Washington Nationals vs. Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/25/2022

Time: 4:05 p.m. ET

Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to watch: MASN 2, Bally Sports Southwest, FS1

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Nationals: 25-47

Rangers: 33-35

We haven't talked enough about Marcus Semien. Let's talk about Marcus Semien right now.

It's fair to say that the Texas Rangers' second baseman didn't live up to his contract at the beginning of the season. Hell, even two months into his run with Texas was a nightmare. Before the calendar turned to June, Semien was batting just .199 with an on-base percentage of .266.

This was a guy who was a finalist for American League MVP last year in Toronto and was given a ton of money to come to Texas and be a cornerstone with Corey Seager (who we'll talk about at a later date), and for the past two months, that wasn't the case.

He's turned it around in a big way in June. The Rangers may be just 9-11 this month, but Semien has found his groove batting .293 to go along with six homers and 10 RBI. But what ultimately turned it around was that run in Cleveland where he had that seven-hit, three-homer doubleheader against the Guardians. Since then, the Rangers are 8-7 with Semien batting .339 and a slugging percentage of a blistering .576.

“I think doubleheaders can be crazy like that,” Semien said back on June 7. “You just show up and the swing feels good, and you're getting pitches to hit and taking balls. I felt that way in the first game, and I didn't change anything in between games. I just kept the same mindset and felt good.”

Semien is seen as someone to help bolster that Rangers offense that showed flashes of being great last season, but kept running out of gas based on talent. They have it now with Seager and Semien leading the charge in the infield, but it's a different beast when Semien is unloading from the leadoff spot.

He's struck out only 13 times in the last 15 games, and finally found his groove at his home park, too. He didn't hit his first homer at Globe Life Field until June 2, but has three this month, including Tuesday in the 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, where he went 3-for-4 with a homer.

“We’ve had good conversations about [Semien’s early struggles],” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said earlier in the month. “He's not a big mechanics guy. It's more like his feel, and when he feels good, you can see it. He can turn around a speeding bullet. There’s not a pitch he can’t hit.

“That had come and gone a little bit over early on. He was feeling a lot of pressure obviously being here, the weight of the world a little bit, with the contract and everything. [On June 7] that was that full-go, with no fear of letting that swing go. When he's like that, that's the guy I remember not wanting to see come to bat when he's on the opposing team. That's a good sign moving forward.”

The Rangers are just two games below .500 as they start the three-game set against the Washington Nationals on Friday. There's a realistic chance that Texas can go into next week above .500 for the first time in a long time given the Nationals' struggles.

If Semien has a big weekend, that'll go a long way of happening. The Rangers feel like they're right at the cusp of turning the corner and making the second half of the season interesting. How they, and Semien, play in the second half is going to make a big difference.

Josiah Gray is set to take the mound Saturday with no starter announced for Texas. The pitching Washington brings just screams for a big weekend from the Texas bats. No matter who or where, this favors Texas in a big way. The big bats get a big weekend. Rangers win 8-4

Nationals are 46-73 the past three seasons when the line is between +125 and -125.

Nationals are 15-32 against right-handed starters this season.

Nationals are 66-131 as an underdog the past three seasons.

Rangers are 19-29 as a favorite the past three seasons.

Rangers are 6-1 against NL East teams this season.

Nationals:
Cesar Hernandez (A) 2B
Juan Soto (Z) RF
Josh Bell (A) 1B
Nelson Cruz (D) DH
Luis Garcia (Z) SS
Lane Thomas (D) CF
Yadiel Hernandez (Z) LF
Riley Adams (D) C
Ehire Adrianza (A) 3B
SP - Josiah Gray

Rangers:
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Jonah Heim (S) C
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Josh H. Smith (L) LF
Ezequiel Duran (R) 3B
Brad Miller (L) DH
SP - TBD

Batting average: Josh Bell -- .295

Home runs: Juan Soto -- 14

RBI: Josh Bell -- 44

Wins: Josiah Gray -- 6

ERA: Josiah Gray -- 3.95

Batting average: Nathaniel Lowe -- .274

Home runs: Corey Seager -- 15

RBI: Adolis Garcia -- 45

Wins: Martin Perez -- 5

ERA: Martin Perez -- 1.96