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Two teams on different sides of the spectrum ahead of the MLB trade deadline will go head-to-head on Saturday as the St. Louis Cardinals square off with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. It is about that time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Cardinals-Nationals prediction and pick will be unveiled.
Expected to be active shoppers in the trading market of what the MLB trade deadline has to offer, the Cardinals have put themselves in a good position with just over 60 games remaining in the regular season. Right on the heels of the Brewers in the NL Central, St. Louis will call upon right-hander Dakota Hudson with his even 6-6 record and 4.10 ERA to get the job done in game two of this series.
With swirling trade rumors surrounding their generational star ahead of the deadline, Washington must stay focused to down the Cardinals in front of their home fans. At 34-67, the Nationals have only won 15 games at home and have lost 19 of their previous 24 games overall. Washington will look for an encouraging start from RHP Erick Fedde, who is 5-7 on the year with a 4.95 ERA.
Here are the Cardinals-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Nationals Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+106)
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-128)
Over: 10 (-104)
Under: 10 (-118)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
After a short absence from Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt in a series versus the Blue Jays earlier in the week, their presence even within the clubhouse is inspiring whether or not they have a productive day at the plate. In yesterday's case, it was some other Cardinals regulars that carried the load.
Alas, it was second-baseman Nolan Gorman that homered for the second consecutive day during his 2-4 outing at the plate. Without a doubt, the St. Louis middle infielder is starting to heat up with the bat after struggling for a majority of play in June. While the Cardinals got some much-needed firepower from contributors like Gorman on Friday, the biggest reason that they will cover against the ‘Nats will come in the form of a different Nolan. Introducing Mr. Arenado, who is 3-7 with a home run against Erick Fedde. On the season, Arenado has had another fantastic campaign with a .293 average, 18 home runs, and 59 RBIs.
In addition, the Cardinals aren't your typical one-trick pony. While absolutely tattooing the baseball may be their best quality, don't sleep on the pitching arms that reside within this clubhouse. As a whole, St. Louis has the tenth-best ERA in the majors at 3.85 and has also combined for 35 quality starts from the pitching rotation.
Since landing on the injured list with a neck strain on July 15th, Dakota Hudson will be more than eager to make his return on Saturday for the Red Birds. The Tennessee native is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in six career games versus Washington.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
As for the Nationals, the 2022 season has been nothing short of a nightmare. While preseason expectations weren't high, their franchise player in OF Juan Soto has declined a contract extension with the team in the last couple of weeks, thus signaling his desire to play elsewhere in the coming years. Even if the ‘Nats can grab an absolute haul for Soto if they end up moving him, it will still take a few years for the Nationals to become postseason worthy again if they rebuild correctly.
Regardless, all the Nationals can do is take it one game at a time. While not a whole lot of winning has taken place for them this season, they are more than capable of covering the spread at home against St. Louis. It will all start with the offensive approach at the plate. In their previous two games against the ‘Cards and Dodgers, the Nationals failed to muster up any offense by generating only two runs in 18 innings of play. With a more patient approach to running up the pitch count, it will be vital for Washington to get on the board early and often.
Pitching-wise, the Nationals have been just as bad. In fact, not many teams have been much worse from the mound. Ranked 29th in team ERA and dead-last in quality starts, Washington starters have had a hard time giving the team long enough outings which have completely decimated the bullpen. Even so, the ‘Nats will be heavily relying on Erick Fedde to lead them to victory. Fedde has the arsenal to take care of business, as crazier things have certainly happened in the wild game of baseball.
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick
Similar to other disappointing teams in the league, the Nationals will still find a way to win games down the stretch. However, this is still a tough draw for Washington. With St. Louis' playing for postseason positioning in each game they play, it is hard to imagine that the Cardinals won't find a way to get the job done and cover the spread in the process.
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+106)
