The St. Louis Cardinals will head east to face the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. The game gets underway 1:05 p.m. ET and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will televise this NL showdown.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed St. Louis (+155) as the underdog to Washington (-165). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at +100 for over 7.5 runs and -120 for under 7.5. Runline odds stand at -140 for betting the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +120 for the Nationals -1.5.
The Cardinals are 76-61 SU and are 72-64 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 5.6 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 7.6 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Nationals, on the other hand, are 68-69 SU and 63-73 ATS. They’ve lost 25.3 units for moneyline bettors and 12.9 units ATS. Washington has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Washington games have had an over/under record of 60-73-3 in 2018. The Cardinals have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 62-68-6.
Jack Flaherty will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Flaherty is 8-6 with a 2.87 ERA and 149 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Nationals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Nationals will turn to righty Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.22 ERA), who has 249 strikeouts and 45 walks to his credit as well as a WHIP of 0.88. Scherzer made two starts against the team in 2017, posting a 1-1 record in 2017, posting a 1-1 record with a 0.69 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
Washington’s pitching staff has given up 4.1 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.99, a WHIP of 1.24 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.8. The bullpen has a 3.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.6 K/9.
The Washington offense is putting up 4.6 runs per contest, including 4.1 per game over its last 10 games and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .249/.314/.396 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Anthony Rendon have led the Nationals’ batters this year. Turner is slashing .271/.337/.410 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, 82 runs and 35 steals, and Rendon’s line sits at .293/.355/.498 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs and 66 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.35 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.10 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.21, along with a K/9 of 8.01.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .250/.325/.412 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this season, including 4.9 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
First baseman Jose Martinez and left fielder Marcell Ozuna continue to lead St. Louis’ offense. Martinez is slashing .310/.370/.470 with 16 home runs, 77 RBIs and 52 runs scored, while Ozuna is slashing .273/.318/.406 with 16 homers, 69 RBIs and 53 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 1.8 units and are 50-47 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 39 of those games, compared to 53 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Nationals have lost 6.7 units and are 49-50 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 43 of those games, compared to 54 which went under the total.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in just two of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- St. Louis has posted 22.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.0 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Nationals have hit nine over their last 10.
