Washington visits St. Louis, aims to build on Sanchez's strong showing
Washington Nationals (82-66, second in the NL East) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (83-66, first in the NL Central)
St. Louis; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Stephen Strasburg (17-6, 3.49 ERA) Cardinals: Dakota Hudson (15-7, 3.38 ERA)
LINE: Nationals -136; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez threw seven innings, giving up zero runs on three hits with three strikeouts against Atlanta.
The Cardinals are 47-28 on their home turf. The St. Louis pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.81, Jack Flaherty leads the staff with a mark of 3.05.
The Nationals are 40-35 in road games. Washington's team on-base percentage of .336 leads the National League. Anthony Rendon leads the club with an OBP of .409.
TOP PERFORMERS: Paul DeJong leads the Cardinals with 58 extra base hits and is batting .239. Paul Goldschmidt is 9-for-31 with three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
Rendon leads the Nationals with 118 RBIs and is batting .332. Juan Soto is 8-for-32 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 5-5, .240 batting average, 2.90 ERA, outscored opponents by 27 runs
Nationals: 4-6, .238 batting average, 4.61 ERA, outscored by one run
Cardinals Injuries: Jordan Hicks: (elbow), Tony Cingrani: (shoulder), Brett Cecil: (wrist/forearm), Lane Thomas: (wrist).
Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: (shoulder), Jonny Venters: (shoulder), Koda Glover: (forearm), Roenis Elias: (hamstring), Adrian Sanchez: (illness), Matt Adams: (shoulder/triceps), Kurt Suzuki: (elbow), Spencer Kieboom: (elbow).
