Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Saturday, September 19, 2026
The Washington Nationals visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium, with the opening pitch scheduled for 7:15 PM ET on MLB.TV. Washington is 71-82, fourth in the NL East, 18 games behind Atlanta, and has been eliminated from postseason contention with nine games remaining. The Nationals had won four straight before a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. St. Louis is 75-78, fourth in the NL Central, 20.5 games behind Milwaukee, and 8.5 games behind the third and final NL Wild Card position with nine games remaining. The Cardinals have lost two straight after a 6-5 extra-inning loss to San Francisco. Saturday’s matchup is covered with our free MLB picks.
Washington Nationals
Washington is batting .247 with a .323 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage, scoring 778 runs with 200 home runs. CJ Abrams has 30 home runs, 96 RBI and 29 stolen bases while batting .264. James Wood is also at 30 homers and is hitting .265 with a .391 on-base percentage and .518 slugging percentage. Daylen Lile has added 21 home runs and 85 RBI, while Luis Garcia Jr. has 23 homers and 76 RBI. The Nationals have enough power to challenge a Cardinals staff that has allowed a .254 opponent batting average.
Washington’s pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA and 1.39 WHIP while allowing opponents to bat .253. The Nationals have given up 204 home runs and issued 572 walks, with the staff recording 1,197 strikeouts. The defense has also had problems, committing 98 errors with a .982 fielding percentage. That combination puts additional pressure on an offense that has scored 778 runs. Washington enters Saturday having allowed five runs or fewer in each of its last five games.
Injuries: SP DJ Herz, RP PJ Poulin, SP Connelly Early and SP Josiah Gray are on the 60-day IL. RP Orlando Ribalta is on the 15-day IL.
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St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is batting .242 with a .316 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage, scoring 693 runs with 158 home runs. Alec Burleson leads the Cardinals with a .284 average and 111 RBI while adding 23 home runs. Jordan Walker has a team-high 28 homers with 100 RBI and a .278 average. Ivan Herrera has a .355 on-base percentage, while JJ Wetherholt has contributed 17 home runs, 48 RBI and 14 stolen bases. St. Louis has less season-long power than Washington but has two hitters with at least 100 RBI.
The Cardinals have a 4.28 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while opponents are batting .254. St. Louis has allowed 152 home runs, considerably fewer than Washington’s staff, and has recorded 1,216 strikeouts against 532 walks. The Cardinals have also played cleaner defense, posting a .988 fielding percentage with 68 errors. St. Louis has allowed 25 runs across its last five games, including 16 over the past two losses to San Francisco.
Injuries: LF Joshua Baez is day-to-day. RF Everson Pereira and 3B Blaze Jordan are on the 10-day IL, SP Hunter Dobbins is on the 15-day IL, and RP Max Rajcic is on the 60-day IL.
Pitching Matchup
Washington Nationals - Andrew Alvarez
Alvarez is 2-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 102 innings. The left-hander has allowed 83 hits and five home runs while recording 99 strikeouts and 47 walks.
St. Louis Cardinals - Michael McGreevy
McGreevy is 7-9 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 160 innings. The right-hander has allowed 154 hits and 20 home runs while recording 112 strikeouts and 45 walks.
Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Washington has the stronger offensive numbers, including 85 more runs and 42 more home runs, while Alvarez enters with the better ERA in Saturday’s starting matchup. St. Louis has advantages in overall pitching and defense, with a lower team ERA, fewer home runs allowed, and 30 fewer errors. The Cardinals will get enough production from Burleson and Walker to capitalize once the game reaches Washington’s bullpen. McGreevy will limit the early damage, and the cleaner St. Louis defense will also matter in a close game at Busch Stadium. Final Score Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals win, 5-3.
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