In the first of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (6-7) and the St. Louis Cardinals (6-7) at Nationals Park, Gio Gonzalez (1-1, 5.11 ERA) and Lance Lynn (1-1, 1.64 ERA) get the start. The Cardinals enter this series looking to continue a five-game winning streak. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and will air on FSN-MW, MASN and MLB Network.
In his most recent outing, Gonzalez pitched 6.0 innings, giving up four runs (one unearned), striking out six and walking two in a 10-5 victory over the Red Sox. Ian Desmond (.314, 8 Rs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs) played well again Sunday, going 2 for 4 with two runs and one RBI. In his career against the Nationals, Lynn is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He gets a less-than-stellar Washington offense that’s batting just .226. Matt Carpenter (.400, 10 Rs, 2 HRs, 10 RBIs) has been doing well to start the season for the Cardinals, going 2 for 3 Sunday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington, a -120 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against St. Louis. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Nationals are 5-5 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -311. The Nationals typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.1 walks per home game.
Moving on to the away team, the Cardinals come into this game with a solid win percentage of .667 when playing as the underdog (2-1) and an overall money line of +418. They have the lowest road ERA in the NL at 2.40. They have a WHIP of 1.03, third best in the MLB. The St. Louis pitching staff has been an intimidating group on the road this year, averaging 9.8 strikeouts per game.
The Nationals will take on a right-hander (Lynn) in this game and have a 4-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 3-2, while Washington is 4-6.
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 5-0 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Nationals are 0-6. The Cardinals have a 2-0 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th when it comes to home runs, hitting six this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 14.
Ranking 10th, Washington is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 7.62 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.36.
Washington and St. Louis both rank in the bottom half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Washington sits at 18th with an OPS of .679 and St. Louis ranks 17th with an OPS of .683.
The Cardinals are 4-1 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 2-2 when they allow at least one homer.
