This is a 10* on ST. LOUIS

We think it's a little interesting that it's Washington favored to win the NLCS. After all, the Nationals were not expected to be here. They appeared dead in Game 5 vs. the Dodgers, down 3-0, but shocking back to back home runs off Clayton Kershaw brought them back to life and allowed them to win in extra innings. Earlier that day, St. Louis pounded Atlanta 13-1, becoming the first team in postseason history to score 10 runs in the first inning. The Cardinals are the ones with homefield advantage in the series and that's huge for a starting rotation whose individual members almost all pitch better here. Miles Mikolas is up first. In his only LDS start (Game 1), his team got the win thanks to five solid innings where Mikolas allowed only one run on three hits. He also threw a scoreless inning of relief in Game 4. He has a 2.41 ERA his past three starts and a 3.01 ERA/1.05 WHIP at home this season. Mikolas got to face Washington twice in the regular season and he ended up allowing just four runs in 12 innings. The Cardinals don't give up many runs at home (just 3.6 per game) so them getting handed homefield advantage is a big deal. Anibal Sanchez is the Game 1 starter for the Nationals. He is 2-4 in eight career starts vs. St. Louis and took a loss against them back in April. While the starting pitching matchup may seem close to even, the Cardinals have a substantial edge in the bullpen. Really good value on the home team for Game 1. Play on ST. LOUIS

AAA