The Nats took the series opener 5-2 on Monday night as they scored three runs off St. Louis starter John Gant. With Flaherty on the mound, the Cardinals are -120 to even the series and -1.5 on the run line. The run total for Tuesday’s great pitching matchup is 7.5
Nationals Finally Getting Pieces Together
The Nats had a rough start to the season with a COVID outbreak and a 1-5 start before beating the Cardinals Monday. They were shut out twice by the LA Dodgers over the weekend and have yet to get their expected regular lineup altogether.
Juan Soto had three hits on Monday and is off to a .375 start to the season. The top of the Nats order is yet to get going as leadoff man Victor Robles is batting .240 and Trea Turner is at .250.
Strasburg has only allowed more than one hit to one member of the Cardinals lineup. Newcomer Nolan Arenado is 4-for-7 against Strasburg with a homer, while Yadier Molina and Tommy Edman are both 1-for-2. Paul Goldschmidt is just 1-for-10 against Strasburg with one RBI, while Matt Carpenter is 1-for-9.
Cardinals Offense Struggling Early
The Cardinals are now 1-3 at home and 5-5 overall on the young season. Their starting pitching has struggled with just one outing of more than five innings, and the bottom of the lineup has been dreadful. Shortstop Paul DeJong (.114), Carpenter (.071), plus outfielders Dylan Carlson (.182), and Justin Wiliams (.150) are all under the Mendoza line.
The good news has come from the middle of the lineup. Arenado is batting .300 with his new team after an eight-game hit streak to start the season. Yadier Molina clubbed his second homer of the season Monday and is batting .353 so far in 2021 with eight RBI.
Flaherty is 1-0 on the season with a 5.23 ERA and ten strikeouts in two starts. His win came in his most recent start as he beat Miami with six innings of work. Flaherty is yet to pitch at home this season, and he has a career ERA of 2.78 at Busch Stadium.
Two former NL Central foes are now in Washington, but both struggled against Flaherty. Kyle Schwarber is 2-for-18 against the Cardinals ace with one solo home run, while Josh Bell is 4-for-17 with a homer. Starlin Castro and Turner also have homers against Flaherty in their careers.
Betting Analysis
The pitching nod here goes to Flaherty, especially at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals’ offense isn’t likely to break out against Strasburg, and the back end of both bullpens has been good so far this season. Look for the under to be a strong play in this game with a slight lean toward the Cardinals’ money line.
FREE PICK: Under 7.5 runs
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