Brewers vs. Nationals Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Friday, May 1

The Milwaukee Brewers closed out their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a bang, scoring 13 runs on Thursday to win Brandon Woodruff’s start.

Now, Milwaukee is favored on the road in Friday’s series opener with the Washington Nationals, who just took back-to-back games from the New York Mets. Washington 15-17 this season, posting some shocking home and road splits. The Nats are just 3-10 at home, but they’ve won 12 of 19 games on the road.

Jake Irvin (4.85 ERA) gets the ball for Washington on Friday night against Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, who hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any outing this season.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this series opener on Friday night.

Brewers vs. Nationals Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line

Brewers -1.5 (+109)
Nationals +1.5 (-131)

Moneyline

Brewers: -156
Nationals: +129

Total

8 (Over -105/Under -115)

Brewers vs. Nationals Probable Pitchers

Milwaukee: Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.31 ERA)
Washington: Jake Irvin (1-3, 4.85 ERA)

Brewers vs. Nationals How to Watch

Date: Friday, May 1
Time: 6:45 p.m. EST
Venue: Nationals Park
How to Watch (TV): Brewers.TV/Fox 5/Gray Media/Nationals.TV
Brewers record: 16-14
Nationals record: 15-17

Brewers vs. Nationals Best MLB Prop Bets

Brewers Best MLB Prop Bet

William Contreras to Hit a Home Run (+540)

Earlier today, I wrote in SI Betting’s best home run props column – Daily Dinger – why Contreras is undervalued in this market:

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star William Contreras only has three home runs in the 2026 season, but he’s hitting .288 with a .795 OPS heading into Friday’s game with the Washington Nationals.

Washington has been an easy team to fade in the home run market this season, as it has a 4.90 bullpen ERA and has given up 24 home runs. On Friday, Jake Irvin (who allowed an MLB-high 38 homers last season) gets the start for the Nats.

Irvin has already given up four homers this season, and he’s struggled against Contreras in his career.

The Brewers star is 4-for-14 with a double, two homers, five RBIs and four walks against Irvin. Even though Contreras isn’t a major power hitter, it’s hard to pass him up at this price (+540). Contreras is hitting .294 with all three of his homers against right-handed pitchers in the 2026 season.

Brewers vs. Nationals Prediction and Pick

Milwaukee is just 2-4 in Misiorowski’s starts this season, but it’s not because of his performance.

The young right-hander ranks in the 79th percentile in expected ERA, the 98th percentile in whiff percentage and the 97th percentile in strikeout percentage this season, allowing just 23 hits in 32.2 innings of work.

Meanwhile, Irvin ranks in the 36th percentile in expected ERA (4.60) and he has a shaky bullpen (4.90 ERA) behind him.

The Brewers are fourth in the NL Central, but they have a plus-38 run differential that suggests their record will improve as the season goes on. The Nats, on the other hand, are 3-10 at home and still carry a -10 run differential this season.

I think Misiorowski is by far the better starter in this game, so I’ll take Milwaukee to win outright in the series opener.

Pick:Brewers Moneyline (-156 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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