MLB Thursday Preview: Cardinals at Nationals, Blue Jays at Angels
May 2nd, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals (20-10) at Washington Nationals (12-17), 4:05 p.m. ET
Dakota Hudson (2-1, 5.63 ERA) (STL) +130 / +1.5 runs (-160) / Over nine runs (EVEN) Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.82 ERA) (WSH) -145 / -1.5 runs (+135) / Under nine runs (-120)Oddsmakers appear to have set a total that's far too high for Thursday afternoon's getaway game between the Cardinals and Nationals in Washington.
Stephen Strasburg's biggest problem this year is stranding runners, as his 3.82 ERA is offset by his 1.099 WHIP. Opponents are hitting .294 against Strasburg in RBI situations, up drastically from his .250 average against in 2018. In his last two starts against St. Louis, the California native is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA (13 innings).
Dakota Hudson's ERA is over 5 mainly because of to two bad outings against the Brewers' potent lineup. In 15 1/3 innings of work as a starter against three other teams this year, his ERA is a respectable 3.58. Hudson may not last more than five frames, but his eighth-ranked bullpen by ERA (3.60) is capable of picking him up.
MLB Free Play: Under
Toronto Blue Jays (14-16) at Los Angeles Angels (14-17), 10:07 p.m. ET
Aaron Sanchez (3-1, 2.32 ERA) (TOR) +135 / +1.5 runs (-155) / Over 8.5 runs (-115) Tyler Skaggs (2-2, 3.15 ERA) (LAA) -150 / -1.5 runs (+130) / Under 8.5 runs (-105)Runs could be hard to come by in this late-night American League matchup between the Blue Jays and Angels.
Southpaw Tyler Skaggs is on the bump for L.A., and Toronto is 24th in the majors in OPS against lefties this year (.669). That's helped the Under cash in eight of the Blue Jays' last 11 games against left-handed starters (per Covers.com).
Aaron Sanchez counters for Toronto, and his road splits over the last three seasons are strong, as he's 13-6 with a 3.16 ERA and a .230 batting average against.
Both clubs have reliable bullpens, as the Blue Jays' relief corps rank third in the AL with a 3.49 ERA, and the Angels' relievers are fifth at 3.90.
MLB Free Play: Under
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