Max Scherzer (1-1, 0.83 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (7-8) go up against Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.35 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (9-4) in the last of a three-game series at Nationals Park. The Cardinals won the last game 7-5 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game starts at 4:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 23 and will air on FSN-MW, MASN and MLB Network.
Scherzer has a 4.50 ERA and a 0-1 record in his career against the Cardinals, and is up against a strong St. Louis offense that’s hitting .263 on the year. Michael Taylor (.271, 3 Rs, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run. In his career against the Nationals, Wacha is 1-1 with a 0.57 ERA. He gets a less-than-stellar Washington offense that’s batting just .226. Matt Carpenter (.377, 12 Rs, 3 HRs, 11 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington is a -151 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. When playing as the favorite, the Nationals have a 6-5 record and overall money line at -311. They are 5-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. Washington has averaged 5.1 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 4.0. The Nationals typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.3 walks per home game.
Moving on to the away team, the Cardinals come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the underdog (2-2) and an overall money line of +418. St. Louis is one of the top hitting teams in the NL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. The Cardinals are a problem for opposing batters, sporting an NL-low 2.69 ERA on the road this season. They have a WHIP of 1.07 on the year, good for tops in the league. The St. Louis pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.
The Nationals will take on a right-hander (Wacha) in this game and have a 5-7 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Cardinals will be the right-hander Scherzer. They sport an 8-3 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington’s last 9 games.
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 7 games at home.
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing St. Louis.
Washington is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games when playing St. Louis.
Washington is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against St. Louis.
Washington has won 40% (4-6) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 60% (3-2) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Nationals managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cardinals who are coming in with a 2-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Nationals are 1-7. The Cardinals have a 2-0 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 25th when it comes to home runs, hitting nine this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 15.
Ranking 12th, Washington is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.67 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.92.
Ranking 19th, Washington is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.676). St. Louis ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .713.
The Cardinals are 4-2 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 2-3 when they allow at least one homer.
