Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Predictions for Sunday, April 13, 2026

By: Cameron Ross Published 04/13/2026, 12:20 AM ET

Nationals vs Pirates Game Information

The Washington Nationals stay on the road Monday night with game one of four in Pittsburgh, PA, inside PNC Park at 6:40 PM against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Washington has seven wins and eight losses thus far this season, running a three-game winning streak into this series. The Pittsburgh Pirates returned home Monday with nine wins and six losses on the year, having won three of the Last five following a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday to end the two-game winning streak. Stay in the news with our MLB Picks.

Nationals Preview

Offensively, Washington has been solid this season with a .269 team batting average. The nationals scored 81 runs on 132 hits this season. Washington.344 OBP and a .426 team slugging percentage. Washington’s pitching has been bad, with a 5.47 team ERA, but the team has allowed only 10 runs during its current three-game winning streak. James Wood supplies the power for the Washington offense, leading the team with five home runs this season. CJ Abrams leads the team with a .321 batting average and sixteen RBI's this year.

Pirates Preview

The Pittsburgh offense has been solid enough this season with a .240 batting average. The Pirates have scored sixty runs on 114 hits thus far this season. The Pittsburgh pitching has been the team's biggest strength with a 3.02 team ERA. O'Neill Cruz is leading the Pittsburgh offense this season with a .339 hitting average and five home runs this season. Ryan O’Hearn has a .319 batting average to go along with the team-leading twelve RBI's.

Nationals vs Pirates Pitching Matchup

Cade Cavali will get the start for the Washington Nationals on Monday, carrying a 2.51 ERA across 14.1 innings of work. Paul Skeness will be on the bump for Pittsburgh in this matchup. Skeins has struggled to start the year with two wins and one loss alongside a 5.25 ERA through only 12 innings of action.

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Nationals vs Pirates Pick

Pittsburgh is having a much better season coming into this matchup and will have the superior arm on the mound. Look for Pittsburgh to continue its winning ways Monday night as they stifle a red-hot Washington team. Take the Pirates to do the job on both sides of the plate to get a win to begin this new series. The Pittsburgh Pirates will get the win at home Monday night in game one against the Washington Nationals.

Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5
Secondary: Over 7.5
Lean: Oneil Cruz Over 1.5 basses

Final Score Prediction: Pittsburgh Pirates win 7-1.