John Lackey (11-8, 2.92 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (9-7, 4.11 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (83-46) and the Washington Nationals (66-63) at Busch Stadium. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 31 and can be seen on MAS2 and FSMW.
Lackey pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking one in a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Matt Carpenter (.262, 78 Rs, 20 HRs, 69 RBIs, 3 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Gonzalez went 4.2 innings, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out six and walking two in a 6-5 defeat to the Padres in his last outing. Bryce Harper (.331, 90 Rs, 31 HRs, 77 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
St. Louis is a -140 favorite against Washington and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +2,669 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 70-29. St. Louis is an impressive 6-2 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.2 hits per game so far this season.
Over in the other dugout, Washington is coming in with an overall money line of -1,302 and a disappointing record of 13-23 as the underdog. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the Nationals have the fewest in the NL with only 2.3 walks allowed per game.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 2-1. The Cardinals have an 18-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gonzalez takes the mound. Lackey (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 49-49 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 28-17, while Washington is 32-27.
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 12-11 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 51-14. The Nationals have a 52-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 22nd, St. Louis is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 517 this season. Washington ranks in the top half at 13th with 550.
St. Louis and Washington both rank in the top 10 of the league in walks. St. Louis sits at eighth with 394 this season and Washington ranks sixth with 415.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 54-20, well-matched with the Nationals who are 49-31 when hitting one or more homers.
