Two teams playing out the final days of the regular season are set to take the field as the Washington Nationals host the St. Louis Cardinals. These games can be tough to predict, as young players often get more playing time and pitchers who don’t normally see much action can find themselves on the mound. Starting things off for the Nationals will be left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who enters with a 2-6 record and a 3.35 ERA. For the Cardinals, Michael McGreevy will get the nod. He is 7-9 with a 3.83 ERA.
Offensively, the Cardinals are averaging 3.7 runs per game compared to 4.4 runs per game for the Nationals. While Washington holds the slight edge offensively, it also has the advantage with Alvarez on the mound. Alvarez is 0-0 with a 1.56 ERA over his last three starts, while McGreevy is 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA during that span. Both starters have been pitching well, but I’m still going to side with the over in this matchup. The Nationals just put up nine runs against the Cardinals on Friday, and Washington’s bullpen has struggled throughout the season with a 5.05 ERA. That could give St. Louis has an opportunity to generate some offense late in the game, especially if Alvarez doesn’t work deep into the game. With the total sitting at 8.5 runs, it won’t take a huge offensive performance from either team to push this game over. Look for both teams to contribute offensively in this matchup, making the over my best pick of the day.
Nationals vs Cardinals prediction: Over 8.5 (-117) available at time of publishing. Playable to -125.
