The Washington Nationals host the Kansas City Royals on June 17, 2026. First pitch from Nationals Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on NATS.
The Nationals are favored by -125 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Royals are +105 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 10 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Royals vs Nationals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Royals vs Nationals Prediction
Royals vs Nationals Picks:
- CJ Abrams Over 1.5 Total Bases (-105)
- CJ Abrams Home Run (+470)
Royals vs Nationals Odds
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +164 | 10 -108o / -112u | +102 |
| Nationals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -200 | 10 -108o / -112u | -120 |
Royals vs Nationals Probable Pitchers
| Luinder Avila (RHP, KCR) | Stat | Zack Littell (RHP, WSN) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | W-L | 6-5 |
| -0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.6 |
| 6.19 / 4.82 | ERA / xERA | 5.32 / 6.37 |
| 5.04 / 5.03 | FIP / xFIP | 6.11 / 5.36 |
| 4.2% | K-BB% | 6.3% |
| 46.8% | GB% | 34.1% |
| .356 | BABIP | .248 |
| 103 | Stuff+ | 83 |
| 89 | Location+ | 98 |
Royals vs Nationals MLB Betting Preview
The Nationals will host the Royals on Wednesday afternoon in the last of a three-game homestand at Nationals Park.
Right-hander Zack Littell will take the mound for the Nationals, while the Royals will trot out 24-year-old righty Luinder Avila in a pitching matchup that could deliver a ton of offense given the two’s struggles on the mound this season.
Despite starting the season as a reliever out of the Royals’ bullpen, Avila has made four consecutive starts for Kansas City.
While the Venezuelan allowed five earned runs across his first 14 frames as a starter, he got absolutely rocked in his last time out, having surrendered eight runs to the Astros in less than an inning on the mound.
The 24-year-old’s last appearance was one of several horrific outings that have largely inflated his pitching metrics across the board, with Avila now having recorded a 6.19 ERA and 1.80 WHIP on the season thus far.
Like Avila, Littell has also had a rather troublesome start to his 2026 season, with the right-hander having recorded a 5.32 ERA mark across 66 innings of work with an extremely low strikeout rate as well.
While Littell has been far from reliable in 2026, he has an impressive history against this Royals lineup, which makes me favor targeting some Nationals player prop markets.
Royals vs Nationals Pick, Betting Analysis
For my first betting angle ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s contest, I will be looking to back Nationals’ shortstop CJ Abrams to have a massive day at the plate.
The former reliever is renowned for an impressive off-speed arsenal featuring a high-spin curveball and an effective sinker, but has struggled mightily with command and with left-handed batters, allowing higher on-base percentages and higher hard-hit rates.
Abrams is having himself a breakout 2026 campaign with the Nationals, ranking fourth in all of baseball at 24 with 53 RBIs on the season.
Washington’s young superstar feasts on right-handed pitching and excels at squaring up fastballs and breaking pitches over the plate.
That said, I favor backing Abrams to exceed his 1.5 HRR (Hits + Runs + RBIs) mark in a game I expect the basepaths to be frequently occupied.
Given Avila’s susceptibility to damage from left-handed hitters, I am willing to take a shot on the Nats’ youngster to crush a homer on Wednesday afternoon as well.
Picks:
- CJ Abrams Over 1.5 Total Bases (-105)
- CJ Abrams Home Run (+470)
