The St. Louis Cardinals will be taking on the Washington Nationals in a Wednesday showdown. Fox Sports Midwest will be televising this NL matchup and the opening pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals Odds
Washington (-165) is hosting this one as the favorite over St. Louis (+155) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this night game at 7.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total now sit at -125 for the over and +105 for the under. The game’s current runline odds sit at -140 for betting the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +120 for the Nationals -1.5.
The Cardinals have gone 19-10 SU this year and are 18-10 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 7.0 units for moneyline gamblers in the season’s early going and 9.4 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven. The Nationals, on the other hand, are 12-16 SU and 11-16 ATS. The team has lost 8.8 units for moneyline bettors and 6.3 units ATS. Washington has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Washington games have an over/under record of 17-9-1 so far in 2019. St. Louis has also been a decent over bet with a total record of 16-9-3.
Miles Mikolas will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Mikolas is 2-2 with a 5.29 ERA and 19 strikeouts. This is his first outing against Washington this year. He made two starts against the team in 2018, putting together a 1-0 record with a 5.27 ERA and six strikeouts.
The Nationals are putting the ball in the right hand of Max Scherzer (1-3, 4.12 ERA), who’s got 54 punchouts and five walks as well as a 1.12 WHIP. Scherzer only made one start against the Cardinals in 2018 (0-0, 3.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts across seven innings).
As a unit, Washington’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have an ERA of 4.44, a WHIP of 1.26 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.1. The bullpen has a 5.95 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 9.8 K/9.
Washington’s hitters have put up 5.1 runs per outing, including 4.2 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .202/.294/.371 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Outfielders Adam Eaton and Victor Robles have led the Nationals’ offense so far. Eaton is hitting .296/.357/.400 with 34 hits, nine RBIs and 18 runs scored, while Robles has produced a line of .255/.301/.481 with five homers, 12 RBIs, 20 runs and seven steals.
In the visiting dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.17 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.70, along with a K-per-9 of 10.43.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .267/.349/.450 on its way to 5.4 runs scored per game this season, including 5.9 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
St. Louis’ hitters have been led by shortstop Paul DeJong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who have combined to belt 14 home runs. DeJong is hitting .342/.403/.607 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Goldschmidt is slashing .259/.348/.517 with nine homers, 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
The Cardinals have gained 7.0 units and are 15-8 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 14 of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Nationals have lost 4.1 units and are 9-11 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 13 of those games, compared to seven that went under.
Cardinals vs. Nationals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- Both teams have tallied 10 extra-base hits over their last five contests.
- The Cardinals have a total OPS of .799 this season and an OPS of .818 against right-handed pitchers. The Nationals’ OPS sits at .771 overall and .744 versus righties.
- The Cardinals have won nine of their last 10 games SU while the Nationals have dropped five of their last six.
- St. Louis has posted 25.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.2 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Nationals have hit 15 over their last 10.
