one and that leaves the Nationals having to make a big decision about whether to keep him through the end of the season, or trade Griffin to continue the rebuild of the roster.
All of that could be decided by the end of the weekend as Washington continue a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks (55-49) who took the opener on Friday and who hold onto the last of the Wild Card spots in the National League.
If Washington cannot win this series, the likelihood is that Foster Griffin is pitching for the last time for them, at least for this season.
Foster Griffin has an 11-2 record and 2.68 ERA in his twenty starts for Washington this season and he has been playing at an extremely high level since the beginning of June. In those eight starts made in that timeframe, Foster Griffin has a 5-0 record and 1.25 ERA, while he has chewed through at least 6 Innings on six occasions.
During this strong run of form, Foster Griffin also held the Arizona Diamondbacks to a single run in 5 Innings thrown and picked up the decision win.
Arizona will counter by handing the ball to Mitch Bratt who is a rookie making his fourth start of the season and who has a 0-0 record and 5.06 ERA.
Mitch Bratt failed to pitch into the 4th Inning in either of the first two starts, but almost completed 5 Innings most recently. He has allowed three Home Runs in his last two starts, but overall Bratt has shown some positive signs for the Diamondbacks, although the bullpen will be ready to take over whenever they are needed.
The first four games of the season series between these two Wild Card chasing rivals have been split, but it is the Diamondbacks who have won two in a row.
Prediction
There is a real uncertainty around the future of Foster Griffin, but the pitcher should be able to play with some freedom knowing there is little he can do about it.
In reality his big decision will be made in the off-season when his contract expires, but Griffin will be keen to continue to show how solid a piece of any starting rotation he could be.
He has been in fine form for almost two full months and Griffin can at least set Washington up for another success in one of his starts.
Arizona will counter with a rookie who has been playing well enough, but Washington have the edge and can level up this important series that could impact any decisions management make ahead of the trade deadline.
The Pick :
Washington Nationals 5-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
