NLCS Odds and Betting Picks: Cardinals vs. Nationals
The Divisional rounds have come to an end and the NLCS odds are set with the series beginning Friday night. For the first time in three years, the Dodgers will not be representing the National League in the World Series after falling to the Washington Nationals in a thrilling game 5. Let’s take a look at NLCS odds and betting picks as the Nationals take on the St. Louis Cardinals
NLCS Odds — Cardinals vs. Nationals
Series Odds
- Nationals -125 (use our DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to get these odds)
- Cardinals +110 (use our FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to get these odds)
NLCS Game 1 Odds — Nationals (RHP Sanchez) at Cardinals (RHP Mikolas)
- Nationals +109 (use our William Hill promo code to get these odds)
- St. Louis Cardinals -120 (use our William Hill promo code to get these odds)
Only 24% of bets are on the Nationals as of Friday morning, per VegasInsider.com.
- Total Runs: 8.0 (opened 8.5)
An overwhelming majority of bets are on the Over.
NLCS Odds and Betting Picks: Cardinals vs. Nationals
Remember back in May when the Washington Nationals were 12 games under .500 and everyone had written them off? Oh, how quick they were to remind us how long the baseball season really is. The Nationals closed out the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball going 64-38 after their 19-31 start. They surged all the way to the top wild card spot, took care of the Brewers in the Wild Card game, and outlasted the 106-win Dodgers in an epic five-game Division Series.
The Nationals turn around was predicated on the back of elite starting pitching and an explosive offense lead by the league’s RBI leader Anthony Rendon. The teams run to end the season placed manager Dave Martinez in the driver’s seat for National League Manager of the Year.
Now, they turn their attention to the St. Louis Cardinals who are equally as hot coming into the postseason. The Cardinals closed out their regular season on a 33-16 run to dethrone the defending NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. They Bolster a high powered offense themselves featuring mashers like Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna, both capable of sending one into orbit at a moment’s notice. This offense was on full display in the Cardinals Game 5 route of the Braves where they exploded for 10 runs in the first inning.
This isn’t the match-up the experts predicted, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise when you look at the hot streaks these teams entered the postseason with. In such a long season, it pays dividends to be clicking on all cylinders at the right time. This should make for a very compelling NLCS.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nationals are the slight favorite to win this series at -125. I like them to take this series and the main reason is the starting pitching. The Cardinals staff is young, impressive and capable of holding its own. Dakota Hudson and Jack Flaherty have been solid for them all season long, the latter tallying 231 strikeouts and a 2.75 ERA on the season. However, the names in their rotation don’t carry the same weight as a Scherzer, Strasburg, or Corbin. In the postseason, the stars come out to play and the star factor in this series certainly resides in the Nationals’ rotation. Look for that trio to outperform the Cardinals’ rotation and lead the Nationals to a World Series berth.
NLCS Betting Pick: Nationals -125
World Series Futures Odds
Here’s a quick look at World Series futures odds and the best prices at various online sports betting sites for the four remaining MLB playoff teams.
- Houston Astros +175 at William Hill
- New York Yankees +310 at FanDuel
- Washington Nationals +470 at FanDuel
- St. Louis Cardinals +500 at PointsBet (use our PointsBet promo code to get these odds)
A few takeaways: William Hill is by far the best place to bet on the World Series favorites. The Houston Astros odds fall to +120 at DraftKings and PointsBet. That’s a big drop from +175. If you’re looking to take one of the longshots in the NL then check out FanDuel and PointsBet. Given the Nationals starting pitching prowess, we like the Nationals +470 to win the World Series. Considering the tough pitching matchup in Game 1 and the fact that the Cardinals are favorites Friday night, it might actually be better to wait to jump on this futures bet so long as you have conviction in the Nationals even if they start the series with a loss.
*For more general MLB betting tips check out our MLB Betting Picks Strategy Guide.
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images