St. Louis visits Washington following Flaherty’s solid outing
St. Louis Cardinals (17-10, first in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (12-14, fourth in the NL East)
Washington; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Nationals favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Nationals are 6-8 in home games. Washington has hit 41 home runs this season, eighth in the National League. Juan Soto leads the club with six, averaging one every 16.3 at-bats.
The Cardinals are 5-6 on the road. St. Louis’ team on-base percentage of .346 is eleventh in the MLB. Dexter Fowler leads the club with an OBP of .419. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Rendon leads the Nationals with 16 extra base hits and is batting .356. Matt Adams is 8-for-26 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.
Marcell Ozuna leads the Cardinals with 10 home runs and is batting .264. Paul DeJong is 17-for-43 with five doubles, a home run and four RBIs over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 4-6, .247 batting average, 4.65 ERA, outscored by eight runs
Cardinals: 8-2, .316 batting average, 4.00 ERA, outscored opponents by 19 runs
Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Trevor Rosenthal: 10-day IL (infection), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm), Ryan Zimmerman: 10-day IL (right foot plantar fasciitis), Trea Turner: 10-day IL (finger), Anthony Rendon: day-to-day (elbow).
Cardinals Injuries: Michael Wacha: 10-day IL (knee), Mike Mayers: 10-day IL (shoulder), Carlos Martinez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Luke Gregerson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Brett Cecil: 60-day IL (wrist/forearm), Justin Williams: 10-day IL (hand).