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The St. Louis Cardinals (46-42) and Washington Nationals (42-47) meet Sunday for the 3rd game of a 4-game series. First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 1:35 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: Tied 1-1
Washington routed St. Louis 14-6 Saturday while covering as a -126 home favorite after losing the series opener 7-6. The Nationals jumped out to a 9-0 in the 2nd innings and never allowed the Cardinals to make it a close game. Washington has won 3 of its last 4 games.
RHP Lance Lynn took the loss for the Cardinals (2 2/3 IP, 10 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, 2 K), which ended a 2-game win streak.
Cardinals at Nationals projected starters
RHP Kyle Gibson vs. LHP DJ Herz
Gibson (6-3, 3.88 ERA) makes his 17th start. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9 in 92 2/3 IP.
- Last start: Win, 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K in a 7-4 win at Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday
- Career vs. Washington: 1-3, 8.31 ERA (21 2/3 IP, 20 ER), 25 H, 9 BB, 17 K in 4 starts
Herz (1-2, 4.67 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.37 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 12.3 K/9 in 27 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 10 K in a 7-2 loss vs. New York Mets Tuesday
- First career start vs. St. Louis
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
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 1:31 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cardinals -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Nationals +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals -1.5 (+125) | Nationals +1.5 (-150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Cardinals at Nationals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 6, Nationals 5
Moneyline
LEAN CARDINALS (-125).
St. Louis is the slightly hotter team, being 6-4 in its last 10 games and 2-1 in its last 3 on the road while the Nationals are only 4-6 in their last 10 and 3-3 in their last 6 at home.
The Cardinals are also 3-1 in their last 4 matchups vs. Washington and also being 3-2 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
Run line/Against the spread
BET NATIONALS +1.5 (-150).
Washington has been a very good ATS team this season, being 52-37 overall on the year and 24-18 ATS at home. The Nationals are also 31-16 ATS following a loss this season.
With neither team having a major advantage over the other, and Washington riding high after routing the Cardinals Saturday, this appears a very safe bet.
Over/Under
BET OVER 9 (-120).
The Over has hit in 4 of St. Louis’ last 5 games on the road and is 6-3 in its last 9 overall. For Washington, the Over is 3-1 in its last 4 games and is 6-3-1 in its last 10. The Over has also hit in 5 consecutive St. Louis-Washington matchups and is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings.
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