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Washington Nationals Free Picks, Odds and Predictions

Thursday, April 17, 7:05 p.m. EST (Nationals Park)

St. Louis at Washington MLB Free Picks, Odds and Predictions

The Washington Nationals will wrap up a three-game road series against Miami on Wednesday night and head back home for an extended four-game weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals starting this Thursday night in a game that will be broadcast nationally on the MLB Network.

The Cardinals have gotten off to a solid 9-6 start in their first 15 games, but they come into this series fresh off a 5-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon as even-money road underdogs to snap a four-game winning streak. They now trail the upstart Brewers by two games in the NL Central.

Washington got bounced around 11-2 by Miami in Tuesday's loss as a -176 road favorite with Stephen Strasburg on the mound. The Nationals are now just 1-4 in their last five games after getting swept by Atlanta in three straight outings on the road this past weekend. They are now a game and half behind the Braves in the NL East heading into Wednesday night's game.

St. Louis at Washington Betting Storylines

The Cardinals' bats were not only quiet in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers, but they have been quieter than normal in the first few weeks of the season with a team batting average of .243 that is currently ranked 11^th in the National League. St. Louis is tied for ninth in the league in scoring with 58 runs behind the bats of Yadier Molina and Jhonny Peralta. These two have combined for 17 RBI and seven home runs so far.

St. Louis will send Adam Wainwright to the mound to make his fourth start of the season. The staff ace got roughed up a bit his last time out after allowing four runs, but he still managed to last seven innings to hold on for the win. The right-hander is 2-1 this season with a 2.57 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00. He has a total of 24 strikeouts, and he has pitched seven full innings in all three starts.

Washington is 8-6 on the year, with five of those losses coming to division leader Atlanta in two early season three-game series. Despite its relative success against the other teams they have faced, there is some growing concern about the slower-than-expected start by its pitching staff. After getting bombed by the Marlins on Tuesday night, the Nationals are now ranked ninth in the NL with a team ERA of 4.04. Fortunately, they have gotten some solid production at the plate with 71 runs scored. Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche have done much of the damage for Washington with a combined 22 RBIs through the first 14 games.

The Nationals have settled on Taylor Jordan as their starter for Thursday's series opener. He will be making his third start of the year after going 0-1 in his first two outings, which were both against the Braves. The right-hander looked sharp in his season debut by allowing just one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, but he lasted only five innings his last time on the mound after getting rocked for five earned runs on five hits.

St. Louis at Washington MLB Betting Odds and Key Trends

BetOnline has opened the Nationals as +134 home underdogs against the Cardinals, who have been listed as -144 favorites for Thursday's series opener. The total for this game has been set at 7.0.

The Cardinals are 0-6 in Wainwright's last six road starts against a team with a winning record but 6-2 in his last eight starts against the NL East. The total has stayed "under" in four of their last five road games.

The Nationals are 7-3 in their last 10 home games against a right-handed starter and a solid 20-8 in their last 28 games played at home overall. The total has gone "over" in their last seven games.

St. Louis has won the last seven games in this series, and it is 4-1 in Wainwright's last five starts against Washington. The total has stayed under in five of the last six games between these two.

St. Louis at Washington Free MLB Picks and Betting Predictions

It is hard to pass up an opportunity to take advantage of the Nationals' favorable moneyline as rare home underdogs even with Wainwright on the mound for the Cardinals. I would limit the play to just two units, but stick with Washington to snap its seven-game skid against St. Louis with a much-needed win in front of the home-town crowd.

Year-to-Date Betting Record: 1-1 (-$96)

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