St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals odds, picks and predictions

The St. Louis Cardinals (47-42) take on the Washington Nationals (42-48) Monday in the finale of a 4-game set at Nationals Park at 4:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cardinals vs. Nationals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Cardinals lead 2-1

The Cards bats were ablaze in the DC heat Sunday with an 8-3 victory. Each Cardinals starter had a hit, and C Willson Contreras hit his 9th homer and had 3 RBIs. Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado‘s bat is coming alive recently, as he’s hitting .360 over his last 7 days. His BA has risen to .270 on the season. His lack of pop is still a concern, but the notoriously dead-pull hitter has been using all fields to get on base.

OF Jesse Winker continues to be a pest with 2 more hits Sunday. He’s 4-for-11 (.364) with 4 runs and 2 RBIs in the series. He has a .352-11-34 line in 238 career at-bats against St. Louis. High-end prospect OF James Wood has been productive in his first 25 at-bats, hitting .320, and he hit his first MLB homer Saturday.

Cardinals at Nationals projected starters

RHP Miles Mikolas vs. LHP Mitchell Parker

Mikolas (6-7, 5.19 ERA) makes his 19th start. He has a 1.22 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9 and 6.4 K/9 through 100 2/3 innings.

• Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K in 5-4 loss in 10 innings Wednesday at the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Last 5 regular season starts vs. Nationals: 2-2, 2.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 17 K in 29 IP

Parker (5-4, 3.61 ERA) makes his 16th start. He has a 1.10 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and 7.2 K/9 through 84 2/3 innings.

• Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 7-5 home win Wednesday against New York Mets
• Has not faced St. Louis in his career
• Home/road splits: 3-0, 3.11 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 in 6 home starts vs. 2-4, 4.02 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 7.5 K/9 in 9 road starts

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Cardinals at Nationals odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:46 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Cardinals -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Nationals -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
• Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals -1.5 (+155) | Nationals +1.5 (-190)
• Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Cardinals at Nationals picks and predictions

Prediction

Cardinals 7, Nationals 5

The Cards are 15-11 against left-handed starters this year. Parker has also allowed 11 ER in 17 IP for a 5.82 ERA in his last 3 GS. The Nats’ defense has also been abysmal in the series. All of these factors, despite having little faith in Mikolas, lend me to roll with the CARDINALS -105.

We’re avoiding the RL and going back to the well with JESSE WINKER OVER 1.5 H+R+RBI (-120). As mentioned, he’s 4-for-11 (.364) with 4 runs and 2 RBIs in the series and has a .352-11-34 line in 238 career at-bats against St. Louis.

The Over has cashed in all 3 games of the series. The Cardinals are 7-3 O/U in their last 10, and the Nats are 6-3-1. The Over has cashed in 9 of 10 meetings between the clubs. It’s slated to be 93 degrees with a 7-mph gust blowing out to left-center. I see no reason these trends shouldn’t continue.

Take the OVER 9 (-115).

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