New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Picks and Prediction for Wednesday May 20 2026
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The New York Mets travel to face the Washington Nationals on Wednesday May 20, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington, District of Columbia. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 PM ET with television coverage on MLB.TV. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks
Starting Pitchers
The Mets have not announced a starting pitcher for this matchup based on the provided information. Washington is expected to start Zack Littell, who enters the contest with a 2-4 record, a 6.10 ERA, and a 1.50 WHIP across 41.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 47 hits while recording 20 strikeouts and issuing 15 walks with 14 home runs surrendered.
Mets Carrying Offensive Momentum Into Washington
New York enters Wednesday with a 21-26 overall record and a 10-13 road record. The Mets recently won over Washington 16-7 in 12 innings after recently winning over the Yankees by scores of 7-6 in 10 innings and 6-3. New York also recently lost to the Yankees 5-2 but recently won over Detroit 9-4. The Mets have won four of their last five games and continue to produce offense during this stretch.
The Mets are batting .231 as a team with 192 runs scored and 367 hits this season. New York has hit 40 home runs while posting a .298 on-base percentage and a .355 slugging percentage. On the mound, the Mets own a 3.76 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .233 batting average. The pitching staff has issued 176 walks and recorded 449 strikeouts this season.
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One major strength for New York entering this matchup is pitching consistency. The Mets carry the lower ERA, lower WHIP, and better opponent batting average compared to Washington. New York has also recorded 449 strikeouts this season while entering the game with four wins in the last five contests.
Nationals Looking to Recover at Home
Washington enters the contest with a 23-25 overall record and an 8-15 home record. The Nationals recently lost to New York 16-7 in 12 innings after recently losing to Baltimore 7-3. Washington did recently win over Baltimore by scores of 13-3 and 3-2 before recently losing to Cincinnati 15-1. The Nationals have shown offensive potential at times but have struggled to consistently limit opposing offenses.
Washington is batting .245 as a team with 262 runs scored and 405 hits this season. The Nationals have hit 57 home runs while posting a .326 on-base percentage and a .414 slugging percentage. On the mound, Washington owns a 5.04 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP while opponents are batting .260 against the pitching staff. The Nationals have issued 184 walks and recorded 375 strikeouts this season.
One major concern for Washington entering this matchup is pitching reliability. The Nationals have allowed 16 runs in the previous game and currently own a 5.04 team ERA along with a 1.44 WHIP. Washington has also allowed multiple high-scoring performances recently, including 15 runs against Cincinnati and seven more against New York in the series opener.
New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Picks and Prediction
New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Pick
- Pick: New York Mets Moneyline
New York enters this matchup playing stronger baseball overall with four wins in its last five games, including the 16-7 victory over Washington in the series opener. The Mets also hold the stronger pitching profile with a lower ERA, lower WHIP, and better opponent batting average than the Nationals. Washington’s pitching staff has struggled throughout the season and continues allowing high-scoring games consistently. With New York producing offense recently and entering with the stronger pitching numbers, the Mets hold the edge.
New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Total Pick
- Pick: Take the over if the total is set at 9
I would lean toward the over because Washington’s pitching staff has struggled heavily this season and the previous game between these teams produced 23 total runs. The Nationals own a 5.04 ERA while Wednesday’s projected starter enters with a 6.10 ERA and has already allowed 14 home runs. Washington’s offense has still produced solid overall numbers this season with 262 runs scored and 57 home runs, which should help contribute offensively in this matchup. With both teams capable of scoring, another high-scoring game is possible.
Final Score Prediction: New York Mets 8 – Washington Nationals 5
This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Tuesday.
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