The Washington Nationals are set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will be televising this NL matchup and the game gets going at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas has placed equal -105 moneyline odds on both of these teams. Bettors can gamble on the game’s total with odds listed at -120 for over 8.5 runs and even money (+100) for under 8.5. Runline odds stand at +140 for picking the Nationals -1.5 runs and -160 for the Cardinals +1.5.
The Nationals are 60-59 SU and have gone 57-61 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 20.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.8 units ATS. Washington’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 64-55 SU and 59-59 ATS. They’ve lost 3.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 2.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have a 55-58-5 over/under record in 2018. Washington has been a strong under bet with a total record of 48-67-3.
Gio Gonzalez will get the nod for the visiting Nationals. The southpaw Gonzalez is 7-8 with a 3.89 ERA and 111 strikeouts. This will be his first outing against St. Louis this year. He did make two starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 1-1 record with a 1.29 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are preparing to start righty John Gant (4-4, 3.89 ERA), who’s got 59 strikeouts and 31 walks, as well as a 1.23 WHIP. Gant did not record a start against the Nationals in 2017.
Washington’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.04 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.87, along with a WHIP of 1.22.
Nationals hitters have slashed .250/.331/.413 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this year, including 4.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Washington’s offensive production has been powered by shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Anthony Rendon, who’ve collectively belted 30 home runs. The speedy Turner is slashing .271/.343/.413 with 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, 73 runs and 32 steals, while Rendon is hitting .292 with 16 homers, 58 RBIs and 55 runs scored.
For the home team, St. Louis’ pitching staff has allowed 4.2 runs per game overall this year. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.48 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.27 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.
The St. Louis hitters have put up 4.6 runs per contest, including 5.7 per game over its last 10 games and 7.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .332/.397/.598 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ hitters have been led by left fielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez. Ozuna is hitting .273/.316/.396 with 13 home runs, 63 RBIs and 48 runs scored, and Martinez’s line sits at .306/.370/.469 with 14 homers, 69 RBIs and 41 runs scored.
The Nationals have lost 4.7 units and are 44-41 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 33 of those games, compared to 50 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 0.5 units and are 17-16 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s cashed in 19 of those games, compared to 14 that went under the total.
Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in just two of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Nationals have lost three of their last four games SU while the Cardinals have taken eight of their last nine.
- Washington fielders have committed zero errors over their last five games, compared to four errors for St. Louis over its last five.
- The Nationals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 16 over their last 10.
