Cardinals vs. Nationals Thursday Pick
The Cardinals will go for a series sweep of the Nationals on Thursday afternoon when the two teams wrap up their series in D.C. at 4:05 p.m. ET. That said, can the red-hot Cards get through Stephen Strasburg?
Game Snapshot & Odds
957 St. Louis Cardinals (+120) at 958 Washington Nationals (-141); 9 runs
Thursday, May 2, 2019
4:05 p.m. ET, Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new Baseball Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 62% of the betting tickets are on the Nationals to beat the Cardinals on the moneyline.
St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Spin
Marcell Ozuna went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in a 5-1 triumph over the Nationals on Wednesday. He opened up the scoring by doubling in Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning. He then came around to score on a knock by Jose Martinez. Ozuna has been generating fantastic fantasy value, especially in the counting stats. His .279 batting average is good but combine that with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 26 runs scored and you have yourself a very valuable fantasy outfielder. Ozuna ranks as the number three overall hitter in fantasy leagues behind only Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich according to Yahoo’s player ratings.
Washington Nationals Fantasy Spin
Howie Kendrick kept his hot streak going by poking three more hits in Wednesday’s loss to the Cardinals. All three hits were singles. After missing almost all of last year with an Achilles injury, Kendrick entered this season as an afterthought for both the Nationals and fantasy owners but has forced his way into the mix. He is batting .345/.418/.618 with four homers and 13 RBI in 22 games. He doesn’t really have a spot in the everyday starting nine but the Nationals keep finding ways to get his bat into the lineup.
MLB Betting Trends
St. Louis
The Cardinals have won six straight games when their opponent allows five runs or more in their previous game.
Washington
The Nationals have dropped six of their last seven games overall.
Prediction:
I’m siding with the hotter team over the better pitcher. The Cardinals have won nine of their last 10 games and they didn’t give a crap last night when they faced off with Max Scherzer, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. In fact, a week-and-a-half ago they knocked around Noah Syndergaard, so they’re not going to be intimidated by Strasburg. Meanwhile, Kendrick is racking up hits but the run production has been utter crap from the Nationals in this series. Dakota Hudson struggles with walks and is unlikely to pitch deep into today’s game, but the Nationals did nothing against a mediocre Adam Wainwright, a slightly above average Michael Wacha and a struggling Miles Mikolas. It’s not an automatic that they figure out Hudson, so I’m riding with the dog.
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +120