A pair of National League powerhouses with World Series aspirations will clash out on the diamond this evening as the St. Louis Cardinals head to the City of Stars to do battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Cardinals-Dodgers prediction and pick will be revealed for all to see.
After snapping a three-game losing streak and avoiding being swept by downing the Padres 5-4 on Thursday, the Cardinals will be eager to further increase their division lead and show the rest of the baseball world that they are contenders with a win in Los Angeles. On the mound in this one for the Red Birds will be southpaw Jose Quintana, who is 5-6 with a 3.16 ERA on the season.
As for the Dodgers, they currently possess the best record in the NL at 104-46 and are also an astounding 52-20 at home. Like the Cardinals, Los Angeles was able to snap a mini-losing streak in a win against the Diamondbacks in a low-scoring fashion. In hopes of getting another stellar pitching performance, the Dodgers will turn to lefty Andrew Heany, who is 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA so far this year.
Here are the Cardinals-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Dodgers Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-144)
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+120)
Over: 8 (-106)
Under: 8 (-114)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
With a 37-36 record away from home on the season, it is without question that St. Louis must get off to a quick start to have a chance at covering the spread and ultimately come out victorious at Chavez Ravine.
With a magic number of five to be crowned NL Central champs, St. Louis must have the bats ready to go in the chance that this high-profile contest turns into a slug-fest. Clearly, the Cardinals have usually been up for the challenge throughout the regular season as they are one of the few teams in the majors to currently be ranked within the top-ten of runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, and even slugging percentage. Not to mention, but first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt has not cooled off whatsoever, as the lock to win the 2022 NL MVP is slashing .321 with 35 home runs and 112 RBIs. With other sluggers in Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, and even Albert Pujols, St. Louis should feel confident that they can answer whatever the Dodgers throw at them with the bats later tonight.
Additionally, the Red Birds have been no slouches when it comes to putting in quality innings from the pitching mound. If the savvy veteran in Jose Quintana can paint the corners and keep the Dodgers off-balanced, then that would increase the chances that the Cardinals can come up with a spread-covering win. In his career versus LA, Quintana is 2-1 with a dazzling 2.02 ERA in eight starts.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
On paper, this Dodgers squad has the chance to be one of the better overall rosters that they have had in quite some time. With seemingly no weaknesses and stacked with otherworldly talent at every position, the Dodgers definitely have what it takes to win their second World Series in just three years.
To begin, if they are wanting to cover the spread at home tonight, all eyes will be on a Dodgers offense that has been more cold than hot as of late. In their most recent series against the D-backs, Los Angeles struggled to barrel up the baseball as they averaged only two runs per game over the course of 27 innings played and six total. After the conclusion of the final game of the series played against Arizona, the Dodgers had only crossed the played six times combined on their way to losing two of the three contests. Nevertheless, LA is due to get out of their offensive woes eventually, as this is a team that has scored the most runs in the majors and has maintained the top slugging percentage in all of North America. Simply put, you can’t keep this dynamic crew in check for long.
Pitching-wise, the Dodgers are also as lockdown as it gets. When it comes to tonight’s game versus St. Louis, lefty Andrew Heaney is a candidate to be the reason why the Dodgers can cover the spread based on his recent play. In his last two starts, the 31-year-0ld southpaw has logged nine innings pitched and has only surrendered a single run to go along with 14 strikeouts. If Heaney can continue his scorching-hot ways, then Los Angeles should feel pretty good about themselves by the end of the night.
Final Cardinals-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
In what could very well be a future playoff matchup between these two historically great franchises, only one can cover the spread in tonight’s prime-time showdown. With the Cardinals acting as +1.5 run underdogs in this one, the value is certainly there to put your trust in a St. Louis team that put up the runs in a hurry. Side with the Red Birds and you will not be disappointed.
Final Cardinals-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-144)
