The Washington Nationals are looking to complete a sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon, and they’ve won four games in a row to move into the final wild card spot in the National League standings.
Washington is favored at home on Wednesday, even with struggling right-hander Zack Littell (5.32 ERA) on the mound.
Littell has led the Nationals to an 8-6 record in 14 starts this season thanks to Washington sporting the No. 1 scoring offense in MLB.
The Royals will counter with Luinder Avila, who has moved into the rotation after starting the season in the bullpen. He has a 6.19 ERA and was rocked for eight runs in his last start.
Kansas City is 16 games under .500 in the 2026 season, and it has really struggled on the road, going 12-24 straight up. Does that open the door for an easy Washington sweep?
I’m eyeing a player prop and a pick for this series finale on June 17, but first let’s take a look at the latest odds.
Royals vs. Nationals Odds, Run Line and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Run Line
- Royals +1.5 (-172)
- Nationals -1.5 (+142)
Moneyline
- Royals: +113
- Nationals: -136
Total
- 10 (Over -117/Under -103)
Royals vs. Nationals Probable Pitchers
- Kansas City: Luinder Avila (1-3, 6.19 ERA)
- Washington: Zack Littell (6-5, 5.32 ERA)
Royals vs. Nationals How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, June 17
- Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
- Venue: Nationals Park
- How to Watch (TV): Nationals.TV/Royals.TV
- Royals record: 29-45
- Nationals record: 39-35
Royals vs. Nationals Best MLB Prop Bets
Royals Best MLB Prop Bet
- Jac Caglianone to Hit a Home Run (+353)
Earlier today, I shared in SI Betting’s best home run prop picks – Daily Dinger – why Caglianone is worth a bet against Littell:
Kansas City Royals youngster Jac Caglianone has been on fire as of late, hitting .405 over the last two weeks with two home runs and a 1.098 OPS.
He only has eight home runs so far in the 2026 season, but Caglianone is hitting .269 and has been a key cog in the Royals’ lineup.
He’s worth a look against Washington Nationals starter Zack Littell, who has a 5.32 ERA and has allowed 16 home runs in 14 appearances in the 2026 season.
Littell doesn’t have the best bullpen in MLB behind him, either, as Washington’s pen has given up 51 home runs and has a 4.71 ERA.
Royals vs. Nationals Prediction and Pick
Washington is the No. 1 scoring offense in MLB this season, and it ranks third in the league in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), so it isn’t surprising that it has put up 13 runs in two games in this series.
These teams have combined for 10 runs in back-to-back games, and the Nationals are the best OVER team in MLB, hitting it in 66.2 percent of their games. Kansas City has hit the UNDER in over 53 percent of its games, but it has scored seven runs in the two games in this series.
Washington has a shaky bullpen (4.71 ERA), and Littell has been one of the worst starters in MLB this season. He ranks in the third percentile in expected ERA, the fourth percentile in expected BAA, the first percentile in average exit velocity against and the first percentile in whiff percentage.
Littell allowed five runs in 1.2 innings in his last start, so this could be a game where the Kansas City offense gets on track.
Meanwhile, I wouldn’t be shocked if Washington continued its dominant offensive season, as Avila has a 6.19 ERA and has an expected ERA of 4.82. He allowed eight runs in 0.2 innings in his last start.
Pick: OVER 10 (-117 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
