Cardinals vs Nationals Pick: St. Louis Looks for Sweep in D.C. (May 11)

• Our Cardinals vs Nationals pick analyzes the suddenly hot Cards trying to complete a 3-game sweep over the Nats
• St. Louis starts veteran Miles Mikolas, while Washington sends its ace MacKenzie Gore to the hill
• The Cardinals have won 9 of 11 to climb above .500 and get into playoff contention
• The Nats are trying to avoid their 5th straight loss

Suddenly, the Cardinals Are Right Behind the Cubs

The Cardinals had all but chalked this season up to a bridge year. Their attempts to trade star third baseman Nolan Arenado and their less-than-mediocre play to start the season only emphasized that reality.

However, since the end of April, they have been one of the best teams in MLB. After winning 9 of 11, they are two games above .500. A key to the turnaround has been Willson Contreras. He has increased his batting average by 34 points in May.

They send Miles Mikolas to the mound to try and complete a sweep in D.C.

On the surface, Mikolas’ numbers are unimpressive. He has a 4.76 ERA and has given up 34 hits and 18 earned runs in 34 innings. However, to put that in its proper context, he had one terrible game against the Red Sox in which he gave up 8 earned runs in 2.2 innings. Apart from that, he has been reliable, if not spectacular.

Against Mikolas, the Nats’ CJ Abrams is 3 for 10 with a home run. Josh Bell is 9 for 32 with a double and a home run. James Wood is 1 for 6 with a triple.

Nats Hope Gore Can Break Their Skid

The Nationals were off to a respectable start, but they have been stumbling recently, losing 4 straight. To get back in the win column and avoid a sweep, they send ace MacKenzie Gore to the hill.

The lefty has already accrued a 1.6 bWAR. He has a 3.33 ERA, has allowed 40 hits in 46 innings, and struck out 68. He has had two games this season in which he has struck out 13 batters. In addition, Gore has allowed more than 3 runs in only one game this season.

Against Gore, the Cards’ Contreras is 6 for 10 with 2 homers and 2 walks. Arenado is 3 for 6 with a home run. Masyn Winn is 3 for 5 with a home run. Brendan Donovan is 3 for 8 with 3 singles.

The Nats’ top rookie James Wood is blossoming into a star with 10 homers and a .924 OPS. Nathaniel Lowe has 6 homers and a .732 OPS. Bell has hit for some occasional power with 5 homers, but has a woeful .503 OPS. Abrams has an .875 OPS, 4 homers, and 8 stolen bases in 10 attempts. Kelbert Ruiz is hitting .292 with a .720 OPS.

Cardinals vs Nationals Pick: Gore Will Halt the Cards’ Momentum

Although Mikolas has been serviceable, Gore has been dominating at times and is racking up the strikeouts. Hot streak aside, St. Louis still has the roster of an also-ran that might hover around playoff contention if everything goes right.

The Nats will avoid the sweep at home behind their ace.