The Washington Nationals'(47-56) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (53-49) Friday in the opener of a 3-game set at Busch Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Nationals vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cardinals lead 3-1
The Nats were swept by the San Diego Padres in a 3-game series that ended with RHP Dylan Cease no-hitting them in a 3-0 setback Thursday. This is on the heels of the Nats sweeping a 3-game series over the Cincinnati Reds. The one to watch is OF Jesse Winker. He is hitting .352 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs in 241 career at-bats against the Cardinals. That improves to .379-7-17 in 95 ABs at Busch.
The Cardinals followed up a dramatic 2-1 win over stud RHP Paul Skenes with a half-hearted 5-0 loss Wednesday. They outhit the Pittsburgh Pirates, drew 9 walks and could not score a run, which is hard to fathom. The Cards are dreadful against lefties at .223/.288/.335 BA/OBP/SLG.