New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 5/18/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Mets vs Washington Nationals

Date: Monday, May 18, 2026

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: Nationals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: New York (-128) Washington (+106)

The Washington Nationals (23-23) are hosting the New York Mets (19-26) at Nationals Park on Monday. The moneyline on this matchup has the Mets at -128 while the Nationals are opening at +106. The over/under is 8.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are Christian Scott and Jake Irvin.

New York has a slugging % of .347 and have struck out 341 times, while being walked on 133 occasions. They have accrued 155 runs batted in and 330 base knocks over the course of the season, while their team batting average sits at .225. The Mets have accrued 56 two-baggers as a team and have knocked 37 baseballs out of the stadium. They have tallied 163 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .291. As a team, the New York Mets are compiling 3.7 runs/g, which ranks them 28th in baseball.

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The Mets are sitting with a team earned run average of 3.78 this season (9th in the league), and their staff has struck out 417 batters. Mets pitchers have yielded 38 home runs and also 183 runs in total (11th in MLB). They have walked 155 opposing players and their FIP is 3.53 as a team on the season. New York has conceded 346 base hits (7.9 per 9 innings) as well as 166 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.69 and their pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.27.

The Mets have sent 130 relief pitchers to the mound for the season. The relief pitchers have inherited 58 runners over the course of the season with 39.7% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The relief pitchers have recorded 12 holds on the campaign (29th in the league). Mets bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 44 times as well as having 56 appearances in high leverage situations. They have recorded 6 saves on the season and have blown 5 of their 11 save chances. The Mets bullpen have accumulated a save rate of 54.5% and have entered the game in 23 save situations.

The New York Mets have accounted for 1,185 putouts so far this season, in addition to 358 assists and 22 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .986 which puts them in 18th in MLB, and they have turned 26 double plays. The Mets have transformed 69.4% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 3,555 innings on the field, which has them ranked 22nd in pro baseball.

Scott (0-3 career record) holds a FIP of 4.27 while he has gone up against 267 batters in the major leagues. He has conceded 58 hits (8.4 hits per nine innings) with 21 free passes. His earned run average is 4.33 (30 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.268. Scott has pitched in 62 innings and has earned 59 K's in his career.

The Nationals have a SLG% of .407 and they score 5.31 runs per game (2nd in baseball). They have hit 84 doubles, while taking a walk 165 times and scoring 239 runs. Washington has hit 53 HRs on the campaign and 224 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 383 occasions (11th in MLB) and have earned a total of 371 hits. The Washington Nationals have tallied an OBP of .322 and a team batting average of .241 for the season.

The Washington pitching staff have given up 258 runs so far this year while holding a team ERA of 4.95 (222 earned runs allowed). They have given up 64 dingers and they give up 5.75 runs per 9 innings (30th in MLB). The Nationals hold a team WHIP of 1.433 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.98 as a staff on the season. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 7.70 (345 strikeouts against 177 bases on balls). They are sitting at 28th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 402.

Washington relievers hold an inherited score rate of 44.6% out of their 65 inherited base runners. Their relievers have come in 51 times in high leverage situations and also on 44 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 52 save situations, the Nationals have recorded 24 holds in addition to 12 blown saves. They are currently ranked 27th in baseball with a save percentage of 50.0%, and they have dispatched 149 relievers onto the diamond for the season.

In their 3,636 innings on the diamond, the Nationals have earned a efficiency on defense of 69.2% (23rd in the majors). The Washington Nationals have gotten 31 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .975 (30th in MLB). The Nationals have recorded 414 assists, 42 errors and have earned a total of 1,212 putouts for the year.

Thus far in his career, Irvin has surrendered 528 base knocks while he has accumulated 424 punch outs in 530 innings pitched. He has allowed 296 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.350 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.9. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.26 and he has faced 2,280 hitters so far in his MLB career. Irvin (23-38 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a 5.02 earned run average while conceding 9.0 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York (-128)

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