Cardinals vs Nationals Expert MLB Picks 10/14/2019

Monday, October 14, 2019

Nationals Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jack Flaherty vs. Stephen Strasburg

Anthony Rendon and the Washington Nationals host the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on Monday in Game 3 of the NLCS. The Nats lead the series 2-0 after a 3-1 win in Game 2. Max Scherzer gave up only 1 hit in 7 innings, and Michael Taylor led Washington's offense with a 2-4 day including a home run. The Cardinals offense was almost no-hit for the 2nd straight game, with Scherzer taking his into the 7th inning. St. Louis hopes their offense can wake up on the road, but it won't be easy against Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals open this game at -120 while the Cardinals are coming in at +110. The O/U is set at 7.5.

The Cardinals have been an excellent choice for MLB wagerers, having gone 94-75-0 SU. Washington covers 58.2% of the time, going 99-71-0 straight up.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The Cardinals have been a decent Under play for over/under wagerers, having gone 72-88-9.

The Cardinals cover 51.2% of the time as the road team, having gone 42-40-0 straight up.

Important Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Nationals cover 61.9% of the time at Nationals Park, going 52-32-0 SU.

The Nationals have been a hot and cold Under play for over/under wagerers, having gone 77-82-11.

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

9/18/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
9/1/2019 Lane Thomas CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2020
6/26/2019 Tony Cingrani RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 10, 2020

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

10/12/2019 Victor Robles CF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 14
9/18/2019 Koda Glover RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
9/4/2019 Austen Williams RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
8/30/2019 Jonny Venters RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 91-71 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has a 11-8 record with an earned run average of 2.75 and a WHIP of 0.97 this season. He has 231 strikeouts over his 196.1 innings pitched and he's given up 135 hits. He's allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.46. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 607 hitters and walked 235 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 1,284 base hits and 609 earned runs. They have allowed 191 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 545 batters and struck out 1,399. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.27.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .245, good for 23rd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .260 with an on-base percentage of .346. He has 155 hits this season in 597 at bats with 97 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .476 and an OPS+ of 113. Matt Carpenter is hitting .226 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .334. He has totaled 94 hits and he has driven in 46 men in 416 at bats. His OPS+ is 91 while his slugging percentage is at .392. The Cardinals have 1,337 hits, including 246 doubles and 210 home runs. St. Louis has walked 561 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,420 times as a unit. They have left 1,107 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 764 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Washington has a 93-69 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.32, Stephen Strasburg has a 18-6 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 251 strikeouts over the 209 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 161 hits. He's allowing 6.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.25. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.68 and they have given up 520 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .262 against the Nationals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 501 batters and walked 219 opposing hitters. As a team, Washington allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,340 base knocks and 683 earned runs this season. They have given up 202 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Washington as a staff has walked 517 hitters and struck out 1,511 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.14.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 5th in the league. The Nationals hold a .454 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .342, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 9.0 hits per contest. Anthony Rendon comes into this matchup batting .319 with an OBP of .412. He has 174 hits this year along with 126 RBI in 545 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .598 with an OPS+ of 153. Juan Soto is hitting .282 this season and he has an OBP of .401. He has collected 153 hits in 542 at bats while driving in 110 runs. He has an OPS+ of 138 and a slugging percentage of .548. The Nationals as a unit have 1,460 base hits, including 298 doubles and 231 homers. Washington has walked 584 times this year and they have struck out on 1,308 occasions. They have had 1,114 men left on base and have an OPS of .796. They have scored 5.39 runs per game and totaled 873 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Nationals MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals (+110)

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