Nationals Beat Tigers 4-2 as Bullpen Game Holds in Series Finale
The Nationals closed out their series at Comerica Park with a 4-2 win over the Tigers on Wednesday, and the game played out exactly the way a bullpen-versus-starter matchup often does: low on fireworks, decided by which side avoided the crooked inning.
Washington opened with Richard Lovelady, who gave 1.1 clean innings before handing it to the relief corps. Detroit's Framber Valdez was solid — 5.1 innings, two earned runs, four hits, six strikeouts and three walks — but the Tigers' bats never generated the big swing to back him.
Our premium pick: Washington +1.5 — WIN. The run line cashed comfortably. The Nationals never trailed by more than a run, and the final margin landed inside the number with room to spare.
Moneyline: Detroit — LOSS. The Tigers were the better team on paper, but the price at -184 asked them to win outright, and the lineup couldn't deliver it.
Total: Over 8.5 — LOSS. Six combined runs left the Over short by two and a half. Two starters holding early and a quiet night from the middle of the order killed it.
Prop card results:
- Riley Greene over 1.5 total bases (+130) — LOSS. Three at-bats, no hits, no total bases. He walked twice, which doesn't help the prop.
- Kevin McGonigle over 0.5 runs scored (+103) — LOSS. Three hits and four total bases, but he never crossed the plate.
- Dillon Dingler over 0.5 runs scored (+117) — LOSS. Hitless in three at-bats with a walk, no runs.
The takeaway: the run-line edge was the right read, but the plus-money props leaned on a Tigers run environment that never materialized. When a bullpen game meets a quality starter, the under and the underdog run line tend to travel together — and that's the pattern worth remembering next time the board lines up this way.