Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 9/5/2022 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Monday, September 5, 2022

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Busch Stadium is the site where the St. Louis Cardinals (78-55) will go up against the Washington Nationals (46-87) on Monday. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Cory Abbott and Jack Flaherty.

As a squad, the Washington Nationals are scoring 3.8 runs per game, which is 26th in MLB. They have accounted for 502 runs while having a team OBP of .313. The Nationals have earned 204 two-baggers as a unit and have smacked 113 baseballs out of the park. They have 480 RBI's and 1,108 hits on the season, and their batting average sits at .248. Washington has a slugging % of .377 and have struck out 991 times, while drawing a walk on 377 occasions.

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The Nationals have a team earned run average of 5.09 so far this season (30th in the league), and the staff has struck out 1,037 hitters. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.20 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.44. Nationals pitchers have surrendered 199 long balls in addition to 714 total runs (29th in MLB). They have walked 472 batters and their FIP comes in at 4.94 as a squad on the season.

The Nationals have sent 485 relievers to the mound on the year. The relief pitchers have inherited 209 base runners this year and 33.5% of them crossed the plate. They have compiled 24 saves this season and have not converted 14 of 38 chances to get a save. The Nationals relief pitchers have a save rate of 63.2% and has stepped onto the mound in 89 save situations. The relievers have 50 holds for the season (28th in the league). Nationals relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on 131 times and also have had 113 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Nationals have converted 68.5% of balls hit into play into outs in their 10,476 innings on the diamond, ranking them 25th in baseball. The Washington Nationals have earned 3,492 putouts on the campaign, as well as 1,157 assists and 83 errors. Their fielding rate sits at .982 which has them ranked 28th in professional baseball, and have 99 double plays.

Abbott (0-2 career mark) has earned a FIP of 7.19 while he has faced 193 batters in the major leagues. He has allowed 39 hits (8.2 hits per nine innings) and has 23 walks. His ERA is 5.44 (26 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.442. Abbott has taken the hill for 43 innings and has tallied 35 K's thus far in his career.

St. Louis has a total of 169 home runs for the season as well as 634 RBIs. They have 233 doubles, while walking 445 times as well as scoring 660 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals have recorded a team on-base percentage of .331 and a team batting average of .258 for the season. The Cardinals have a slugging percentage of .431 and they tally 4.96 runs per outing (2nd in the league). They have struck out on 1,025 occasions (24th in the league) and have a total of 1,172 hits.

The St. Louis pitching staff have relinquished 524 runs so far this year and come in with a team ERA of 3.79 (496 earned runs surrendered). They have given up 122 HR's and they concede 4.00 runs per 9 innings (8th in baseball). The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.255 in addition to having a FIP of 3.96 as a staff for the season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 2.45 (967 strikeouts vs 395 walks). They are currently ranked 15th in baseball as a staff in total hits conceded with 1,085.

St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 34.2% out of their 202 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have come in 109 times in high leverage situations in addition to 133 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 101 save situations, the Cardinals have 56 holds and also 16 blown saves. They are currently ranked 14th in baseball holding a save percentage of 64.4%, and they have sent 376 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. St. Louis has called on bullpen pitchers to step onto the hill in 45 save opportunities and they have come away with 29 saves.

The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 148 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .989 (2nd in the majors). The Cardinals have racked up 1,419 assists, 56 errors and have notched a total of 3,539 putouts this year. In their 10,617 innings on the field, the Cardinals are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 70.5% (8th in professional baseball).

During his pro baseball career, Flaherty has surrendered 364 hits while earning 573 K's in 495 frames. Flaherty (32-24 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 3.38 earned run average while conceding 6.6 hits per 9 innings. He has given up 186 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.088 and a FIP of 3.9. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.27 and he has gone up against 2,015 hitters so far in his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington

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