Game 5 of the National League Division Series saw the St. Louis Cardinals explode on offense. They tallied 10 runs in the top of the first inning and would go on to win 13-1 against the Atlanta Braves.
Fast forward to the National League Championship Series and the Cardinals’ bats have fell silent. Through three-games, the Cardinals have mustered just 3 runs total and 11 hits.
Down but not technically out, St. Louis will look to climb back into this series and reverse sweep the Nationals. If they do so, the Cardinals will reach the World Series for the first since 2013. If the Nationals can win one more game against St. Louis, they will punch their ticket to the World Series. The Nationals (and formerly Expos) have never reached the World Series before.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 15th, 1:30 p.m. (EST)
Online bookmaker SportsBetting has the Nationals at -162 to win this game outright.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63290103/1021553974.jpg.0.jpg)
Dakota Hudson will be tasked with keeping the Cardinals in the postseason. Hudson made his debut in the playoffs in the NLDS, where he tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (1 earned). The hometown Nationals will see lefty Patrick Corbin on the mound.
Corbin is returning to his starting role after making appearances as a relief pitcher in the NLDS. He last pitched in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The main story of this playoff series is the Nationals’ pitchers keeping the Cardinals’ bats at bay. St. Louis has struggled to produce any offense and the Nationals’ pitchers have been elite. If we see another game where the bats of St. Louis fall silent, it will be the end of the line for the Cardinals.
