St. Louis at Washington

St. Louis continues to surge, winning six of eight. They are now +12 in run differential, one of the best in baseball, which should come as no surprise to the defending NL champs. They won at Washington yesterday and are a dog today, but the Cardinals are 4-1 in their last five games as an underdog. The Cardinals are 40-19 against a right-handed starter and face Stephen Strasburg (1-2), who has not been sharp wih a 6.00 ERA. Strasburg got roughed up Tuesday by the Marlins, giving up six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five in just four innings.  In 20 innings, he's walked eight batters and allowed 22 hits. The Nationals are 1-6 in Strasburg's last seven home starts vs. a team with a winning record. St. Louis has owned this series going 9-1 against the Nats, and the Cardinals are 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Washington. Play St. Louis.