The St. Louis Cardinals (79-55), one of the best lineups in baseball, are set to host the Washington Nationals (47-87) at Busch Stadium on Monday for the first of a four-game series. The Nationals are in the midst of a 10-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Mets, taking the finale 7-1 on Sunday at Citi Field. Cesar Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs, walking twice. The Cardinals are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Cubs, taking the finale 2-0 on Sunday at Busch Stadium for their fourth straight win. Albert Pujols went 1 for 1 with a home run and two RBIs. Tommy Edman added a double and one run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Cardinals have won two of three in the season series between the teams, including a 5-0 victory in their most recent meeting on July 31 at Nationals Park. Starter Andre Pallante threw eight scoreless innings- striking out eight – to get the win.
ON THE MOUND
Anibal Sanchez (1-5, 5.72 ERA) is slated to start for Washington. The RHP allowed one run over seven innings in his last start, a 5-1 home win over the Athletics on Wednesday. He earned the win, yielding three hits while striking out four and walking three. Sanchez has made one previous start against the Cardinals this season, a 6-2 home loss on July 29. He surrendered six runs on six hits over 5.2 innings, striking out four and walking two. For St. Louis, righty Jack Flaherty (0-0, 5.63 ERA) will toe the rubber. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Nationals. Flaherty made two appearances against the Nationals in 2021, both as the starter, striking out 11 and walking two over 11 innings (2-0, 2.45).In his last start on June 26, Flaherty took a no-decision at home against the Cubs. He threw two scoreless innings and gave up one hit, striking out two and walking two in the 6-5 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.8 runs per game for the season, third lowest in the National League, with a slash line of .247/.312/.375. Lane Thomas leads the team in OPS at .693. The center fielder is slashing .237/.289/.404 with 15 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 50 runs over 119 games. Over the last five games, though, Washington has averaged 5.8 runs a game while performing better across the board (.297/.360/.454). Against righties like Flaherty this season, the Nats have a .689 OPS. Nelson Cruz is the team’s best hitter against right-handers with a .609 OPS in 286 at-bats. St. Louis is slashing .258/.330/.429 for the season and averaging 4.9 runs per game, second best in MLB. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with a 1.036 OPS. The first baseman has 34 home runs, 107 RBIs, and 97 runs scored with a slash line of .331/.418/.618. The Cards have a .744 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .945 OPS over 369 at-bats, Goldschmidt also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 25-40 away from Nationals Park in 2022, scoring 3.8 runs per game while allowing 5.4 runs. St. Louis has won five in a row at Busch Stadium. The Cards are 45-22 at home this season, averaging 5.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. In the last 10 games at Busch Stadium between the teams, Washington is 6-4 despite an average scoreline favoring St. Louis (3.6-3.5).
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 38 games behind the division-leading Mets. The Cardinals lead the NL Central by seven games over the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
