Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 6/16/26, 3:30 PM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 6/16/26 at 9:35 PM in MLB Picks

These Nationals are competitive, and until now their only weaknesses had been disastrous pitching and their inability to win more games at Nationals Park. However, in this timely three-game winning streak—two against the Mariners and one against the Royals to start the series—they've corrected that. Now the Nationals have an even more respectable 38-35 record and intend to continue winning on Tuesday.

Surprisingly, the Nationals score more runs per game than any other team in MLB, including the Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves. In Game 1 of the series against the Royals, they scored seven runs again; they had an explosive five-run fifth inning in which Crews hit his fourth home run of the season with Luis Garcia and James Wood on base. Wood, the Nationals' right-hander, has certainly had a positive season; he's batting. 281 and has hit 20 home runs, in addition to drawing 51 walks.

The Royals remain mired at the bottom of the division, a particularly painful situation given the high preseason expectations for this Kansas City team. However, their inability to win games on the road has them stuck there; their 2016 road record is 12-23.