The Cleveland Indians will take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. SportsTime Ohio will broadcast this interleague matchup and the first pitch will be at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Cleveland (+100) is entering this game as the underdog against St. Louis (-110) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Gamblers can also bet on the games spread with the runline odds coming in at Indians +1.5 runs (-210) and Cardinals -1.5 runs (+175).
The Indians are 43-35 SU and are 37-40 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 6.5 units for moneyline bettors and 6.5 units ATS. Cleveland has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 42-36 SU and 38-39 ATS. The team has lost 5.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.0 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Cardinals games have a 31-42-4 over/under record thus far in 2018. The Indians have an over/under record of 40-35-2.
The right-handed Shane Bieber will get the start for Cleveland. Bieber is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 22 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the right hand of Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.50 ERA), who has 68 punchouts and 16 walks as well as a 1.01 WHIP. Flaherty did not record a start against the Indians in 2017.
As a unit, St. Louis pitching staff has yielded 4.1 runs per game overall this season. The clubs starters have an ERA of 3.31, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has a 4.11 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8.8 K/9.
St. Louis hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per outing, including 5.0 per game over its last 10 games and 5.4 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .250/.339/.439 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Left fielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez have led the way for the Cardinals batters this year. Ozuna is hitting .289/.335/.429 with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and 31 runs scored, and Martinez line sits at .302/.373/.500 with 12 homers, 50 RBIs and 34 runs.
For the visitors, Cleveland’s pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.24 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.20, along with a WHIP of 1.12 and a K-per-9 of 8.79.
Indians hitters have slashed .254/.326/.436 on their way to 4.9 runs scored per game this season, including 5.9 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 5.6 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).
Cleveland’s hitters have been paced by shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Jose Ramirez, who collectively have belted 42 home runs. Lindor is hitting .292/.367/.545 with 19 home runs, 44 RBIs, 64 runs and 10 steals. Ramirez is hitting .292/.398/.605 with 23 homers, 52 RBIs, 55 runs and 12 stolen bases.
The Indians have lost 11.2 units and are 24-30 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 27 of those games, compared to 25 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 0.9 units and are 29-29 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 22 of those games, compared to 32 that’ve gone under.
Cleveland Indians vs. St. Louis Cardinals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Cleveland’s last seven contests.
- Cleveland has recorded 23.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 22.8 over its last five.
- The Indians have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
