Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals NLCS Game 1 Picks 10/11/2019

Friday, October 11, 2019

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Patrick Corbin vs. Miles Mikolas

Busch Stadium is the venue where Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals (91-71, 1st in NL Central) will take on the Washington Nationals (93-69, 2nd in NL East) on Friday in Game 1 of the NLCS. Both teams advanced after upsetting teams in the NLDS. The Cards beat the Braves in 5 games, including dominating 13-1 in the deciding game. The Nationals beat the Dodgers in 5 games behind a 10th inning Grand Slam by Howie Kendricks. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto hit back to back homers in the 8th off Clayton Kershaw to tie the game. The Cardinals open this contest at -120 while the Nationals are coming in at +110. The O/U opens at 8.5.

The Cardinals are covering 56.3% of the time, going 94-73-0 straight up.

Valuable Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Nationals have been a hot and cold Under play for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 77-80-11.

The Nationals are covering 53.6% of the time as the road team, having gone 45-39-0 straight up.

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

St. Louis covers 61.5% of the time at Busch Stadium, going 51-32-0 SU.

The Cardinals have been a hot and cold Under play for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 72-86-9.

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

10/9/2019 Kurt Suzuki C Forehead Expected to be out until at least Oct 11
10/9/2019 Victor Robles CF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 11
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

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

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Nationals have a 93-69 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Patrick Corbin has a 14-7 record with an earned run average of 3.25 and a WHIP of 1.18 this season. He has 238 strikeouts over his 202 innings pitched and he's given up 169 hits. He's allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.49. 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 bullpen and they've struck out 501 hitters and walked 219 batters. 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 collectively have given up 1,340 base hits and 683 earned runs. They have allowed 202 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 517 batters and struck out 1,511. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.14.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Washington is hitting .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 game. Juan Soto is hitting .282 with an on-base percentage of .401. He has 153 hits this season in 542 at bats with 110 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .548 and an OPS+ of 138. Anthony Rendon is hitting .319 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .412. He has totaled 174 hits and he has driven in 126 men in 545 at bats. His OPS+ is 153 while his slugging percentage is at .598. The Nationals have 1,460 hits, including 298 doubles and 231 home runs. Washington has walked 584 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,308 times as a unit. They have left 1,114 men on base and have a team OPS of .796. They score 5.39 runs per contest and have scored a total of 873 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 91-71 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.16, Miles Mikolas has a 9-14 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 144 strikeouts over the 184 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 193 hits. He's allowing 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.27. 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 Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 607 batters and walked 235 opposing hitters. 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 as a team have surrendered 1,284 base knocks and 609 earned runs this season. They have given up 191 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 545 hitters and struck out 1,399 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .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 contest. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this matchup batting .260 with an OBP of .346. He has 155 hits this year along with 97 RBI in 597 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .476 with an OPS+ of 113. Paul DeJong is hitting .233 this season and he has an OBP of .318. He has collected 136 hits in 583 at bats while driving in 78 runs. He has an OPS+ of 97 and a slugging percentage of .444. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,337 base hits, including 246 doubles and 210 homers. St. Louis has walked 561 times this year and they have struck out on 1,420 occasions. They have had 1,107 men left on base and have an OPS of .737. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 764 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals (-120)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink