:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73446332/usa_today_23690023.0.jpg)
After a slow start to the season, the St. Louis Cardinals enter the weekend above .500 and in control of the third Wild Card spot in the National League and look to improve their standing even more on Saturday when they play the Washington Nationals on the road.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals (-125, 9)
MacKenzie Gore gets the start for Washington, who enters having allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his last 13 starts with a 3.47 ERA overall this season.
Gore has pitched even better than that ERA would indicate with a 2.99 fielding independent with 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing only 2.9 walks and 0.7 home runs per nine innings.
On the other end, Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn led the league in home runs allowed last season and has bounced back for a 3.59 ERA with 8.6 strikeouts and just one home run allowed per nine innings.
Both offenses have had their share of struggled this season with the Cardinals 25th in the league in scoring with just under four runs per game while the Nationals are 22nd in runs per game at home with just under 4.1 runs per game.
Additionally, the Nationals have had a difficult time hitting home runs with only the Miami Marlins having fewer home runs this season while the Cardinals entered Friday tied for 24th in home runs per game.
Entering the series, the Cardinals 3.51 ERA in the bullpen ranked eighth in the league while the Nationals 4.14 bullpen ERA was 18th across all MLB teams entering the series.
With the Nationals inability to hit home runs coupled with the way Gore has pitched this season, Saturday sets up for a good day for the pitchers.
The Play: Cardinals vs. Nationals Under 9 Runs
See which team DraftKings bettors are backing.