Free MLB Picks Today: St. Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals 9/7/22

The St. Louis Cardinals (-140) host the Washington Nationals (+120) at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. The early total was set at 8 with the under a -115 favorite. The Cardinals (80-56) leveled the series 1-1 after winning 4-1 on Tuesday, their third head-to-head victory in five games this season. Jose Quintana went five innings to get the win, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five, and Ryan Helsley earned his 14th save with a scoreless ninth. Nolan Gorman went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double in the win. He had two RBIs. Corey Dickerson added a double and one run. Luis Garcia was 1 for 4 with a double and one run for the Nationals (48-88), extending his on-base streak to 13 games.

ON THE MOUND

Cory Abbott (0-2, 4.39 ERA) is set to start for Washington. The RHP threw a scoreless inning in relief in his last appearance, a 7-1 home win over the Mets on Sunday. He struck out one and walking one. Abbott has made one previous appearance against the Cardinals this season, a 5-0 home loss on July 31. He held St. Louis scoreless over one no-hit inning, striking out two and walking one. For St. Louis, LHP Jordan Montgomery (8-3, 3.15 ERA) gets the start. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Nationals. In his last start on Friday, Montgomery got the win at home against the Cubs. He threw six scoreless innings and gave up seven hits, striking out four and walking two in the 8-0 triumph.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 4.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.8, while performing better across the board (.306/.362/.448). Against lefties like Montgomery this season, the Nats have a .684 OPS. Victor Robles is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .757 OPS in 110 at-bats. St. Louis is averaging only 4.4 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.9 for the season. The Cards have a .738 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .932 OPS over 381 at-bats, Paul Goldschmidt has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Washington is 26-41 in away games in 2022, scoring 3.8 runs per game while allowing 5.3 runs. St. Louis has gone 46-23 at their home park this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. In the last 10 meetings at Busch Stadium, Washington is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 3.5-3.2.