Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 9/16/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals

Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: Nationals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Philadelphia (-122) Washington (+102)

The Philadelphia Phillies (83-67) are hitting the road to Nationals Park on Wednesday where they will take on the Washington Nationals (70-81). The moneyline on this contest has the Phillies at -122 and the Nationals open at +102. The total comes in at 9. The pitchers expected to start will be Zack Wheeler and Cade Cavalli.

The Phillies have tallied 222 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 176 baseballs out of the park. Philadelphia has a slugging rate of .400 and have been called out on strikes 1,238 times, while being walked on 471 occasions. As a team, the Philadelphia Phillies are recording 4.5 runs per game, which puts them at 13th in MLB. They have amassed 655 runs batted in in addition to 1,220 base knocks this season, and their average at the plate comes in at .242. They have notched a total of 675 runs scored while having a team OBP of .312.

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The Phillies have a team earned run average of 4.00 for the year (11th in MLB), and their staff has rung up 1,460 batters. Phillies pitchers have surrendered 178 home runs in addition to 644 runs in total (10th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 450 opposing batters and their FIP is 3.81 as a team for the year. Philadelphia has given up 1,261 base knocks (8.5 per 9 innings) as well as 592 earned runs. They have a K/BB ratio of 3.24 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.28.

The Phillies bullpen have earned a save rate of 62.9% and have come into the game in 133 save situations. They have earned 39 saves so far this season and have missed out on 23 of their 62 chances to save the game. The relievers have inherited 152 runners for the season and 36.2% of them ended up scoring. Phillies relief pitchers have entered the contest with runners on base 112 times in addition to having 151 appearances in high leverage situations. The Phillies have sent 493 relievers to the hill on the season. The relievers have a total of 69 holds so far this year (26th in MLB).

The Phillies have turned 67.9% of balls in play into outs out of their 12,000 innings on the diamond, ranking them 28th in MLB. The Philadelphia Phillies have accumulated 4,000 putouts for the season, in addition to 1,238 assists and 77 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .986 which has them sitting 15th in baseball, and they have turned 95 double plays.

Wheeler has taken the mound for 1,871 frames and is sitting with 1,992 punch outs so far in his pro baseball career. Wheeler (125-80 win-loss record in his career) has earned a FIP of 3.22 and he has gone up against 7,660 opposing batters in the majors. His ERA is 3.27 (680 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.132. He has surrendered 1,584 base hits (7.6 hits per nine innings) with 535 walks.

Washington has a total of 198 HRs for the year as well as 731 RBIs. They have put up 266 doubles, while getting a free base 524 times as well as scoring 772 runs. The Washington Nationals have earned an on-base percentage of .323 in addition to a batting average of .248 on the year. The Nationals hold a team slugging percentage of .426 and they have an average of 5.11 runs per contest (3rd in MLB). They have been rung up on 1,265 occasions (13th in MLB) and are sitting with 1,276 hits.

The Nationals are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.389 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.73 as a squad on the campaign. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 8.00 (1,185 strikeouts vs 556 bases on balls). They come in at 26th in the league as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,302. They have allowed 203 home runs and they surrender 5.17 runs per 9 innings (27th in MLB). The Washington pitching staff have conceded 769 runs on the season while holding a team ERA of 4.74 (704 earned runs yielded).

Sitting with 152 save situations, the Nationals have 71 holds and 39 blown saves. Washington has had relievers step onto the hill in 75 save chances and they have earned 36 saves. Washington bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 42.0% of 243 inherited base runners. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 160 times in high leverage situations and on 155 occasions with runners on base. They sit at 29th in MLB with a save rate of 48.0%, and they have dispatched 473 relief pitchers to the hill so far this year.

In their 12,042 innings played, the Nationals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.5% (16th in professional baseball). The Washington Nationals have gotten 126 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .982 (29th in professional baseball). The Nationals have 1,366 assists, 98 errors and have amassed 4,014 putouts during this campaign.

During his career, Cavalli has surrendered 207 base hits and he has 240 K's in 217 frames. Cavalli (15-7 career mark) is the owner of a 3.60 earned run average while allowing 8.6 hits per 9 innings. He has surrendered 87 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.252 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.6. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.69 and he has faced 929 hitters so far in his career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Washington (+102)

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