Morgan recommended building Nationals stacks around CJ Abrams ($3,300) with Luis Garcia ($3,000) and Jacob Young ($2,300) against Miles Mikolas. Mikolas continues to let bats make contact, posting a 4.76 ERA with walks up to 3.18/9 and only 4.76 K/9. Lefties are batting .313 against him in 2025 and .286 dating back to 2023. Abrams has shaken off an early injury to slash .299 with four homers, two triples, and eight steals in just 27 games, while Garcia has three homers and six steals and hits .293/.456 at home over the past two seasons. Young offers cheap stolen-base upside (five already after 33 last year). Morgan expects the trio’s speed and contact skills to exploit Mikolas’s pitch-to-contact approach and generate multi-run upside at reasonable salaries.

Peterson grabbed Washington -115 and priced them at -146 thanks to a clear edge on the mound. He noted MacKenzie Gore’s 2.76 FIP and 13.3 K/9 show his 3.33 ERA is unlucky, whereas Miles Mikolas’ 4.76 ERA is fully earned given a limp 4.8 K/9 and a 3.2 BB/9 walk issue. A shaky St. Louis bullpen (4.24 ERA, 19th) compounds the disadvantage. With superior strikeout stuff and late-inning relief, Peterson feels the Nats should be meaningful favorites.

The tout paired the Cards play with an over, stressing both lineups’ recent surge—St. Louis ranks 3rd and Washington 13th in wRC+ this week. The Nationals bullpen hemorrhages runs, while St. Louis owns top-10 marks in wRC+ and wOBA versus southpaws like Gore. Even if Gore deals early, the bullpen’s 7.12 ERA provides late scoring upside, and Mikolas’ contact-oriented profile leaves room for Nationals runs. Cash Out Sports Picks expects combined offense to clear the posted number.

Cash Out Sports Picks called the Cardinals money-line price puzzling. St. Louis is on a seven-game heater and current hitters torch MacKenzie Gore to the tune of a .463/.500/.683 slash in 41 career at-bats. Washington’s pen ranks dead last with a 7.12 ERA and 1.72 WHIP, while the Nationals lineup has produced two or fewer runs in three of four. Miles Mikolas has allowed just three runs over his last 16.1 frames. With momentum, a favorable platoon split (10th in wRC+ vs LHP), and a bullpen edge, the tout locked in the underdog Cards.

Guy Boston leaned toward the Cardinals moneyline and a full-game Under in D.C. He noted that St. Louis has strung together four straight wins while Washington has dropped four in a row, giving the Cards the clear form edge. Although starter Payante has scuffled as a starter, Boston trusts the Cards’ offense more than a Nationals lineup that has produced just nine total runs during its slide. Trevor Williams owns a 4.84 xFIP over his last five and rarely works deep, yet Boston thinks the Under is still live because Washington’s bats are cold and St. Louis is a classic fade-after-ten-runs candidate (Cards put up 10 last night; Boston referenced his long-standing ‘teams rarely repeat double-digit outputs’ rule). With two shaky starters and suspect bullpens he is not making it a best bet, but his preferred combo is Cardinals ML at plus-money and the Under 9.

Bettor Mark said he is betting OVER 9 (-110) in Cardinals-Nationals because he expects both lineups to produce at least five runs apiece. He pointed to St. Louis’ recent "hitting the baseball exceedingly well" stretch and Washington’s habit of surrendering crooked numbers, referencing the Nats’ just-completed high-scoring set with Cleveland. With Andre Palante facing Trevor Williams, Mark sees little resistance on either side and even mentioned the Cardinals’ team-total as a viable alternative, but the official play is the full-game over.

Kenny G recommended laying the short price (-115) with St. Louis in Washington. The Cardinals enter on a six-game winning streak and just routed the Nats 10-0 in the series opener. While Andre Pallante’s 4.75 ERA is far from spotless, Kenny believes he can hold serve long enough against a Nationals lineup that has managed only 0, 6, 1, 10, and 4 runs its last five outings. The bigger edge, in his view, is fading Trevor Williams, who owns a 5.86 ERA and has been shelled in consecutive starts (9 hits, 4 ER vs Cincinnati; rocked by the Mets prior). The real dagger is Washington’s bullpen: a league-worst 7.29 ERA that routinely implodes late. St. Louis remains second in MLB batting average and seventh in OBP and has scored 10, 5, 2, 6, 5 runs over its last five, suggesting the sticks are heating up. Kenny also noted Washington is just 10-10 at home but 12-6-1 to the over, reinforcing how often the bullpen gets torched. He is happy to back the hotter team and the far more trustworthy offense against the league’s worst relief corps.

Scott Reichel recommended Over 9 runs in Cardinals–Nationals because neither starter can miss bats. Matthew Palante owns a 5.66 ERA on the road and has surrendered at least three runs in four straight outings, while Trevor Williams brings a 5.86 season ERA and a high-contact profile. Palante walked four Mets and struck out none in his last start, illustrating his lack of strikeout stuff, and Williams has given up 19 hits across his last two appearances. With both bullpens coming off heavy mid-week usage and warm weather projected, Reichel expects double-digit scoring and pegged the fair total closer to 11, making the listed 9 an over play.

Brendan Donovan was labeled "on fire" by It's The Final Round. Donovan has hits in 27 of his last 30 games and is 2-for-6 (.333) against Trevor Williams. The tout suggested backing Donovan to record a hit when the Cardinals face the Nationals.

It's The Final Round flagged CJ Abrams as a sneaky hit prop target versus Andre Pallante, noting Abrams is 3-for-3 lifetime against the right-hander and has logged hits in 11 of his last 13 outings. The tout called the matchup "batting a thousand, baby" and expects Abrams to keep the momentum going Saturday.

The tout also played the OVER. Both starters own ugly numbers: Andre Pallante is 0-2 with a 5.66 ERA and 1.55 WHIP on the road while Trevor Williams sports a 5.28 ERA and .271 BAA at Nationals Park. After Williams departs, Washington hands the ball to a bullpen carrying a 7.22 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. Offensively St. Louis ranks 8th in team OPS (.739) and Washington 16th (.693), and Nationals Park day games see Washington average 4.9 runs. The over has cashed in seven of the last nine meetings, so the tout is expecting another high-scoring affair.

Brad Francis advised taking the Cardinals on the money line, pointing out that St. Louis has quietly rattled off six straight wins. He conceded Washington’s starters and lineup are respectable but hammered the Nationals’ bullpen as "the worst bullpen in the MLB," projecting the game to stay close through five before the relief mismatch blows it open. With the bullpen edge and sustained team momentum, Francis labeled the Cards a strong bet according to SportsChatPlace’s betting tools.

Cash Out Sports Picks rode with St. Louis on the money line. Washington’s bullpen sits dead last in MLB with a 7.29 ERA, nearly three full runs worse than the Cardinals’ 4.24 mark (19th). St. Louis is also far more disciplined, ranking 9th in walks drawn (142) compared to Washington’s 120 (T-19th). With the Cards coming off a 10-0 series-opening win, the tout expects their patient lineup to wear down Trevor Williams and then feast on the league’s worst relief corps.

Greg Peterson grabbed the Nationals at +100 (made it Washington ‑107) because he expects Trevor Williams’ ugly 5.86 ERA to slide closer to his 4.18 FIP, while Andre Pallante’s 4.75 ERA may actually worsen given a 5.44 FIP, 1.5 HR/9 and 4.0 BB/9. Williams’ manageable 1.3 HR/9 and 2.8 BB/9 point to incoming positive regression, and St. Louis’ bullpen has been worked heavily the last two nights. With the starting-pitching edge and coin-flip price, Peterson backed the Nats on the moneyline.

Kenny G recommended betting Over 8.5 in St. Louis–Washington, calling it "an excellent spot for runs." He pointed to Mitchell Parker’s collapse over his last two outings (11 ER in 9.0 IP with eight walks) and a Nationals bullpen that owns a league-worst 7.22 ERA. St. Louis counters with Kyle Fidler ("Fidi") who has been serviceable but far from shut-down, and the Cardinals’ shaky 4–13 road record has produced a 10-6-1 over trend. Washington has gone 12-6-1 to the over at home, while its offense sits mid-pack (14th in runs, 16th in slugging) but has flashed 10-run upside this week. Kenny added that the Cardinals’ bats are heating up and sees both starters exiting early, leaving two tired, bottom-tier bullpens to finish the job. He leaned Cards −105 as a side play but emphasized the total as the actionable edge.

Lonte Smith hammered Over 8.5 because both starters can’t find the zone. Fedde has issued 17 walks in his last five appearances, while Mitchell Parker has 14 over that same sample and is fresh off surrendering 11 earned in two starts. Smith noted Busch Stadium hides St. Louis’ offense; on the road they still slug, ranking 9th in HR/FB rate. The Nationals have scored five or more in seven of their last ten and face a Cardinal bullpen carrying a 1.56 WHIP the past two weeks. With neither staff controlling traffic, he expects constant RBI chances and a 6-5 type shoot-out.

Scott Reichel grabbed Washington -115, citing St. Louis’ brutal 4-13 road record and Erick Fedde’s 4.78 ERA. While Fedde’s command issues (17 walks in last five starts) worry him, he trusts Mitchell Parker’s 3.48 ERA and 26% K-rate in pitcher-friendly Nationals Park. Reichel also highlighted the Cardinals’ batting average dropping 42 points away from Busch Stadium. With Washington 8-2 in its last ten overall and St. Louis traveling off a homestand, he expects the Nats to scratch out enough against the shaky Cardinal bullpen (4.50 xFIP last two weeks).

Lindquist said he will fire on Goldschmidt Over 1.5 total bases if books hang +105 or better against Pirates right-hander Asvaldo Bido. Bido sports a 13.1 % K-rate, .353 xwOBA, and an 19.8-degree average launch angle that plays directly into Goldy’s 44 % hard-hit profile. Goldschmidt’s own expected average sits at .293 despite a slow box-score start, so Lindquist views this as classic positive-regression territory against a pitcher who has been hammered by both lefties and righties. If the plus-money price appears, it will be one of his first prop bets added Friday morning.

He played the OVER, pointing out Washington clearing the number in four of five and averaging 7.5 runs in Parker’s last three wins. Both starters have walk problems—Parker issued nine free passes in his last two games, and Fed sports a 1.46 WHIP with a 2-to-1 K/BB ratio. Control issues plus two offenses that have recently soared past totals create a high-variance slugfest environment.

He grabbed Washington on the money line, noting St. Louis’ brutal 4-13 road record and Mitchell Parker’s five quality starts in seven tries. Despite Parker’s recent stumble, the Nationals are 3-2 in his last five, while the Cardinals bat only .228 away from Busch Stadium. Washington’s 10-9 home mark and St. Louis’ persistent travel funk justify the Nats as slight favorites even with the Cardinals’ current five-game winning streak.

Greg Peterson backed the Cardinals at +100 and the full-game Over 8.5 because Washington’s relief corps has been a dumpster fire (league-worst 6.94 bullpen ERA). He pointed out that Mitchell Parker’s shiny 3.48 ERA hides a 4.06 FIP and shaky command (4.4 walks, only 4.6 strikeouts per nine). Erick Fedde’s 4.76 ERA isn’t pretty, but Peterson trusts St. Louis’ far superior bullpen to protect a lead. With two starters who issue free passes and neither pen reliable, his own number made St. Louis –116 and the total 8.7, creating value on both the Cards moneyline and the Over.