WASHINGTON AT ST. LOUIS
Normally I'm very hesitate to bet on a team to win the series but I love this spot for the Cardinals. First, the Cardinal offense is really heating up since the first of August. Scherzer was 0-3 with a 6.43 era in August, one of the worst months of his career. The umpire, John Tumpane, is 15-8 to the home team. But the biggest reason is we get a pissed off Michael Wacha on the hill for the Cardinals. I love backing him when he's playing with a chip on his shoulder. Going into his last start the Cardinals had won 5 in a row when he took the hill. He had given up 4 er in 33 innings. In that last game in San Francisco, he was sailing along and with 1 out in the bottom of the third his defense committed two infield errors in a row that should have got them out of the inning. He then hit a batter to load them up for Marlon Byrd who was 0-14 against him at that point. On the first pitch Byrd hit it over the center field fence for 4 unearned runs. The Cardinal's went on to tie it up until the bottom of the 9th when the Giants scored 1 to win the game. I guarantee you he blames himself for that loss because of that one pitch to Byrd. The Cardinals get the sweep and get ready to welcome in Pittsburgh and then the Cubs to complete this home stand.
5* ST. LOUIS -113