Will Cards finally cool down Nats’ Strasburg?
Now that ace Adam Wainwright has ostensibly rediscovered his groove, can the Cardinals also get their immensely talented No. 2 righty moving in the proper direction?
Michael Wacha (2-5, 5.04 ERA) strives to win for the first time since April 23 as St. Louis and Washington collide in today’s series finale, with a 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch in the nation’s capital. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv like the Nationals to capture the rubber match. Mike Matheny’s squad, on the other hand, enters as a +180 underdog. The over/under figure sits at 7.5 runs.
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Last night, Wainwright sidestepped three homers to claim his fourth victory of the month. Wacha may face a similar offensive outburst given Dusty Baker’s hurler this afternoon. Not only does Stephen Strasburg (8-0, 2.79) typically perform his part with aplomb, the 27-year-old receives 6.7 runs of support per outing.
The National League leader in strikeouts appears to have bumped Max Scherzer at the head of the Nats’ rotation. Strasburg is poised to become the first pitcher in franchise history to get off to a 9-0 start, too. If he basically duplicates his April 29 performance vs. the Cards (no runs following the first inning), that seems like a safe bet.
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Naturally, several of Matheny’s standouts vehemently object. Matt Holliday boasts a career .500 mark against Strasburg, while utility infielder Greg Garcia’s in the midst of a 5-for-7tear. We’re still banking on relatively few fireworks, though, in the last meeting of the regular season between the two clubs.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS/NATIONALS UNDER 7.5 RUNS
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