Cardinals vs Nationals Prediction, Odds, Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under for Sept. 18

Odds updated as of 5:12 a.m.

The MLB schedule on Friday includes the St. Louis Cardinals facing the Washington Nationals.

Before you do any MLB betting on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here's everything you need to know.

Cardinals vs Nationals Game Info

• St. Louis Cardinals (75-78) vs. Washington Nationals (71-82)
• Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Venue: Busch Stadium -- St. Louis, Missouri
• Coverage: Cardinals.TV and Nationals.TV

Cardinals vs Nationals Odds & Moneyline

• All MLB odds, betting lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: STL: (-112) | WSH: (-104)
• Spread: STL: +1.5 (-196) | WSH: -1.5 (+162)
• Total: 7.5 -- Over: (-120) | Under: (-102)

Cardinals vs Nationals Probable Starting Pitchers

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Leahy (Cardinals) - 10-4, 3.33 ERA vs Cade Cavalli (Nationals) - 12-5, 3.12 ERA

This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Cardinals will send Kyle Leahy (10-4) to the mound, while Cade Cavalli (12-5) will get the nod for the Nationals. Leahy and his team have a record of 13-13-0 against the spread when he starts. Leahy's team has been victorious in 50% of the games he's started as the moneyline favorite with a record of 5-5. The Nationals have a 17-12-0 ATS record in Cavalli's 29 starts with a set spread. The Nationals have an 8-11 record in Cavalli's 19 starts this season when they were the moneyline underdog.

Cardinals vs Nationals Prediction & Pick

All MLB win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Cardinals win (50.5%)

Cardinals vs Nationals Moneyline

• The Cardinals vs Nationals moneyline has St. Louis as a -112 favorite, while Washington is a -104 underdog on the road.

Cardinals vs Nationals Spread

• The Nationals are 1.5-run favorites against the spread for this matchup with the Cardinals. The Nationals are +162 to cover, while the Cardinals are -196 to cover as a 1.5-run underdog on the runline.

Cardinals vs Nationals Over/Under

• A total of 7.5 runs has been set for the Cardinals-Nationals game on Sept. 18, with the over available at -120 and the under at -102.

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Cardinals vs Nationals Betting Trends

• The Cardinals have come away with 27 wins in the 51 contests they have been listed as the favorites in this season.
• St. Louis has a record of 22-20 when favored by -112 or more this year.
• The Cardinals and their opponents have gone over in 69 of their 149 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• In 149 games with a line this season, the Cardinals have a mark of 80-69-0 against the spread.
• The Nationals have gone 49-66 in games they were the underdog on the moneyline (winning 42.6% of those games).
• Washington has gone 47-64 when it has played as a moneyline underdog with odds of -104 or longer (42.3%).
• The Nationals have played in 149 games with a set over/under, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 78 times (78-65-6).
• The Nationals have covered 54.4% of their games this season, going 81-68-0 against the spread.

Cardinals Player Leaders

• Alec Burleson has an OPS of .822, fueled by an OBP of .350 and a team-best slugging percentage of .471 this season. He has a .284 batting average.
• Among all qualified hitters in MLB, he ranks 16th in batting average, 44th in on-base percentage, and 30th in slugging.
• Burleson will look for his fifth straight game with a hit in this matchup. In his last five games he is batting .278 with two doubles, a home run, two walks and five RBIs.
• Jordan Walker leads St. Louis in total hits (160) this season while batting .278 with 61 extra-base hits. He's slugging .482 with an on-base percentage of .336.
• He is 24th in batting average, 61st in on-base percentage and 24th in slugging among qualifying hitters.
• Ivan Herrera leads St. Louis with an OBP of .355 this season while batting .242 with 74 walks and 93 runs scored.
• JJ Wetherholt has 17 home runs, 48 RBI and a batting average of .240 this season.

Nationals Player Leaders

• C.J. Abrams has racked up a slugging percentage of .495, a team-high for the Nationals. He's batting .264 with an on-base percentage of .339.
• Including all qualified players in the majors, his batting average puts him 55th, his on-base percentage is 57th, and he is 17th in slugging.
• Abrams heads into this game on a four-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .333 with four doubles and an RBI.
• James Wood has racked up 127 hits with a .391 on-base percentage to pace his team in both. He has a batting average of .265 while slugging .518.
• He is 54th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage and ninth in slugging percentage in the majors.
• Daylen Lile is hitting .251 with 27 doubles, eight triples, 21 home runs and 39 walks.
• Jacob Young is batting .247 with 20 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 32 walks.

Cardinals vs Nationals Head to Head

• 4/8/2026: 6-1 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -126, Underdog Moneyline: +108)
• 4/7/2026: 7-6 STL (Favorite: Nationals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -112, Underdog Moneyline: -104)
• 4/6/2026: 9-6 WSH (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -116, Underdog Moneyline: -102)
• 7/10/2025: 8-1 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 9, Favorite Moneyline: -142, Underdog Moneyline: +120)
• 7/9/2025: 8-2 WSH (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -142, Underdog Moneyline: +120)
• 5/11/2025: 6-1 STL (Favorite: Nationals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -142, Underdog Moneyline: +120)
• 5/10/2025: 4-2 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 9, Favorite Moneyline: -112, Underdog Moneyline: -104)
• 5/9/2025: 10-0 STL (Favorite: Nationals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -108, Underdog Moneyline: -108)
• 7/28/2024: 4-3 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -152, Underdog Moneyline: +128)
• 7/27/2024: 14-3 WSH (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -152, Underdog Moneyline: +128)

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