Washington Nationals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/26/2026

Game Time: 6:10 pm ET, Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Venue:  Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +119, Guardians -143; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +120, Guardians -140; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Nationals +120, Guardians -140; Over/Under:  8 runs

Washington Nationals:  27-27 (2nd place, NL East)

Cleveland Guardians:  32-23 (1st place, AL Central)

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Washington Nationals:  6-4 last 10

Cleveland Guardians:  8-2 last 10

The Nationals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 27-27 record overall and have a road record of 17-11. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Guardians on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Zack Littell is their starting pitcher on Monday while Cade Cavalli is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 9 SO on 4 hits through 7 IP against the New York Mets.

The Guardians are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 32-23 record overall and have a home record of 15-10. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Nationals on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .693 OPS. Tanner Bibee is their starting pitcher on Monday while Joey Cantillo is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts on 3 hits through 5.2 innings pitched against the Detroit Tigers.

The current betting odds have the Guardians listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Guardians have looked great in their games this season with their 32-23 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 15-10 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Nationals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 27-27 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the NL East. They have been a better road team too with their 17-11 road record this year. The Nationals are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they have looked good lately as they just handed the Braves a series loss, but the Guardians are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling lately too. The Nationals do have a better offense to lean on this series, but they haven't been putting up a ton of runs lately, and the Guardians also have the much better bullpen. The Guardians are going with Cantillo in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA and the team has been having a ton of success with him lately. They have won 5 games in a row now with him as the starter and he is off a start in which he gave up no runs, something that has been a common theme for him this year. The Nationals are going with Cavalli in this one and he hasn't looked bad this year. He is 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA, but the team hasn't had a lot of success with him lately. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has also lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting. The Nationals have the better offense, but the Guardians don't have a bad offense this season and they have a big edge once the bullpens come into play too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Guardians to win this game. 

Nationals Guardians Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, May 26, 2026 (6:10 pm ET start time) is Guardians 3 Nationals 2.

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Washington Nationals: 16-21 (-2.3 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 77-98 (-2.7 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 71-99 (-4.2 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8 to 8.5. 25-12 OVER against AL Central opponents.

Cleveland Guardians: 21-14 (+10 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 217-174 (+40.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 127-71 (+29.2 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 16-9 OVER vs. poor fielding teams - averaging 0.75+ errors/game.

Washington Nationals:  J. Irvin (SP) Day To Day - Undisclosed. M. Kranick (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. K. Waldichuk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. C. Henry (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. J. Gray (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Herz (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Williams (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Cleveland Guardians:  G. Arias (SS) Ten Day IL - Hamstring.

“I think just with the MRI results, it looks like this is something that we caught probably as quickly as we could have. So I’m glad he did say something. I know the competitor he is. He didn’t want to come out of the game, obviously, with a no-hitter going. But I think the fact that he brought it up and didn’t try to pitch through it may have saved him and saved us a little bit.” - Blake Butera on the injury to Jake Irvin.

"Travis has been getting hits regardless of where we put him in the order, but yeah, setting the table like that, you know, did a great job today. Obviously, we'll see where things go moving forward, but definitely some promise there." - Stephen Vogt on Travis Bazzana this season. 

James Wood (L) LF

Curtis Mead (R) 3B

Andrés Chaparro (R) 1B

CJ Abrams (L) SS

Dylan Crews (R) RF

Daylen Lile (L) DH

Jacob Young (R) CF

Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B

Keibert Ruiz (S) C

Travis Bazzana (L) 2B

José Ramírez (S) 3B

Chase DeLauter (L) RF

Rhys Hoskins (R) DH

Kyle Manzardo (L) 1B

Angel Martínez (S) LF

Steven Kwan (L) CF

Patrick Bailey (S) C

Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Batting Average:  CJ Abrams (.289)

Hits:  Daylen Lile (57)

Home Runs:  James Wood (13)

RBI:  CJ Abrams (45)

Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nuñez (22)

Wins:  Foster Griffin (6)

Saves:  Gus Varland (4)

ERA:  Richard Lovelady (1.72)

Batting Average:  Travis Bazzana (.294)

Hits:  Brayan Rocchio (48)

Home Runs:  Angel Martínez (9)

RBI:  Chase DeLauter (30)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (20)

Wins:  Gavin Williams (7)

Saves:  Cade Smith (18)

ERA:  Colin Holderman (1.47)

Managers:

Washington Nationals: Blake Butera (1st season)

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (3rd season)