The streaking St. Louis Cardinals will look to extend their winning ways ate the expense of the reeling Washington Nationals when they look to complete a four-game sweep of the Nats on Thursday night, live from Nationals Park in the nation’s capitol. let’s find out if St. Louis is the pick or whether Washington can snap out of their discouraging funk.
Cardinals vs Nationals MLB Betting Lines, Game Analysis & Prediction
Going for our 6th straight win and a sweep!
⚾️ https://t.co/1gyfVPsduz pic.twitter.com/ymZvsJZ0Zy — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 2, 2019
- When: Thursday May 2, 2019, 4:05 PM ET
- Where: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
- TV: FS-Midwest, MASN
- Radio: St. Louis / Washington
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Washington -161 / St. Louis +140 / Total: 8.5
- Cardinals RH Dakota Hudson (2-1, 5.63 ERA)
- Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.82)
Why Bet On St. Louis?
The Cardinals beat Washington 6-3 in the opener of this four-game set on Monday. The Cardinals then got past Washington 3-2 on Tuesday and 5-1 on Wednesday. Jose Martinez had two hits to boost his batting average to a robust .375 while driving in two and scoring the game’s final run in the eighth inning. St. Louis will hand the ball to right-hander Dakota Hudson who is seeking his third straight victory. Hudson overcame three solo homers and seven hits to lead St. Louis to a 6-3 win over Cincinnati in his last start, though it should be known that he’s given up a dozen earned runs over his last three starts, including allowing Milwaukee to put six on the board on April 15.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs/G: 5.43
- BA: .268
- OPS: .796
- HR: 40
- SB: 16
- ERA: 4.11
- WHIP: 1.28
- Ks: .268
- Quality Starts: 11
- Errors: 16
Why Bet On Washington?
The Nationals have lost three straight and six of their last seven games overall while scoring three runs or less in five of those losses.
Washington has been outscored 14-6 in the first three games of this series. Howie Kendrick went 3 for 4 and Victor Robles had two hits as well on Wednesday, but the Nationals never threatened. Now, the Nats will hand the ball to right-hander Stephen Strasburg and he’s been in fine form recently. The once, highly-touted phenom limited San Diego to a pair of runs on four hits in 7.0 innings of an 8-3 win the last time he took the mound. Prior to that, Strasburg tossed eight shutout innings against Miami while giving up just two hits.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs/G: 4.97
- BA: .251
- OPS: .761
- HR: 43
- SB: 20
- ERA: 4.95
- WHIP: 1.36
- Ks: .288
- Quality Starts: 14
- Errors: 18
Cardinals vs Nationals MLB Betting Trends
- St. Louis is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games.
- The total went OVER in 8 of St. Louis’ last 11 games against an opponent in the National League East division.
- Washington is 1-6 SU in the last 7 games.
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games against an opponent in the National League Central division.
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Cardinals vs Nationals
I know St. Louis is the better team in this matchup and that Washington has struggled out of the gate, but for me, the way Stephen Strasburg has thrown the ball in his last two starts makes Washington the pick to get the narrow in in this one. The Nationals have gone a near-perfect 15-1 in Strasburg’s last 16 starts during game 4 of a series. Washington is also 14-3 in Strasburg’s last 17 starts against teams from the NL Central and 29-13 in Strasburg’s last 42 starts following a team loss in their previous game. I know St. Louis is on fire and that the Cards have gone 4-0 in their last four road games, but I like the value that Washington is offering in this one because of the still-gifted Stephen Strasburg.
MLB Betting Pick: Washington 4 St. Louis 3
