The St. Louis Cardinals will try to stave off elimination on Tuesday night when they take on the Washington Nationals in Game 4 of the 2019 NLCS. The Cardinals (91-71) last advanced to the World Series in 2013, while the Nationals (93-69) are looking for back-to-back postseason series wins for the first time in team history. Tuesday's game in Washington, D.C., is slated to begin at 8:05 p.m. ET. The Nationals are 176-144 against the Cardinals in their home ballpark all-time, including a 2-2 postseason mark. Accordingly, Washington is favored at -171 on the money line (risk $171 to win $100), up from an open of -151. The over-under for total runs scored is 7.5 in the latest Cardinals vs. Nationals odds, down from an open of eight. You'll want to see the MLB predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model before locking in any Nationals vs. Cardinals picks of your own.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, entered the second full week of the 2019 MLB Playoffs up almost $1,000 for $100 players on top-rated MLB picks this season. The model was especially strong on top-rated money line picks this season, entering the week on a profitable 158-130 run. Anyone who has been following it is way up.
Now, the model has dialed in on Cardinals vs. Nationals. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
The model knows Washington, making just its sixth playoff appearance, has dominated the series so far and has a statistical advantage over St. Louis in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.226 to .207), on-base percentage (.305 to .273), slugging percentage (.360 to .341), hits (59 to 48) and home runs (7 to 4).
Second baseman Howie Kendrick has been a difference-maker for the Nationals, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and three RBIs in Monday's 8-1 victory in Game 3. For the series, he is 5-for-12 with four doubles and four RBIs. During the regular season, he destroyed Cardinals pitching. In six games, he was 11-for-22 with three runs scored, one triple and one home run.
But just because Washington is on the verge of advancing to the 2019 World Series does not mean it is the best value on the Cardinals vs. Nationals money line.
The Cardinals have not been swept in a four-game series since losing the 2004 World Series to Boston. Right fielder Jose Martinez is 4-for-6 in the series with one start. In Game 3, Martinez was 2-for-4 and scored the Cardinals' lone run in an 8-1 loss. During the regular season, he was on fire against the Nationals. In six games, he was 6-for-12 with two doubles, three walks and three RBIs.
Right-hander Dakota Hudson (16-7, 3.35 ERA) will get the start for St. Louis. He pitched 4 2/3 innings in Game 4 of the NLDS against Atlanta, allowing one run.
So who wins Cardinals vs. Nationals? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nationals vs. Cardinals money line you should be all over Tuesday, all from the advanced model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.