New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Prediction 5/18/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Mets vs Nationals Prediction for this MLB matchup on Monday, May 18th in the opening game of this series. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Washington Nationals Preview

The Washington Nationals have a 23-24 record this season and are sitting in the third place of the NL East. They have a 8-14 home record and are coming off a 7-3 loss against the Orioles. They will face the Braves and the Guardians next.

The Nationals have a .244 batting average this season, .324 OBP and .414 Slugging percentage. Washington’s pitching staff has a 4.95 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. CJ Abrams is the team’s best hitter with a .298 batting average, also leading the team in RBI with 38. James Wood adds a team high 12 home runs.

Jake Irvin (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Nationals, and he has a 1-4 record, 5.91 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

New York Mets Preview

The New York Mets have a 20-26 record this season and are sitting in the fifth place of the NL East. They have a 9-13 away record and are coming off a 7-6 win against the Yankees. They will face the Marlins and the Reds next.

The Mets have a .227 batting average this season, .295 OBP and .349 Slugging percentage. New York’s pitching staff has a 3.76 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Carson Benge is the team’s best hitter with a .243 batting average. Mark Vientos leads the team in RBI with 22. Juan Soto adds a team high 6 home runs.

Christian Scott (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Mets, and he has a 0-0 record, 3.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

New York Mets @ Washington Nationals Betting Trends: May 18, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Jake Irvin      Record this season: 1-4      ERA: 5.91
• Home Record: 0-3
• Last 5 against Mets: 1-2

Why the Washington Nationals will win

• The Mets have lost seven of their last eight games as road favorites following an extra innings win.
• The Nationals have won each of their last six night games against National League opponents following a loss.
• The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last 10 night games following a loss.
• The Mets have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine games as road favorites following an extra innings win.
• The Mets have trailed after 3 innings in four of their last five games.
• The Nationals have won the first inning in each of their last four home games against NL East opponents.
• The Nationals have led after 5 innings in four of their last five home games.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Christian Scott      Record this season: 0-0      ERA: 3.45
• Road Record: 0-0
• Last 5 against Nationals: 0-0

Why the New York Mets will win

• The Nationals have lost each of their last 10 Monday night home games against NL East opponents.
• The Mets have won each of their last four night games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 Monday night home games against NL East opponents.
• The road team has covered the run line in four of the last five games between the Mets and Nationals.
• The Mets have led after 3 innings in six of their last seven road games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
• The Mets have won the first inning in five of their last six night games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Mets’ last 10 road games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Four of the Nationals’ last five home games against NL East opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Mets’ last nine night games at Nationals Park.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Nationals’ last six night games against NL East opponents.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

• Jacob Young has hit a home run in each of the Nationals’ last two games.
• CJ Abrams has recorded at least one hit in each of the Nationals’ last seven night games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
• Nasim Nunez ranks 2nd in the league in Steals (19) this season.

New York Mets Player Prop Facts

• Juan Soto has hit a home run in four of the Mets’ last five night games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
• Francisco Lindor has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 20 appearances against NL East opponents that held a losing record.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Nationals rank 1st in the league for runs scored this season (255).
• The Nationals rank 1st in the league for doubles this season (91).
• The Mets rank 30th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.349).
• The Mets rank 29th in the league for on-base percentage this season (.295).

Mets vs Nationals Prediction

The Nationals are 6-2 in their last 8 meetings against the Mets and have won their last two meetings in Washington.

In this Mets vs Nationals Prediction, the Mets are coming as -140 road favorites. The Mets have been playing good baseball lately and are 5-1 in their last 6 games. They have the pitching advantage today as Christian Scott goes up against a struggling Jake Irvin, who has given up 12 runs across his last three starts and has been terrible at home, with a 7.58 home ERA. On top of that, the Mets have a superior bullpen to come after Scott, so I like them to keep rolling and get away with the road win in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: New York Mets ML