Nationals vs Brewers Picks and Prediction – 7/12/2025

Milwaukee (53–40) hosts the struggling Washington Nationals (38–55) in the middle game of their pre–All‑Star break series. The spotlight turns to returning ace Brandon Woodruff and debuting rookie Shinnosuke Ogasawara. Expect a contrast of veteran dominance vs. rookie nerves as the Brewers aim to stay hot, while the Nats look to avoid a sweep. Get in on all the action with our free MLB picks.

Brandon Woodruff was returned to the rotation on July 6 and delivered a strong outing: six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and only two hits allowed . Over his career against Washington, he’s been dominant—posting a stellar 0.96 ERA across 37⅔ innings with 45 strikeouts and no losses. The refreshed reel with a new cutter adds to his arsenal. Offensively, the Brew Crew are scoring 4.7 runs/game (8th in MLB) and averaging 89 home runs, riding a four-game win streak.

Rookie Shinnosuke Ogasawara makes just his second MLB start after debuting July 6. His first outing saw him allow four runs on seven hits over 2⅔ innings; he struck out two but walked none. The Nats are in rebuilding mode, firing their manager and GM on July 6. Their offense is middle-pack (4.4 runs/game, .246 batting average, 90 HR) but has faltered recently, losing five of their last six.

This sets up as a veteran-led blowout, but rookie jitters could dampen runs early. Still, expect Milwaukee’s offense to break through, especially with Woodruff dealing. Milwaukee has been playing well as of late, and we will be taking them to put a beating on the Nationals. Take Milwaukee to win 7-3.