Subscribe
Follow Us
Happy Friday baseball fans and bettors alike! The second-place St. Louis Cardinals visit the Washington Nationals in the nation's capital to begin a three-game set. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Cardinals-Nationals prediction and pick will be revealed.
With stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado back in the lineup for tonight's game, the Cardinals will have plenty of weapons at their disposal. At 52-47, St. Louis remains three games behind the Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central and will look to inch closer with a win on Friday. In line for the start against the ‘Nats, righty Miles Mikolas will put his 7-8 record on the line to go along with a low 2.87 ERA on the year.
The season may be a lost cause at this point with their superstar in Juan Soto most likely on the move in the coming days, these are dark times indeed in Washington D.C. Above all else, the least that the Nationals could do is cover the spread for bettors willing to take a chance on one of the worst teams in the majors to cover the spread. Washington will give the starting nod to RHP Anibal Sanchez, who is seeking his first victory at 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA.
Here are the Cardinals-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Nationals Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (-102)
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-115)
Over: 9 (-105)
Under: 9 (115)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
With the country of Canada being firm in their stance on players being vaccinated against COVID-19, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are finally eligible to suit up for action in the team's return to the U.S. For starters, whenever your two best players aren't available for a few games, it surely brings a different dynamic to a lineup that was still able to squeak out a win and avoid being swept in Toronto. Fortunately, St. Louis won't have to worry about that when they travel to Nationals Park to kick off a weekend series out on the east coast.
Currently halfway through their ten-game road trip with a 2-3 overall record, the Cardinals' biggest strength as a whole has been their impressive balance in all aspects of the game. Whether it's coming up with a timely hit or making a batter swing and miss in the most critical moments of a game, St. Louis can beat you in a multitude of ways. Conversely, the Cardinals have the seventh-best on-base percentage with a .321 mark and are even ranked within the top-ten in batting average at .251. Even more so, St. Louis can twirl it with the best of them by with a combined 3.87 ERA and have even dialed up 34 quality starts from the starting rotation.
Although his best days are well behind him, the legendary slugger that is Albert Pujols has enjoyed an incredible amount of success against Anibal Sanchez in his career. Pujols will certainly be a player to watch as he is 11-28 with a home run against the Nationals' right-handed hurler.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
At 34-66, the glory days of only a few short seasons ago have come and gone. The once proud World Series Champs are now obviously in full rebuild mode and now might be seeing their greatest ever franchise player packing up his bags to play elsewhere by this time next week. Simply put, there have been happier days in Washington D.C.
Regardless, the Nationals are indeed still coming off an impressive outing against the Dodgers that pitted the best team in the NL versus the worst squad in the league. The end result? Washington was able to snag two of three from Los Angeles before ultimately falling short 7-1 on Wednesday.
In order to have a repeat performance against another quality National League squad like the Cardinals, Washington must get out to a fast start and remain level-headed when the game reaches its later stages. With a pretty poor 15-36 home record, the ‘Nats may need to rely heavily on their bullpen which has been not too shabby of late. In six games since returning from the All-Star break, the pen has compiled a 2.70 ERA including a 21 2/3 scoreless inning streak at one point. If this contest is a close one late, Washington may have the surprising advantage with how well the back end has been performing.
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick
Yes, the Nationals have been playing quality ball this week, but one look at the bigger picture says that their success won't be sustained. While manager Dave Martinez is trying to keep the pieces together, the roster just isn't talented enough to cover the spread in this one. Not to mention, but it will be a huge boost for the Cardinals to get their two best players back in the lineup. Hammer the Red Birds to get your weekend started off right!
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (-102)
