Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/14/26

Monday’s matchup between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates was an offensive showcase, combining for 21 total runs with Pittsburgh winning 16-5. Cade Cavalli couldn’t find command of the zone and the bullpen struggled behind him as well for Washington. Miles Mikolas is the scheduled starter for Washington in Tuesday’s matchup as the veteran right-hander looks to make his 4th start of the season. His first 3 outings have combined for 12.1 innings with 5 home runs, 7 walks, and 17 earned runs allowed in that span. Washington is 0-3 in Mikolas starts and they have lost each of those 3 games by at least 5 runs or more. Active Pirate batters have 105 combined plate appearances against Mikolas entering Tuesday with a .303 AVG and .875 OPS.

Mitch Keller has been outstanding to begin his season for the Pirates. The right-hander is the veteran presence in this starting rotation, and he has hit the ground running with 3 straight strong starts to open 2026. Keller has tossed 6 innings in each of his first 3 starts while doing so on an average of just 80 pitches per start. He shut down the Mets and Padres with scoreless outings, and he allowed just 2 earned runs to Baltimore in that outing. Washington has been productive offensively to start the season, but Pittsburgh holds the edge in both starting pitching and bullpen.

Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates prediction: Pirates -1.5 (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable at +110 odds.