The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals will compete in the finale of their three-game series on Sunday, July 28, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Check out the MLB betting action at 2:15 PM ET, where the Cardinals are favored with a moneyline of -155.
The Nationals are coming into this matchup with some momentum, at least on the offensive end. They put up a 10-8 in 10 innings in Game 1, which shows they can do some damage when given the opportunity. However, it will be difficult for them to produce another heavy load of the Cardinals buckle down from the mound.
They are putting DJ Herz (1-4) to start on the mound. He has provided a 4.95 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP through 36.1 innings. Their ERA as a squad is 4.22, so Herz will need to do better here.
Their offense has shown glimpses of excellence at times, but it tends to be volatile. CJ Abrams leads in home runs and RBIs, but more players will need to be aggressive at the plate.
The Nationals are hitting near .237 when batting at the plate. Their defense typically allows opponents to average near .255.
The Cardinals have had issues defensively over their last several games. Before allowing 10 runs against the Nationals, they gave up five runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third game of that series and could not score a run either.
Mike Mikolas (8-8) should provide some quality experience compared to Herz. He is currently averaging an ERA of 5.02 and a WHIP of 1.23. Their team ERA is hovering near 4.00, so he needs to help set up his relief for success.
On the offensive end, Alec Burleson leads them in his batting average and RBIs. He also ranks in the top 20 in the league for his RBIs, batting average, and home runs. His performance at the plate will help dictate their success.
The Cardinals' batting average is near .245, which offers a slight advantage. However, their defense has allowed about .250 from opposing teams and could continue to cause problems against the Nationals.
The betting odds for this MLB finale are provided by MyBookie, where the Cardinals are -155 moneyline favorites. When seeking market analysis, the average consensus is that the Cardinals have a 58.7 percent chance of success.
The starting pitcher battle for both teams will be similar on paper, but the edge goes to Mikolas. The Cardinals' offense has been more consistent, so look for them to find success at home.
