Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 7/16/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Sunday, July 16, 2023

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

The St. Louis Cardinals (38-52) will compete against the Washington Nationals (36-54) at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The pitchers taking the mound will be Josiah Gray and Jack Flaherty.

The Nationals have recorded 156 two-baggers as a team and have hit 78 baseballs out of the stadium. Washington has a slugging percentage of .399 and have been called out on strikes 633 times, while being walked on 223 occasions. As a unit, the Washington Nationals are notching 4.1 runs per outing, which has them at 26th in the league. They have tallied 356 RBI's in addition to 806 base knocks this season, while their team batting average comes in at .261. They have accumulated 373 runs scored while having a team OBP of .318.

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The Nationals have a team earned run average of 4.76 for the season (26th in the league), and the staff has struck out 670 hitters. Nationals pitchers have relinquished 124 long balls and 456 runs in total (26th in the league). They have walked 343 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 5.04 as a unit so far this year. Washington has given up 834 base hits (9.5 per 9 innings) as well as 420 earned runs. They have a K/BB ratio of 1.95 and the pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.48.

Nationals bullpen pitchers have come into the game with runners on 77 times as well as having 90 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have racked up 44 holds so far this year (21st in the league). The Nationals relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 56.1% and has come into the game in 85 save situations. They have earned 23 saves over the course of the season and have blown 18 out of their 41 save chances. The relievers have inherited 125 runners for the season with 32.0% of those runners crossed home plate. The Nationals have dispatched 278 relief pitchers to the mound this year.

The Nationals have turned 68.2% of baseballs in play into outs out of 7,149 innings, ranking them 22nd in pro baseball. The Washington Nationals have earned a total of 2,383 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 846 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .984 which is 23rd in MLB, and have a total of 87 double plays.

Gray has taken the ball for 319 innings and is sitting with 322 strikeouts during his MLB career. His ERA is 4.62 (164 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.383. He has allowed 296 hits (8.3 hits per nine innings) and has 146 walks. Gray (15-19 mark in his career) has earned a FIP of 5.55 while he has gone up against 1,392 hitters in the major leagues.

St. Louis has a total of 121 HRs this year as well as 401 RBIs. They have notched 151 doubles, while walking 308 times as well as scoring 415 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals have recorded a team on-base percentage of .328 in addition to a batting average of .254 for the season. The Cardinals have a team SLG% of .426 and they score 4.61 runs per contest (12th in the league). They have been called out on strikes on 761 instances (19th in baseball) and have a total of 779 hits.

The Cardinals are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.466 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.19 as a unit this season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 8.30 (727 strikeouts vs 312 free passes). They come in at 28th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 849. They have allowed 87 homers and they relinquish 5.09 runs per 9 innings (25th in MLB). The St. Louis pitching staff have surrendered 448 runs so far this season while holding an ERA of 4.56 (401 earned runs relinquished).

St. Louis has had relievers enter the contest in 43 save opportunities and they have recorded 22 saves. They are currently ranked 27th in MLB holding a save percentage of 51.2%, and they have sent 273 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond this season. Their relievers have stepped onto the mound 104 times in high leverage situations in addition to 104 occasions with runners on base. St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 29.2% of 171 inherited runners. Sitting with 89 save situations, the Cardinals have amassed 46 holds in addition to 21 blown saves.

In 7,131 innings on the field, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 66.2% (30th in the majors). The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 83 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .988 (5th in MLB). The Cardinals have recorded 846 assists, 38 errors and have earned 2,377 putouts for the year.

Flaherty (40-30 record in his career) has a 3.54 ERA while surrendering 7.1 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.92 and he has gone up against 2,549 opposing hitters in his career. He has allowed 242 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.177 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. In his pro baseball career, Flaherty has conceded 489 hits while accumulating 689 punch outs in 616 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington

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