New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Prediction 5/20/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Mets vs Nationals Prediction for this MLB matchup on Wednesday, May 20th in the third game of this series. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Washington Nationals Preview

The Washington Nationals have a 24-25 record this season and are sitting in the third place of the NL East. They have a 9-15 home record and are coming off a 9-6 win against the Mets. They will face the Braves and the Guardians next.

The Nationals have a .245 batting average this season, .326 OBP and .414 Slugging percentage. Washington’s pitching staff has a 5.06 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. CJ Abrams is the team’s best hitter with a .295 batting average, also leading the team in RBI with 39. James Wood adds a team-high 13 home runs.

Zack Littell (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Nationals, and he has a 2-4 record, 6.10 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.

New York Mets Preview

The New York Mets have a 21-27 record this season and are sitting in the fifth place of the NL East. They have a 10-14 away record and are coming off a 9-6 loss against the Nationals. They will face the Marlins and the Reds next.

The Mets have a .232 batting average this season, .298 OBP and .360 Slugging percentage. New York’s pitching staff has a 3.82 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Carson Benge is the team’s best hitter with a .265 batting average. Bo Bichette leads the team in RBI with 25, while Juan Soto adds a team-high 7 home runs.

Zach Thornton (L) is the projected starting pitcher for the Mets and he will make his MLB debut today. In his two games in Triple A he pitched over 12 innings, allowing just 3 runs and 3 walks with 13 strikeouts.

New York Mets @ Washington Nationals Betting Trends: May 20, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Zack Littell      Record this season: 2-4      ERA: 6.10
• Home Record: 2-2
• Last 5 against Mets: 0-2

Why the Washington Nationals will win

• The Nationals have won three of their last four games as underdogs against the Mets.
• The Mets have lost seven of their last eight road games against National League opponents following a loss.
• The Mets have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last 10 road games against NL East opponents.
• The Nationals have covered the run line in four of their last five night games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Mets have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games as favorites.
• The Nationals have led after 5 innings in four of their last five night games against opponents that held a losing record.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: TBD

Why the New York Mets will win

• The Mets have won each of their last eight night games against the Nationals following a loss.
• The Nationals have lost each of their last eight night games at Nationals Park following a win.
• The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games as home underdogs following a win.
• The Mets have covered the run line in each of their last five night games following a loss.
• The Mets have won the first inning in six of their last eight night games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
• The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in three of their last four night games at Nationals Park against National League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Nationals’ last five games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Each of the Mets’ last four games have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 10 of the Mets’ last 11 night games at Nationals Park.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in seven of the Nationals’ last eight night games against NL East opponents.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

• Keibert Ruiz has hit a home run in two of his last three appearances.
• Keibert Ruiz has recorded at least one hit in seven of his last eight home appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
• Nasim Nunez ranks T1st in the league in Steals (20) this season.

New York Mets Player Prop Facts

• Bo Bichette has hit at least one home run in three of the Mets’ last four 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 (271).
• The Nationals rank 1st in the league for doubles this season (98).
• The Mets rank 30th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.360).
• The Mets rank 28th in the league for on-base percentage this season (.298).

Mets vs Nationals Prediction

The Nationals are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings against the Mets and are 3-1 their last 4 meetings in Washington.  

In this Mets vs Nationals Prediction, the Mets are coming as -125 road favorites. The Mets have been playing good baseball lately and while they are putting a rookie on the bump, I trust him more over the struggling Zack Littell and his 6.10 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. The Mets also have a superior bullpen, as the Nats rank 26th in bullpen ERA and have been killing right-handed pitchers in the past couple of weeks, ranking third in batting average against righties. I expect them to bounce back today, so take the Mets on the moneyline in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: New York Mets ML