The Washington Nationals take on the Colorado Rockies. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals Rockies prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Nationals Rockies.

The Washington Nationals were in a very bad place entering Friday night in Denver. They had just been shut out by the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Thursday in the opening game of this four-game weekend series. For a group of professional baseball players — more precisely, professional baseball hitters — few things are more humiliating than getting shut out in the ultimate hitter's park in the big leagues. The Nationals know they are fighting an uphill battle this season in a National League East which has the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, the loaded Atlanta Braves, and the formidable New York Mets, but even then, a pitiful offensive performance against the Rockies had to have stung in a unique way. This team faced a gut-check moment early in its season.

It responded the right way.

The Nationals blew Colorado starter Jose Urena out of the box, got on top of the game, and remained in full control for a 10-5 win over the Rockies. MacKenzie Gore, who had faced the Rockies in 2022 as a member of the San Diego Padres, pitched a solid game and stayed out of the big inning, which is priority number one at Coors. The Nationals were having a hard time scoring four or five runs per game in the midst of their losing streak. They exploded for 10 runs and hope that performance can have a carryover effect into Saturday's game in Denver.

Here are the Nationals-Rockies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Rockies Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-154)

Colorado Rockies: -1.5 (+128)

Over: 11 (-110)

Under: 11 (-110)

How To Watch Nationals vs. Rockies

TV: MASN (Nationals) / AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Rockies) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 8:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT

*Watch Nationals-Rockies LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread

The performance of starter MacKenzie Gore gave Washington a lift on Friday, but the Washington bats were the even bigger story, coming alive to score 10 runs. When a team goes through a collective slump as the Nationals had endured, and then that team scores a ton of runs, the mood in the clubhouse instantly changes. Guys see the ball better. Crucially, they stop pressing at the plate. They relax their shoulders. They swing freely and with rhythm. We all saw that Aaron Judge, when trying so hard to hit home run No. 62 last season, got tense and anxious at the plate. He wasn't the free swinger he was when he was swatting homers left and right. When baseball teams go through an ugly losing skid, hitters will get anxious. The Nationals are past the anxious phase and should be able to score big once again versus Colorado.

Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread

The Rockies were crushed on Friday, but Jose Urena has been really bad for them in each of his two starts this season. In games not started by Urena, the Rockies have received far better pitching. They haven't had a staff problem this year; they have had a Urena problem. They'll be better in this game on Saturday.

Final Nationals-Rockies Prediction & Pick

The Rockies have gotten good pitching from multiple starters in this game. They'll answer the challenge here and win by a few runs.

Final Nationals-Rockies Prediction & Pick: Rockies -1.5