Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals 2/25/23

MLB Spring Training games in the Grapefruit League begin Saturday with eight 1:05 p.m. EST starts. The Nationals at the Cardinals has one of the more intriguing pitching matchups of the day with the game being played at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. St. Louis plans to have 41-year-old Adam Wainwright on the bump while Washington is going with 23-year-old MacKenzie Gore.

Wainwright is returning for his 18th season with the Cardinals after going 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts last year. Gore has yet to make a major-league appearance for the Nationals after being acquired as part of the Juan Soto trade with San Diego in August. He made 13 starts in 16 appearances for the Padres before being traded and went 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA.

The Cardinals had one of the better offensive clubs in 2022, tying with the Mets for fifth overall with 772 runs scored. They return much of the same lineup apart from one big upgrade: the signing of free agent catcher Willson Contreras, who spent seven seasons with the rival Chicago Cubs before departing for St. Louis this offseason. Contreras hit .243 in 2022 with an on-base percentage of .349 and slugged .466.

The Nationals didn’t make much noise this offseason but rather signed a host of inexpensive veterans to fill holes at the MLB level while the club continues to build a strong farm system. For example, former Cardinal Corey Dickerson was signed to play left field, and veteran Jaimer Candelario was brought in to play third base.  

If the two Spring Training games played Friday are indicative of what to expect as the rest of the league gets started Saturday, there should be plenty of stars in the lineups. Most of the big names batted twice before leaving the game. If this were a regular season game, St. Louis would a heavier favorite. At least for the first two times through the order, the Cardinals have a big advantage. Final Score Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals win 5-2.