Will Nats’ Scherzer silence Cardinals again?
The Cardinals could hardly crack Max Scherzer three-plus weeks ago. Now, they have to battle the flamethrower with a depleted lineup.
Ailing St. Louis takes on Washington again tonight, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch on the East Coast. Handicappers at online sports book BetDSI give the Nats odds of -170 to come out on top. Mike Matheny’s club, conversely, enters as a +150 underdog. The over/under run figure sits at seven.
With offensive catalyst Matt Carpenter awaiting the birth of his first child, the Redbirds really needed to get through yesterday’s series opener without incident. Matt Adams’ barking back ensured that would not happen. The first baseman, batting .522 over the last eight tilts, left in the fifth inning of the visitors’ 2-1 defeat. His status moving forward is unclear.
No such worries follow the ever-durable Scherzer (5-3, 3.80 ERA), who has fanned at least eight in each of the past three outings. He also overpowered the Cards on May 1, striking out nine while permitting just four hits in a 6-1 victory. The veteran righty now holds a 2.70 ERA in five starts against the organization for which he grew up rooting.
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For St. Louis, Jaime Garcia (3-4, 3.59) shoots to finish a largely negative month on a high note. The southpaw was battered for five runs and 10 base knocks in 2 1/3 frames of a weekend loss to Arizona. It marked Garcia’s shortest appearance since a two-inning stint vs. the Astros on June 5, 2012.
Dusty Baker’s gang managed to prevail about 16 hours ago without the services of Daniel Murphy (rest). The majors’ leading hitter should feel sufficiently rejuvenated for this affair, though. Expect the Nationals’ entire cast to respond similarly and guarantee another arduous evening for Garcia.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS -1.5
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