Cardinals vs Nationals Prediction 4/8/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article we will formulate a Cardinals vs Nationals prediction for this MLB game on Wednesday, April 8th at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup. 

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals are 6-5 this season after they split the first two games in this series by scores of 6-9 and 7-6. In their game two win, St. Louis trailed 5-2 in the sixth inning, but they scored the next five runs to escape with the win in extra innings. The Cardinals recorded nine hits and they committed one error, while they were led by Church and Walker, who both had two RBIs in the game. Liberatore allowed nine hits and four earned runs over 5.0 innings for the no decision, while Soriano got the win and O’Brien picked up the save. Prior to this series, St. Louis lost two out of three against the Tigers, but won two out of three against the Mets before that. 

This season, St. Louis has a 5.31 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP and a .278 opponent batting average, while they have scored 53 runs with a .225 batting average and a .318 on base percentage. Jordan Walker has led the Cardinals with four home runs and 11 RBIs, while Alec Burleson has added one home run and seven RBIs. The projected starting pitcher for St. Louis is Michael McGreevy, who is 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP over 10.2 innings pitched this season. 

Washington Nationals Betting Preview

The Washington Nationals are 4-7 this year after they lost game two in extra innings by a score of 7-6 on Tuesday night. Washington trailed 2-0 in the first inning, but they rallied to take a 5-2 lead in the sixth, before their pitching staff fell apart (again) for the loss. The Nationals recorded 10 hits and they committed two errors in the game, while they were led by Mead, who went 3-4 with one home run and two RBIs. Cavalli allowed four hits and one earned run over 4.2 innings for the no decision, while Henry picked up the loss in extras. Prior to this series, Washington lost all three against the Dodgers and two out of three against the Phillies. 

This season, Washington has a 6.06 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP and a .278 opponent batting average, while they have scored 70 runs with a .276 batting average and a .351 on base percentage. CJ Abrams has led the Nationals with four home runs and 14 RBIs, while James Wood has added four home runs and 10 RBIs. The projected starting pitcher for Washington is Miles Mikolas, who is 0-2 with a 14.46 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP over 9.1 innings pitched this year. 

Why the Washington Nationals will win

• The Cardinals have lost seven of their last eight games as road favorites against National League opponents.
• The Nationals have won each of their last six games against NL Central opponents following a loss.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 13 games as favorites following a win.
• The Nationals have covered the run line in each of their last six games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a loss.
• The Nationals have led after 5 innings in each of their last three games.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Nationals have lost each of their last eight games following an extra innings loss.
• The Cardinals have won six of their last seven games at Nationals Park.
• The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games as underdogs following an extra innings loss.
• The Cardinals have covered the run line in six of their last seven road games against the Nationals.
• The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four home games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
• The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five home games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Nationals’ last six games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Four of the Cardinals’ last five road games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in five of the Nationals’ last six games.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in four of the Cardinals’ last five games at Nationals Park.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

• Miles Mikolas has recorded four or more strikeouts in each of his last six appearances in day games against NL Central teams that held a winning record.
• CJ Abrams has recorded at least one hit in each of the Nationals’ last eight games against the Cardinals.
• CJ Abrams has hit a home run in four of the Nationals’ last five games as underdogs against NL opponents.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

• Masyn Winn has recorded at least one hit in each of his nine previous appearances with the Cardinals as road favorites against NL East opponents.
• Ramon Urias has hit a home run in each of his last two appearances with his team as a road favorite.

Cardinals vs Nationals Prediction 

St. Louis was able to rally for a great win on Tuesday night, but they have allowed at least six runs in three of their last four games. The Cardinals are 2-3 on the road this year, while the Nationals are 1-4 at home. Washington has lost four of their last five games and they have allowed 6+ runs in five straight. The Nationals are starting Mikolas, who has been awful through two outings, and I don’t expect it to be much better against his former team here. Take the over in this contest.

David Racey's Pick: Over 8.5