Game Notes: The St. Louis Cardinals (38-52) will host the (36-54) Washington Nationals: July 14th 2023
The Nationals and all of the MLB are coming off of the All-Star break. The Nationals won their recent series against the Texas Rangers and they took two of 3 games
Game Information
- Matchup: Washington Nationals (36-54) vs the St. Louis Cardinals (38-52)
- Pitching Information | RHP Miles Mikolas (5-5 4.23)
- Game Info: Friday, July 14th | 8:15 PM EST
- Location: Busch Stadium | St. Louis Missouri
The First Half
The Nationals and all of the MLB are coming off of the All-Star break. The Nationals won their recent series against the Texas Rangers and they took two of 3 games. The Nationas' offense showed lots of promise as they scored 17 runs in the 3-game stand. The Nationals are currently in 5th place in the NL East but the Nationals are slowly creeping up on the Mets in 4th place. The Nationals are now looking to turn their season around and are looking for a big second half.
Player Who is Hot
CJ Abrams is coming off a very hot stretch for the Nationals. In the last 7 games, Abrams has a .346 AVG, .414 OBP, .423 SLG, .837 OPS. Abrams is looking to turn heads in the second half and prove he is the SS of the future.
What to know
The Nationals have some very favorable matchups with their hitters against Miles Mikolas. CJ Abrams is 3-3 with a HR against Mikolas. Jermier Candelario is batting with a .33 AVG with an RBI. Both Luis Garcia and Michael Chavis are supporting a .400 AVG. Corey Dickerson has seen Mikolas a lot as he has a .300 AVG in 20 AB against the Cardinals pitcher.
The Nationals are supporting a .717 OPS which is 19th in the MLB and above teams like the Yankees and Mariners. The Nationals also have the 5th best AVG in the MLB with a .261 AVG.With that AVG from the Nationals that also gives them the 7th best with 806 hits so far in 2023.
What to Know about the Cardinals
There were very high hopes for the Cardinals coming into 2023. It is safe to say the Cardinals have not lived up to that hype as they are in last place for the NL Central. There could be a flash sale in St. Louis at the end of July for the trade deadline. There are rumors that they will trade star players Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. The Nationals could jump on the Cardinals early in this series and start the 2nd half hot.
