For the first time ever, the Washington Nationals will host a National League Championship Game on Monday. The Nats are favored on the MLB odds for Game 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a spectacular pitching matchup. Washington leads the series 2-0.
How to Bet Cardinals vs Nationals 2019 NLCS Game 3 Odds & Game Info
- When: Monday, 7:38 PM ET
- Where: Nationals Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jack Flaherty/Stephen Strasburg
- TV: TBS
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: SiriusXM
- NLCS Game 3 Odds: Washington Nationals -130 (Total 7)
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 20°C/68°F
- Humidity: 46%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 0%
- Wind: 7 mph SSW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on St. Louis?
It’s young ace Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals, who was the best pitcher in all of baseball since the All-Star break with a 0.91 ERA in 99.1 innings. He pitched twice in the NLDS vs. the Braves. He took the loss in Game 2 in Atlanta despite a quality start, allowing three runs on eight hits over seven innings of work. The right-hander punched out eight on the afternoon while issuing just one walk, throwing a season-high 117 pitches in the contest. He was locked in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel with Mike Foltynewicz until the seventh inning.
In Game 5 in Atlanta on Wednesday, Flaherty allowed one run over six innings while allowing four hits and striking out eight. Flaherty was given a 10-run cushion before he even took the mound. Some thought that the Cardinals shouldn’t even have pitched Flaherty at all after that huge top of the first and save him for Game 1 here. Instead, they allowed Flaherty to go 104 pitches. That said, Flaherty will be on full rest for NLCS Game 3 and can make another full-rest start in Game 7, should the series go that long. That lone Braves run came on a Josh Donaldson solo home run in the fourth.
About Flaherty
Cards manager Mike Shildt was asked why the Cardinals left Flaherty in so long. After all, Flaherty is already pushing his workload to levels he never has. Flaherty threw 182 2/3 innings last season between Triple-A and the majors last season. He’s now at 209 between the regular season and the playoffs.
“You know at some point, look, you can’t — we score 10, that’s a really good team over there. So you don’t want to sit there and take it lightly. You want to make sure you bring it home. Hard to start managing for the next series before you win this one. Once he got to the sixth, it was clearly enough,” Shildt said.
Flaherty didn’t face the Nationals during the regular season. Trea Turner is 1-for-3 career off him with a homer. Anthony Rendon 1-for-2 with a double.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.70
- Hits: 8.23
- Walks: 3.44
- Strike Outs: 8.77
Defense
- Runs: 4.05
- Hits: 7.93
- Walks: 3.37
- Strike Outs: 8.67
Why Bet on Washington?
The Nats can all but end this series with a win here as just one team in MLB history has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Will the team have good young outfielder Victor Robles in the lineup? When asked Sunday, Nationals manager Dave Martinez was not willing to say whether he thought Robles would be in the lineup for Game 3. Robles has not played since tweaking his right hamstring in Game 2 of the NLDS. Michael Taylor has been filling in for him in center field.
It’s former No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg on the mound. Strasburg allowed three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts last Wednesday in Game 5 of the NLDS. Strasburg allowed a two-run homer to Max Muncy in the first, and a solo homer to Enrique Hernandez in the second.
Over the next four innings, he was back to his usual dominant self, and the Nationals were able to come from behind in the late innings. He now has a 1.32 postseason ERA in six career games, and has struck out 45 in 34 innings. Strasburg carried a perfect game into the fifth inning and struck out 10 in six innings of one-run ball against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS.
The Cardinals have been held to just four hits through the first two games of the series. They recorded at least seven combined hits in consecutive games throughout the regular season. As a team, St. Louis is hitting .070/.145/.088 with just three walks and 18 strikeouts in 57 at-bats.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.33
- Hits: 8.95
- Walks: 3.61
- Strike Outs: 8.10
Defense
- Runs: 4.43
- Hits: 8.18
- Walks: 3.20
- Strike Outs: 9.42
Cardinals vs Nationals NLCS Game 3 Betting Trends
- Cardinals are 8-3 in Flaherty’s last 11 starts with 4 days of rest
- Nationals are 5-1 in Strasburg’s last 6 Monday starts
- Under is 6-2 in Strasburg’s last 8 starts vs. Cardinals
- Cardinals are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis’ last 6 games against an opponent in the National League
- Nationals are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 8 games
Expert Final Score Prediction for Cardinals vs Nationals
St. Louis Cardinals 2 – Washington Nationals 3
