Just eight games on Monday’s MLB program and obviously the best matchup is a series opener out of St. Louis as the Washington Nationals visit city in what may be a movie preview. In case the postseason should happen to begin on Monday — suggestion: it doesn’t — then the Nationals would be the NL’s best Wild-Card team and the Cardinals would be the NL Central champion. However, the Cardinals are only up two matches on the Cubs from the Central so in theory we could visit a Washington vs. St. Louis Wild-Card Game. Together using the Cardinals winning in five games those two teams met. The Nationals, Yankees, Cardinals and Dodgers are the only teams to have winning records in each year since 2012.
Washington hosted St. Louis for four matches from April 29-May 2 along with the Cardinals took two of these — that the Nationals were a bit of a mess that early in the season but turned things about beginning May 24. Harrison Bader needed a good show, batting .357 using a homer and four RBIs. Marcell Ozuna has been 6-for-17 with two rebounds and three. Paul Goldschmidt Matt Carpenter 1-for-16 with 11 Ks and was only. Howie Kendrick directed the Nationals in hitting .429 vs. the Cardinals. Adam Eaton and Victor Robles had the only two Washington homers in this set. The Nats were outscored 15-8.
St. Louis has won the house portion of this season series each of the last couple of years. It was 3-1 at 2018.
Washington starts Cy Young rival Stephen Strasburg (17-6, 3.49). He even signed a seven-year, $175 million extension with the group in May 2016 however is casting well and has finally stayed healthy that it’s anticipated that the former No. 1 overall selection will select out of that bargain that winter to test free agency. Unsure the Nationals could manage him with all they are currently paying Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin to studs.
Strasburg leads the National League in wins and is second in strikeouts (229), third in innings (191) and sixth at WHIP (1.05). The right-hander comes from a win in Minnesota, allowing two runs over six. That lone Washington win against the Cardinals before this year was with Strasburg around the mound as he allowed one run and six hits over 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts.
He has started seven days in his career against St. Louis and is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. Ozuna strikes him well livelihood, moving 13-for-41 with two homers and seven RBIs. He’s the only Cardinal. Goldschmidt is 6-for-21 using 2 doubles.
It is good-looking right-hander Dakota Hudson (15-7, 3.38) for the Cardinals. The 25-year-old did since Hudson permitted two runs and only four hits over six innings in 32, have a five-start winning streak snapped out last time but it was his fault. He allowed his first street homer since July 23 and tied a season high by walking five.
Hudson is currently making second start and his sixth career look . It is his first start against the Nationals in Busch Stadium. Hudson took the reduction on May 2 reverse Strasburg , allowing two runs over six. He got a relief win in Busch from Washington in August 2018. No more Washington batter gets homered off him. Ryan Zimmermann is currently 1-for-1 with a double and 3 RBIs.
Can the Cardinals have Carlos Martinez available? Likely not. He was not accessible on Sunday against the Brewers due to respiratory issues and actually was hospitalized on Saturday night. The Cards may have used him since they enabled four ninth-inning runs with all four arriving with 2 outs, at the 7-6 loss. The Cardinals lost their very first home series since July 26-28 vs. Houston. When taking a lead into the 9th 12, they are.
Best Pick: Under 8 (+105) with BetOnline

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