St. Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 9/20/26, 10:51 AM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 9/26/26 at 8:56 AM in MLB Picks

The St. Louis Cardinals (75-80, 37-43 Home) will try to get back on the right side of the scoreboard and avoid a series sweep when they host the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium today. Game time for this NL battle is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EST.

St. Louis didn’t put up much of a fight in the series opener on Friday, losing 9-1. They took the Nats to extra innings yesterday but still lost 8-5 in 11 innings.

While our sample size for Cardinals starter Quinn Mathews is small, I’d still have to say advantage St. Louis on the mound. Mathews has gone 2-3 in seven starts with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Teams have hit .254 against him. But he has been lights out at home, where he is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA and a .209 OBA.

Washington is expected to give Jake Irvin the ball to start the day. Irvin is 2-9 in 20 appearances (19 starts) with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Teams have hit .245 against him. But he has been better on the road, where he is 2-5 with a 4.76 ERA and a .213 OBA.