St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals Betting Preview/Prop Bet
20 April 2021
St. Louis Cardinals come into this game with a record of 8-8 after taking game one of the series on Monday night. The Cardinals are a top-betting pick to win the NL Central Division, but they are currently in third place.
Washington has had a miserable start to the 2021 season as they enter play on Tuesday night, a record of just 5-9. The Nationals have gone 3-3 in their last six games, and they appear to be turning things around a bit.
The Washington Nationals are -132 over the St. Louis Cardinals in game two of the series.
Big Bats Return For Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have an offensive lineup full of some big names, and that lineup did some big damage on Monday night in the 12-5 victory. St. Louis has scored 83 runs so far this season, which is the fourth-highest mark in the league.
Veteran catcher Yadier Molina leads the team with five home runs and 12 runs batted in to go along with an impressive .309 batting average. The addition of Nolan Arenado gives this team another slugger in the middle of the lineup, and the Cardinals will be a problem for opposing pitchers all season long.
It will be veteran Adam Wainwright on the mound on Tuesday night, and he has really struggled to begin the year. Wainwright is 0-2 with an ERA over 7.00, but he should be turning things around soon.
Nats Need a Solid Start From Corbin
Patrick Corbin starts for Washington on Tuesday night, and he is also looking to turn things around. Corbin has yet to win a game this season, and this is not an ideal matchup for a struggling pitcher.
The Nationals will need to provide plenty of support for their struggling pitcher if they are going to win this game. Washington has scored just 51 runs on the year despite posting an impressive team batting average of .262.
Juan Soto leads the team with a .300 batting average, but the Nationals are waiting for him to provide some more power. There are a number of proven veterans in this lineup, but it is time for them to start producing.
Cardinals Continue Run Over Nationals
The Cardinals are still searching for consistency so far in 2021, but this team has the potential to be one of the best in the National League. St. Louis put up a dominating performance over the Nationals in the series opener, and this should be another great day at the plate.
Washington has not gotten good enough starting pitching this season, and their offense has yet to really take off. The Nationals need a dominant start from Corbin in this game, but he just doesn’t have the stuff to shut down the Cardinals attack.
The Cardinals are swinging the bats well at this time, and it should be another great offensive performance. Bet the St. Louis Cardinals money line over the Washington Nationals in game two of the series on Tuesday night.
Prop Bet
1st 5 Innings Total Runs (Wainwright@Corbin): Over 5.0 (-125)
While both starters have had success in the past, the 2021 season has gotten off to a rocky start.
Wainwright comes in with an 0-2 record and 7.11 ERA. In his 3 starts (12.2 innings), the Cardinals veteran has given up 19 hits and 10 earned runs. He was rocked for 7 hits and 4 runs in just 5 innings of work in his last outing, a 6-0 loss to the Nationals.
As bumpy as Wainrwright's start has been, Corbin has been even worse. The Nats lefty is 0-2 with a 21.32 ERA. In his 2 starts (6.1 innings), he's given up 12 hits and 16 earned runs, and has more walks (7) than Ks (6). He's coming off a 2-inning, 10-run effort in his last start against the Diamondbacks.
While it's a good bet that both these pitchers will work out the kinks before the end of the season, right now they still look to be works in progress. We'll take the Over 5.0 Total Runs in the 1st 5 Innings(-125) in tonight's matchup.
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