Saturday, April 19, 1:05 PM on FSMW, MASN

Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia

St Louis - Lynn, L (3-0) vs. Washington - Zimmermann, J (1-0)

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Saturday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals will take the field behind Lance Lynn as they face the Washington Nationals and Jordan Zimmerman.   Both pitchers will be making their fourth starts of the season.

Lance Lynn is pitching some of the best baseball of his career.  He has won all three of his starts with an ERA of 4.00 and his last outing was his best.  Lynn went 7 innings and allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11.   If Lynn continues pitching this well, he will certainly better last season’s 15 – 10 record and 3.97 ERA in 33 starts.

In 2013, Lynn didn’t face the Nationals but he has faced many of the hitters currently on the Washington roster.  No one has seen Lynn more than 4 times but Danny Espinosa has the best results against Lynn.  Espinosa is 2 of 3 with a homer and 3 RBIs in his encounters with Lynn. 

Jordan Zimmerman is improving from his early starts of the season and he picked up his first win in his last start.  In that outing, Zimmerman pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits (including a home run) while walking 1 and striking out 7.   His first two starts contributed greatly to his 5.27 ERA.   In 2013, Zimmerman had a solid season, going 19 – 9 with an ERA of 3.25 in 32 starts.

Last season, Zimmerman lost his only start against the Cardinals when he gave up 4 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings.  Matt Carpenter will be a concern for Zimmerman as Carpenter has a double and 4 RBIs against the Washington right-hander.      

St Louis Betting Trends

St Louis is 8-7-1 against the Over/Under

Run differential for St Louis is +0.8

Washington Betting Trends

Washington is 12-4-0 against the Over/Under

Run differential for Washington is +0.2

Injuries to Watch

St Louis

04/17/14 P Joe Kelly Hamstring 15-day DL (4/17)
03/30/14 P Jaime Garcia Shoulder 15-day DL (3/21)
03/28/14 P Jason Motte Elbow 15-day DL (3/21)

Washington

04/13/14 CF Denard Span Concussion 7-day DL (4/12)
04/13/14 3B Ryan Zimmerman Thumb 15-day DL (4/13)
04/13/14 LF Jeff Kobernus Hand 60-day DL (4/12)
04/06/14 LF Scott Hairston Oblique 15-day DL (4/6)
04/02/14 C Wilson Ramos Hand 15-day DL (4/1)
03/30/14 P Doug Fister Back 15-day DL (3/23)
03/29/14 P Ross Ohlendorf Back 60-day DL (3/26)
03/28/14 P Erik Davis Elbow 60-day DL (2/13)

Tony's Pick: Take St. Louis

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