These are two teams with very opposite expectations for the 2026 season. That said, only two games separates the Nationals and the Brewers as they start the month of May. Washington even comes into Friday’s action on a two-game winning streak — though everyone is beating the Mets at the moment.

Can the Nationals make it three in a row at home? Let’s preview this National League tilt and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Brewers vs. Nationals prediction, preview

Don’t let his 1-2 record fool you. Jacob Misiorowski has been a revelation so far in 2026 for the Brewers. Inconsistency plagued the right-hander in his first taste of MLB action in 2025 — despite making the All-Star Game. However, things have been much more smooth to begin his sophomore campaign. Not only does Misiorowski lead all qualified pitchers with a 37.2% strikeout rate, he’s also cut his walk rate down to 9.5% and he’s yet to allow more than three earned runs in a single outing. The statistical result of all that? How about a 3.31 ERA and an NL-best 2.63 SIERA? Not too shabby. If Misiorowski can continue to harness his control at even a league-average level, his 99th percentile average fastball velocity (99.1) will take care of the rest.

On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find a very different archetype in Jake Irvin. I wouldn’t say that Irvin has been “good” so far this season, though he’s certainly been better than he was in 2025. Granted, that’s a pretty low bar. Last year, Irvin registered both the highest ERA of any qualified pitcher (5.70) and he allowed the most home runs (38). Funny how those two stats seem to go hand-in-hand. The largest difference for the RHP so far in 2026 has been his ability to induce whiffs, though I’d be lying if I said I understood how it was happening. Irvin’s gone from a sixth percentile strikeout rate last season (15.8%) to a 74th percentile strikeout rate through six starts (26.4%). However, the 29-year-old hasn’t seen a massive uptick in velocity. Nor has he altered his pitch mix all that significantly. Heck, Irvin’s actually giving up a higher marks in opponent barrel rate (12.5%) and hard hit rate (51.2%) than he did in 2025. This all feels like a small sample house of cards that’s going to come crashing down quite soon.

But will it come down tonight? Thanks primarily to injuries to Christian Yelich (groin), Jackson Chourio (hand) and Andrew Vaughn (hand), the Brewers come into Friday in possession of an underwhelming 99 wRC+ and sitting 28th in MLB in home runs (22). Milwaukee also sports the worst expected batting average of any team in the National League (.234). Heck, in the past two weeks, the Brewers have a league-low .096 ISO, as they’ve managed only four long balls — that’s almost half as many as any other club in that span. Regression is on the horizon for Irvin, yet he may be catching Milwaukee at exactly the right time.

Brewers at Nationals pick, best bet

Best Bet: Under 8 (-115)

Even with my distrust of Irvin, the Brewers’ lineup has underwhelmed across the past 14 days — a span where the Nationals also boast just an 86 wRC+. If Irvin can keep Milwaukee to two or three runs, Misiorowski will do the rest.

Strong Lean: Jacob Misiorowski 7+ Strikeouts (-126)

Misiorowski leads the league in strikeout rate (37.2%). He’s gone over this prop in five of his six starts. Meanwhile, the Nationals own fourth-highest strikeout rate in MLB across the past two weeks (25.0%).