St. Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 4/8/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: Nationals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (-275) Washington (+220)

The St. Louis Cardinals (5-5) are on their way to Nationals Park on Wednesday where they will attempt to beat the Washington Nationals (4-6). The moneyline on this matchup has St. Louis at -275 and Washington is at +220. The over/under comes in at 8.5. The men taking the mound are Michael McGreevy and Miles Mikolas.

The Cardinals have accounted for 13 two-baggers as a unit and have smacked 10 balls out of the stadium. St. Louis is slugging .353 and have struck out 82 times, while taking a walk on 36 occasions. As a squad, the St. Louis Cardinals are scoring 4.6 runs per contest, which puts them at 10th in the league. They have earned 45 runs batted in and 73 base knocks this year, and their team batting average is .222. They have a total of 46 runs while having a team OBP of .305.

Get all of our MLB Expert Picks

The Cardinals have an ERA of 5.40 this year (26th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 59 hitters. Cardinals pitchers have surrendered 11 home runs in addition to 55 total runs (25th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 48 opposing hitters and their FIP comes in at 5.15 as a unit so far this year. St. Louis has surrendered 99 base hits (9.9 per 9 innings) and 54 earned runs. Their K/BB ratio is 1.23 and their pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.63.

They have compiled 3 saves on the year and have missed out on 2 of 5 chances to save the game. The relievers have inherited 26 base runners this year with 42.3% of them ended up crossing the plate. Cardinals bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 16 times in addition to having 16 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cardinals have sent 41 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season. The relief pitchers have recorded 9 holds on the season (5th in baseball).

The Cardinals have transformed 68.6% of baseballs in play into outs in their 810 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting at 19th in professional baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have a total of 270 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 94 assists and 5 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .986 which puts them in 15th in MLB, and have a total of 7 double plays.

McGreevy has taken the hill for 128 innings and has earned 85 K's thus far in his career. McGreevy (11-5 career mark) sits with a FIP of 3.80 while going up against 527 opposing batters in the majors. His earned run average is 3.86 (55 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.145. He has allowed 123 base knocks (8.6 hits per nine innings) with 24 walks.

The Washington Nationals have compiled a team OBP of .352 as well as a team batting average of .277 on the year. They have struck out on 84 occasions (20th in the league) and have tallied 99 base knocks. Washington is sitting with 14 home runs on the year as well as 60 RBIs. The Nationals hold a team SLG% of .457 and they average 6.40 runs per contest (4th in the league). They have 18 two-baggers, while taking a walk 39 times and scoring 64 runs.

The Washington pitching staff have conceded 65 runs over the course of the season and come in with a team ERA of 6.24 (61 earned runs surrendered). They have conceded 21 dingers and they allow 6.65 runs per 9 innings (30th in MLB). The Nationals hold a team WHIP of 1.625 in addition to having a FIP of 6.21 as a team this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 7.70 (75 strikeouts against 43 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 30th in the league as a staff in total hits conceded with 100.

They rank 28th in baseball with a save rate of 25.0%, and they have sent 33 bullpen pitchers to the mound for the year. Their relief pitchers have come in 4 times in high leverage situations and on 9 occasions with base runners. With 12 save situations, the Nationals have amassed 5 holds in addition to 3 blown saves. Washington has had bullpen pitchers enter the game in 4 save chances and they have come away with 1 save. Washington relievers hold an inherited score rate of 43.8% of 16 inherited base runners.

The Washington Nationals have gotten 7 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .973 (28th in baseball). The Nationals have recorded 90 assists, 10 errors and are sitting with 264 putouts this year. In their 792 innings played, the Nationals are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 67.6% (24th in MLB).

During his MLB career, Mikolas has surrendered 1,294 base knocks and he has 903 punch outs in 1,261 frames. He has given up 605 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.224 and a FIP of 4.3. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.61 and he has gone up against 5,268 opposing hitters during his pro baseball career. Mikolas (72-77 career win-loss mark) has earned a 4.32 ERA while giving up 9.2 hits per nine innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (-275)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get MLB picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.