The Nationals finished the 2012 MLB Season with a league-leading 98 wins.
The Nationals finished the 2012 MLB Season with a league-leading 98 wins.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals are set to play Game Three of their 2012 MLB playoff series.

The National League Division Series matchup will get underway at Nationals Park at 1:07 p.m. ET. It will air nationally on the MLB Network. If you can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream online at mlb.com for $4.99. The package allows you to watch all the ALDS, NLDS and ALCS games online.

The series moves to Washington tied at 1-1. The Nationals have a big advantage playing the rest of the games at home. They were tied for the best home record in the NL in the regular season with 50 wins. The Cardinals were much worse on the road, losing 12 more games away from Busch Stadium.

A year after Edwin Jackson helped St. Louis win the World Series, the pitcher looks to help eliminate his former team from the playoffs. Jackson made four postseason starts in 2011, en route to winning a championship.

Jackson’s production has somewhat declined from last season. He finished below .500 this year, going 10-11 with a 4.03 earned run average.

For the Cardinals, Chris Carpenter will take the mound. It’s just his fourth start in 2012. He came back from surgery in late September, going 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA.

Unlike Jackson, Carpenter has had a lot of postseason success in his career. He’s 9-2 with a 3.05 ERA in the playoffs. Carpenter has won two titles with St. Louis.

Betting Line: Washington -112, St. Louis +102

Prediction: The Nationals were the better team throughout the entire regular season, winning 10 more games. While he hasn’t pitched much this year, Carpenter gives the Cardinals the advantage at starting pitcher. St. Louis is also the better hitting team, and should be able to put up runs against Jackson.

Predicted Score: St. Louis 6, Washington 2

Major league baseball