Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction 9/18/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals meet Friday in MLB action at Busch Stadium. Here’s a Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction. This article will include a Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Pick.

Washington Nationals Betting Preview 

The Washington Nationals are 71-82 on the year and play the Tigers and Mets next. The Washington Nationals are batting .247 on the season and have a .323 OBP and a .426 slugging percentage. The Washington Nationals’ pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. CJ Abrams leads the Washington Nationals with 144 hits and 96 RBI, while James Wood and Daylen Lile have combined for 270 hits and 160 RBI.

Cade Cavalli gets the ball for the Washington Nationals, and he is 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA and 194 strikeouts this season. This will be Cavalli’s second career game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview 

The St. Louis Cardinals are 75-78 this year and play the Brewers and Pirates next. The St. Louis Cardinals are batting .242 on the season, with a .316 OBP and a .382 slugging percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff has a 4.28 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Alec Burleson leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 164 hits and 111 RBI, while Jordan Walker and Ivan Herrera have combined for 298 hits and 165 RBI.

Kyle Leahy gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 10-4 with a 3.33 ERA and 128 strikeouts this season. Leahy is 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA and 1 strikeout in his career against the Washington Nationals.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Nationals have lost each of their last 10 road games.
• The Cardinals have won each of their last four games against the Nationals following a loss.
• The Cardinals have covered the run line in six of their last seven home games following a home loss.
• The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in five of their last six games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have led after 3 innings in each of their last three games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have led after 5 innings in seven of their last eight Friday games against opponents that held a losing record.

Why the Washington Nationals will win

• The Nationals have won each of their last seven road games against NL Central opponents following a loss.
• The Cardinals have lost each of their last seven Friday night games as home favorites against NL East opponents.
• The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last seven road games against NL Central opponents following a loss.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last 10 games as favorites against NL opponents.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four home games.
• The Nationals have led after 5 innings in three of their last four night games against the Cardinals.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Cardinals’ last five games as favorites against NL East opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Six of the Nationals’ last seven night games against NL Central opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• There has been at least one run scored in the first inning in each of the last four night games between the Nationals and Cardinals.
• There has been at least one run scored in the first inning in four of the Nationals’ last five games.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

• Kyle Leahy has recorded three or more strikeouts in each of his last nine appearances with the Cardinals as favorites.
• Jordan Walker has recorded at least one hit in each of his last eight appearances with the Cardinals as favorites against NL East opponents.
• Alec Burleson has hit a home run in each of the Cardinals’ last three games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

• Cade Cavalli has recorded seven or more strikeouts in eight of his last nine appearances in night games.
• Daylen Lile has recorded at least one hit in each of the Nationals’ last seven games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• Cade Cavalli has recorded a win in each of his last four road appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
• Daylen Lile has hit a home run in three of the Nationals’ last four games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
• Cade Cavalli ranks T9th in the league for total Strikeouts (194) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cardinals rank 26th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.254).
• The Cardinals rank 25th in the league for doubles this season (221).
• The Nationals rank 3rd in the league for runs scored this season (778).
• The Nationals rank 3rd in the league for RBIs this season (737).

Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction

Neither team has anything to play for heading into the last week of the season, but the Nationals continue to play hard and have cashed us some nice tickets. Cavalli has been a bright spot for the Nats with a 3.12 ERA and 1.117 WHIP, and he’s allowed 7 hits and 4 runs in his last 16 innings. We’re getting the slightly more favorable price with the Nationals. I’ll take it.

Randy Chambers's Pick: Washington Nationals