Two of the worst teams in the National League square off Tuesday night as the St. Louis Cardinals (30-43) take on the Washington Nationals (27-44). Washington will host this one at Nationals Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm ET.
In Monday’s opener, the Cardinals prevailed 8-6. In the win, Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt both homered, with the two combining for five runs batted in. Jack Flaherty picked up the win despite allowing six earned runs in 6.1 innings.
The Cardinals are the favorites to win again on Tuesday. They are -154 to win, while the Nationals’ moneyline sits at +130. The runline features Washington +1.5 (-125), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Cardinals Still Have Hope In NL Central
At 30-43, it has been an absolutely miserable year in St. Louis as the Cardinals have failed to live up to preseason expectations. While they sit dead last in the division, there is still hope as they are only eight games out of first place. The Cardinals are hoping to turn a corner and start making a push to compete in the division.
Trying to secure a series win, manager Oli Marmol will send lefty Jordan Montgomery to the mound in this one. In 14 games, the 30-year-old is 3-7 with a 3.91 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and he has struck out 73 in 78.1 innings. In his last three starts, he has given up just four earned runs over 18 innings.
Offensively, the Cardinals rank 11th in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.57 runs per game (3.95 on the road). Leading the offense is third baseman Nolan Arenado. In 276 at bats, he is hitting .275/.323/.489 with a team-leading 15 home runs and 49 runs batted in.
Nationals Look To Move Out Of NL Cellar
There were never high hopes for Washington to contend this season, but at 27-44, they currently have the worst record in the entire National League. In the NL East, they sit last, 18.5 games out of first place. While contention is likely out of the picture, they will at least look to improve on their miserable home record, which sits at just 12-25.
The Nationals will counter on the mound with a southpaw of their own in 24-year-old MacKenzie Gore. In 14 games, he is 3-5 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and he has 87 strikeouts in 74.2 innings. Gore threw 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision his last time out against the Astros.
With just the 23rd-best offense in the league, there hasn’t been a lot to cheer for in Washington. They are averaging just 4.14 runs per game (only 3.64 at home).
Outfielder Lane Thomas has at least been a small bright spot in the offense. He is hitting .290/.341/.493 and leads the team in home runs (11), runs batted in (35), runs scored (49), and stolen bases (7).
Take The Cardinals To Win And Cover
Looking at the trends, the Cardinals are 5-11 in their last 16 games. Still, they are 4-1 in their last five road games and 4-2 in their last six games against the Nationals.
For Washington, they are winless in their last eight home games and just 1-6 in their last seven games overall. In their last 11 games against National League teams, they have just one win.
While the Cardinals have struggled mightily this season, they still have some All-Star talent that could potentially turn things around. Washington’s roster is squarely in the middle of a rebuild and is not designed to contend.
MacKenzie Gore has not been bad this season despite his record, but there just isn’t much around to support him. Expect St. Louis to win this one, and don’t be surprised if they cover the -1.5 runline (+104) as well.
