The Cardinals were able to start this series with nearly an identical score to how they finished their last. That was in Toronto without NL MVP-favorite Paul Goldschmidt and fellow candidate Nolan Arenado. While they weren't expected to win that game, they are expected to take care of the Nationals. St. Louis has gotten their superstars back, and Washington is about to send their superstar in Juan Soto out of town. However, let's focus on making today's game profitable in the meantime. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our thoughts on t he side and total for all of today's games.
Cardinals -1.5 (+106)
Over 0.5 1st inning runs (-122)
Nolan Arenado 2+ total bases (+105)
Parlay odds: +475
Let's take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Cardinals -1.5 (+106)
Wearing red is about the only 2 things these teams have in common. The Cardinals are in the midst of battling for the lead in the NL Central, while the Nationals have the worst record in the entire league. Even without Adam Wainwright on any other dominant starter, St. Louis is still the significant favorite on the road. However, just about any pitching matchup is superior to that of Washington. They have the 2nd-highest team ERA in the league, and arguably the worst starting rotation. As if their issues on the mound weren't enough, Soto turning down 440 million dollars to stay with the team speaks volumes.
Washington has enough issues on a macro level, so let's focus on this matchup specifically. Starter Erick Fedde doesn't have the double-digit losses of teammates Patrick Corbin and Joan Adon, but he's still a part of a terrible rotation. The Nats have lost 3 of his 4 starts this month, being outscored 21-7 in the process. Even without Goldschmidt and Arenado, the Cardinals took down the Blue Jays by multiple runs heading into this series. With them in the lineup, there is no reason to doubt them against Fedde and the league's 6th-worst bullpen. St. Louis won't have an ace on the mound either with Dakota Hudson, but they have the ability to produce enough run support for him. He's already led the team to multi-run wins over the Red Sox and Padres, and can do the same against the Nationals.''''