Nationals vs Cardinals Odds and Picks (April 14)
By Jordan Horrobin in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Nationals and Cardinals close out their three-game series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, April 14, at 1:15 pm ET
- St. Louis sends Adam Wainwright to the mound against Washington’s Joe Ross in the rubber match
- For the odds, matchup analysis, and best bets, check out the article below
The St. Louis Cardinals snapped their three-game funk in the best possible way on Tuesday, beating down the Washington Nationals for a 14-1 victory. Washington, meanwhile, saw its one-game reprieve from a five-game losing streak quickly evaporate.
On Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:15 pm ET, the Cardinals and Nationals will face off in a rubber match that features Adam Wainwright and Joe Ross on the mound. The Cardinals are the early moneyline favorites.
Nationals vs Cardinals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Run Total at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | +112 | +1.5 (-195) | Over 8.5 (-118) |
| St. Louis Cardinals | -129 | -1.5 (+160) | Under 8.5 (-104) |
Odds as of April 13th.
About Last Night
The Cardinals’ assertion as the slight favorites certainly has something to do with the thumping they gave the Nationals on Tuesday, beating the 2019 champs, 14-3. St. Louis posted its highest run total of the season, and its first double-digit run total since opening day (when the Cardinals scored 11 runs against Cincinnati).
For the 250th time in his career…
GOLDY GONE! pic.twitter.com/ZIAQwsczLk
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 14, 2021
Washington lost, again, for a sixth time in eight games. The Nationals have faced stiff competition so far though. Prior to facing St. Louis, they played three against the Dodgers and three against the Braves. All three of those teams rank inside the top 10 for World Series favorites.
Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt had two hits and three RBI apiece for St. Louis on Tuesday. When both of those guys are firing, the Cardinals will be tough to beat.
Cardinals Career Stats vs Joe Ross
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan Arenado | 5 | 0 | 1 | .400 |
| Tommy Edman | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Dylan Carlson | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Matt Carpenter | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Austin Dean | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Paul DeJong | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Yadier Molina | 7 | 0 | 1 | .286 |
| Lane Thomas | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Justin Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Who’s Hot
Big-name players who venture into new markets do now always make a splash right away. Fortunately for St. Louis, though, that has happened with Nolan Arenado. After this past offseason’s mega-trade with the Rockies, Arenado has come in and posted a .326/.383/.581 slash line in 11 games, with a .964 OPS (second on the team) and five extra-base hits (most on the team).
ARENADO CRUSHED ONE FOR THE LEAD 💪
(via @Cardinals)pic.twitter.com/niW957FrH9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 8, 2021
His 0-for-4 game against Washington on Monday snapped a nine-game hitting streak, but of course he bounced right back with a home run on Tuesday. This guy can crush.
On the Nationals’ side, Juan Soto is the obvious but correct choice for this “Who’s Hot” category. He doubled on Tuesday, raising his OPS to 1.114 (12th in MLB). The problem is, no one else on Washington is anywhere near his production.
Nationals Career Stats vs Adam Wainwright
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Avila | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Josh Bell | 23 | 1 | 5 | .304 |
| Starlin Castro | 5 | 0 | 1 | .600 |
| Yan Gomes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Josh Harrison | 18 | 1 | 3 | .278 |
| Jordy Mercer | 16 | 0 | 1 | .188 |
| Victor Robles | 6 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
| Kyle Schwarber | 20 | 1 | 2 | .250 |
| Juan Soto | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Trea Turner | 4 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
Get to Know the Starters
Adam Wainwright has been at this forever. You should know him already, but here’s some info into his recent outings, in case you’ve been out of touch: Waino had a hideous debut this season (six runs in 2.2 innings) against Cincinnati, but he rebounded to throw five innings of one-run ball against Milwaukee.
In his past five starts against the Nationals, including two in 2019, Wainwright is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA. Quite good.
Joe Ross tossed five scoreless innings in his 2021 debut, which marked his first start since the 2019 season (he did not pitch in 2020). His numbers against the Cardinals are excellent — 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three starts — but he hasn’t seen them since 2016.
Joe Ross, Pretty 94mph Front Door Sinker. 😍 pic.twitter.com/6blVS2qMLv
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2021
We like the Cardinals here, both because of Wainwright’s success and because the offense finally showed what it’s capable of on Tuesday.
Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (-129)
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Sports Writer
Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.
