Location: Nationals Park — Washington, D.C.
Scheduled First Pitch: 6:45 PM ET
Broadcast: MLB.TV
Weather Outlook (Washington, D.C.)
Nationals Park is outdoors, so weather can influence ball flight.
Expected Temperature: Low‑60s at first pitch
Conditions: Partly cloudy
Wind: Light breeze toward left field
Impact: Slightly pitcher‑friendly; cool air reduces carry
(No direct weather report was provided in sources; projection based on typical early‑April D.C. conditions.)
Injury Report
Washington Nationals
Trevor Williams — 60‑Day IL (elbow)
Josiah Gray — 60‑Day IL (elbow)
Paxton Schultz — 15‑Day IL (elbow)
DJ Herz — 60‑Day IL (elbow)
St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Pushard — 15‑Day IL (knee)
Hunter Dobbins — 15‑Day IL (knee)
Lars Nootbaar — 60‑Day IL (heels)
Team Records & Standings
St. Louis Cardinals (5‑5)
Road Record: 1‑3
Streak: L1
Division: 4th in NL Central
Washington Nationals (4‑6)
Home Record: 1‑3
Streak: W1
Division: 5th in NL East
Recent Team Form
St. Louis Cardinals
Coming off a 9–6 loss to Washington in the series opener.
Offense: .222 AVG, .305 OBP, .353 SLG.
Pitching: 5.40 ERA, 1.63 WHIP — struggling to miss bats.
Jordan Walker leads the team with a .314 AVG, 9 RBI, 3 HR.
Washington Nationals
Won the opener 9–6, fueled by a six‑run eighth inning.
Offense: .277 AVG, .352 OBP, .457 SLG — significantly outperforming St. Louis.
Pitching: 6.24 ERA, 1.63 WHIP — high variance but supported by strong run production.
CJ Abrams leads with 13 RBI and 4 HR; Brady House hitting .333.
Probable Pitching Matchup
St. Louis Cardinals — LHP Matthew Liberatore
0‑0, 1.64 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 4 K
Career: 345 IP, 276 K
Strengths: Soft‑contact profile, early‑season command.
Concern: 3.27 K/9 is extremely low; lack of swing‑and‑miss vs. a hot Washington lineup is dangerous.
Washington Nationals — RHP Cade Cavalli
0‑0, 2.79 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8 K
Strengths: Better strikeout profile (7.45 K/9) than Liberatore.
Concern: Nationals’ pitching staff overall has struggled, but Cavalli has been a bright spot.
Key Player Matchups
Cardinals Hitters vs. Cavalli
Jordan Walker (.314 AVG) is the most reliable bat.
St. Louis has only 8 HR on the season — limited power vs. a pitcher who can elevate.
Low team OBP (.305) reduces pressure on Cavalli.
Nationals Hitters vs. Liberatore
Washington averaging 6.4 runs/game, a major edge.
Abrams + House form a dangerous top‑of‑order combination.
Liberatore’s low strikeout rate is a poor matchup vs. a lineup hitting .277 with .808 OPS.
Series History & Context
Nationals lead the series 1–0 after a 9–6 win.
Washington exploded for six runs in the eighth inning in the opener.
Cardinals have lost seven of their last eight road games.
Home team has won five of the last six Cardinals games.
Betting Trends & Market Notes
Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in 7 of their last 8 road games.
Nationals have covered the run line in 4 straight night games vs. NL opponents.
Washington’s offense has produced 64 runs in 10 games, elite early‑season output.
Game Odds
St. Louis Cardinals 7
Washington Nationals – 114
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, April 6, 2026
