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Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals: The closure of an interesting series

The Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals are closing out their series today at Nationals Park.

Can the Cardinals top the NL Central?

The St. Louis Cardinals are second in the NL Central with a 46-42 record and 22-24 on the road. They have won four of their last six games. The Cardinals have a 4.01 ERA, a .244 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.27 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Masyn Winn leads the team with 85 hits, Paul Goldschmidt is on top with 42 runs and Nolan Gorman has 17 home runs.

The Nationals have a solid week

The Washington Nationals are fourth in the NL East with a 42-47 record, including 20-22 at home. They have won three of the last five games including a 14-6 win last night against St. Louis. Washington has a 3.99 ERA, a .249 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.27 walks plus hits per inning pitched. CJ Abrams is the best player on the team, with 90 hits, 56 runs, and 14 home runs for the season.

Betting Trends

The Nationals are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games overall and 3-6 SU in their last 9 games against teams from the NL. Washington has played over the total run line in 10 of their last 15 games overall, in their last five games against the Cardinals, and in 4 of their last 5 home games. The Cardinals are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games overall, 4-2 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the NL, and 4-2 SU in their last 6 games played in July. St. Louis has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall and in 6 of their last 8 games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Washington Nationals won 14-6 last night in one of their best performances of the season after the Cardinals won the series opener 7-6 in the 11th inning. The Cardinals still have the top spot in the NL Central within their reach and need to win games against teams like the Nationals. The Cardinals will start Kyle Gibson today, who is 6-3 for the season with a 3.88 ERA, 85 K, 92.2 IP, and 1.24 WHIP. The Nationals will try to respond with DJ Herz, who is 1-2 for the season with a 4.67 ERA, 37 K, 27 IP, and 1.37 WHIP. The Cardinals have won three of the last four games against the Nationals and are simply the better team. Gibson has been a reliable pitcher so far this season, and the Cards will win this one easily.