Subscribe
Follow Us
The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their three-game series with the Washington Nationals on Saturday at Nationals Park. Two National League teams collide as we continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Nationals prediction and pick.
Cardinals-Nationals Projected Starters
Andre Pallante vs. Trevor Williams
Andre Pallante (2-2) with a 4.75 ERA
Last Start: Pallante labored in his last outing, lasting just 3 1/3 innings while allowing four earned runs on nine hits while striking out just one and walking four in a no-decision against the New York Mets.
Away Splits: Pallante has struggled on the road, going just 0-2 with a 5.66 ERA in four starts away from Busch Stadium.
Trevor Williams (2-3) with a 5.86 ERA
Last Start: Williams went 5 1/3 innings in his previous outing, allowing four earned runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking two in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Home Splits: Williams has not been good at home, going 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA over three starts at Nationals Park.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Nationals Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+142)
Moneyline: -118
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-172)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 9 (-108)
Under: 9 (-112)
How to Watch Cardinals vs. Nationals
Time: 4:05 PM ET/1:05 PM PT
TV: MASN
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cardinals have meandered around the .500 mark this season and are not having the most consistent results. Notably, their best younger players are emerging, while their older players are almost leaving. Nolan Arenado missed a game recently and could be on the way out shortly. Yet, the Cardinals persevere and will hope to get their offense going. The Cards are still a good-hitting team. They are currently second in batting average. Also, they are seventh in on-base percentage, 13th in runs, 18th in home runs, and 11th in slugging percentage.
Brendan Donovan has been the catalyst for this offense, leading the Cardinals in hits. Meanwhile, Lars Nootbar entered the weekend with five home runs, which led the team. But the Cardinals need more out of these two and others in this lineup.
Pallante will need to find his location and avoid walking so many hitters. Significantly, that was an issue last time around, and he hopes to fix it. When Pallante exits the game, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is 18th in team ERA. Ryan Helsey will likely shut the door down when called upon.
The Cardinals will cover the spread if they can string together some hits and build an early lead. Then, they need Pallante to avoid making critical mistakes down the heart of the plate to hand it over to Helsley.
Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Nationals have struggled in many areas this season. Unfortunately, they just have not been able to get the job done, and are looking for answers. The Nats have been inconsistent at the plate, ranking 17th in batting average and home runs while also being 16th in on-base percentage, 14th in runs, and slugging percentage.
James Wood has emerged as their best player in the lineup, leading the Nationals with hits and home runs. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Lowe is currently second on the Nats in RBIs. But the Nationals need more from the rest of their lineup. Ultimately, the goal is to make Pallante work for his outs and get him into trouble.
Williams has struggled against the Cardinals, going 5-6 with a 4.93 ERA throughout his career. So far, it has not gone well, and he looks to remedy that. When Williams leaves the game, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is the worst in baseball. Despite how bad this bullpen has been as a whole, they have had some pleasant work from closer Kyle Finnegan, who leads the team with 12 saves.
The Nationals will cover the spread if they can batter the baseball and get some runners across the plate. Then, they need a good performance from Williams, and for the bullpen to avoid melting down late in the game.
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick
The Cardinals are 20-18 against the spread, while the Nationals are 19-19. Additionally, the Cards are 7-10 against the spread on the road, while the Nats are 11-8 against the spread at home.
Both teams have struggled often this season. Significantly, I think the starting pitchers will struggle. Moreover, I think there will be a lot of runs. These hitters will come ready to smash the baseball, with at least two leaving the ballpark. Because of that, I can see both teams smash enough runs to smash the over.
Final Cardinals-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Over 9 (-108)
