2nd Sept - Cardinals vs Nationals

A lot of the attention will be on Scherzer and his recent struggles heading into this game, but the Cardinals’ Michael Wacha is a pretty good candidate for extra attention as well. He’s 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA over his last six starts and has been leading the Cardinals down the stretch with Adam Wainright sidelined due to injury.

St Louis are once again leading the National League and look like a serious threat to win the World Series. They’re getting all the runs they need and after winning a tough series in San Francisco, they’ve now handled themselves equally well on home turf against the Nationals.

For Washington, they need 2013 Cy Young winner Scherzer to be a difference maker again. He’s posted a 1-3 record and 5.63 ERA over the course of his last six starts. He’s aiming to avoid dropping a career worst fourth consecutive start on Wednesday night.

Washington’s hitters will also need to find a way to score more runs against St Louis. Bryce Harper, Jason Werth and Anthony Renden don’t have a history of success against Wacha with a combined batting average of well under .200. Catcher Wilson Ramos is arguably the team’s in-form hitter, he went 3-4 in last night’s defeat and is hitting .394 in his last nine games.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Wacha vs Scherzer

Wacha will come out on top in this pitching match-up. There’s something not right about Scherzer’s game and we think he’ll find it even more difficult competing against a pitcher with Wacha’s control and dominant potential.

2. Good enough hitting in game

Still, we think that there’s some serious conservatism at play in the Game Total projections. Scherzer hasn’t been pitching particularly well and Washington have the sort of hitting line-up that is very difficult to keep completely quiet.

3. Near even odds

The St Louis Money Line and Over Game Total are both coming in at near even odds, which we think presents a significant betting opportunity.