Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
At 6:45 PM ET, the Cardinals and Nationals will square off in an NL matchup. This one is being played at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, and the Nationals are on a two-game winning streak. The Cardinals are 2nd in the NL Central and have an overall record of 45-41, while the Nationals are 4th in the NL East and are 41-46.
St. Louis is currently favored on the money line, and the over/under line is at 9 runs. BSMW will be televising Friday’s game, and the Cardinals are starting Sonny Gray. The Nationals are starting Patrick Corbin.
Check out BetCoco for Washington Nationals – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Cardinals in their last five road games. They have also gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Nationals have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 1-4 record in their last five home contests.
- Looking back on their last ten games as the favorite, the Cardinals are 6-4 straight-up and 3-7 vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Nationals have a 4-6 record against the runline and a 6-4 straight-up record in their last ten games.
Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Pirates, closing out their series with a 3-2 win. After allowing one run to the Pirates in the 4th inning, the Cardinals responded with a run of their own. St. Louis went on to add another two runs in the 2nd inning.
Andre Pallante put together a good start for the Cardinals, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. St. Louis’s offense was carried by Dylan Carlson, who went 2/3 with a double, run scored, and an RBI.
St. Louis is 45-41 overall and trails the Brewers by six games in the NL Central. The Cardinals are 13-12 against other teams in the NL Central. They will be on the road today, taking on the Nationals, and they are 21-23 on the road this year.
As the road favorite, the Cardinals have gone 7-6 this year, and they are 23-19 when favored overall. St. Louis has won two straight games as the favorite. Their overall series record is 15-11-2, and they took two of three from the Pirates in their most recent series.
When betting the run line, the Cardinals have been a better play as the underdog than as the favorite. St. Louis has covered the run line in 28 of 44 games as the underdog, compared to just 16 of 42 games as the favorite. The Cardinals’ average run margin in winning games is +2.4, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.5.
The St. Louis Cardinals have an over/under record of 38-45 this season, with an average over/under line of 8 runs per game. When the O/U line has been set at 9 runs, their record is 5-5-1. So far this season, only 8.1% of their games have had an over/under line set at 9 runs or higher.
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and comes in with a record of 9-5 and an ERA of 2.98. Looking at his overall numbers, Gray has made 15 starts, seven of which have been quality starts. His ERA at home is 2.11, compared to 4.89 on the road. In his last outing, Gray took the loss, giving up three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. Gray’s WHIP for the season is currently .99, and he is averaging 11.19 strikeouts per nine innings.
St. Louis has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the MLB. Their team batting average of .240 is 14th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in home runs. So far, they have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per game.
Both Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan are batting over .280 for the season and have been two of the Cardinals’ top power threats, with Burleson having 13 homers and Donovan at 8. However, Nolan Gorman is hitting just .189 this season and has gone just 3/19 in his last seven games. Gorman does have 17 homers, which is 9th in the league.
Heading into their last game vs. the Mets, the Nationals closed out the series with a 1-0 win. This was especially big, as they were coming off a 3-2 series loss to the Orioles. Washington was the slight favorite at -106 on the money line. It was a good day for the Nationals offense, as they scored their only run in the 1st inning and then Jake Irvin put together a great start, going eight innings and not giving up a run.
Jesse Winker was hot right out of the gates, going 1/1 with a homer in the 1st inning. The Nationals really didn’t need any more offense, as they went on to win the game 1-0. Washington’s pitching staff was also excellent, as Derek Law closed things out in the 9th, and the Nationals didn’t give up a run.
Washington is 41-46 overall and trails the Phillies by 16 games in the NL East. The Nationals are 4th in the division and have gone 16-12 against other NL East teams. They have won two straight games, and this came after splitting their series vs. the Mets.
At home, the Nationals are 19-21 this year compared to a 22-25 mark on the road. As the underdog, the Nationals are 33-39 this year and 8-7 when favored. Washington’s overall series record is 11-15-2.
Washington has been a solid run line bet this season, going 50-37 overall. They’ve been particularly good on the road, going 28-19 against the run line, and have covered in two straight games at home. The Nationals have been a good bet as the underdog, going 43-29 against the run line in those games.
When the Washington Nationals play at home, the over/under line is set at 9 runs for their games. The Nationals and their opponents have combined to average 8.4 runs per game this season. Washington’s over/under record for the season is 40-43, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the line has been set at 9 runs, their over/under record is 3-6-2. Overall, 69.0% of their games have had over/under lines set below 9 runs.
Left-hander Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Cardinals at home. Corbin has made 17 starts this year and has a record of 1-8 with an ERA of 5.50. Looking at his overall numbers, Corbin has a WHIP of 1.53 and has issued 3.13 walks per nine innings compared to 6.16 strikeouts. He has made four quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing against the Rays, where he gave up four earned runs in six innings of work. Corbin took the loss in that outing.
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, as they are 20th in the league in runs per game and have the 22nd ranked home run total in the league. As a team, they are batting just .235, which is 17th in the MLB. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including Luis Garcia Jr., who is 5/15 in his last five games with two homers.
CJ Abrams has been the Nationals’ top power threat this season, as his 13 homers is the best mark on the team and 13th in the league. He is also leading the team with 43 RBIs. Abrams is batting .279 for the season. Joey Meneses and Jesse Winker are also among the team’s top run producers, with Meneses having three homers and Winker at 10 for the season.
With the Nationals coming in at +155 on the money line, that is the route we recommend going today. We have the Nationals winning this one by a final score of 6-5. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also take a look at the over/under line, which is sitting at 9 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Patrick Corbin finishing with five strikeouts, which is good for fifth-worst among starters. As for Sonny Gray, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which has him coming in at 14th.
Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Cardinals on the moneyline
- The Nationals are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Washington Nationals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Gallo | Out | Hamstring |
| Trevor Williams | Out | Hip Flexor |
| Mason Thompson | Out | Elbow |
| Josiah Gray | Out | Elbow/Forearm |
| Cade Cavalli | Out | Elbow |
| Jose A. Ferrer | Out | Teres Major |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Matz | Out | Back |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Tommy Edman | Out | Wrist |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
| Iván Herrera | Out | Back |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
| Lars Nootbaar | Out | Oblique |
