The struggling St. Louis Cardinals are trying to stave off their fifth straight loss as they play host to the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium. NBC Sports Philadelphia will broadcast this NL showdown and the opening pitch will be at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Philadelphia (+120) as the underdog to St. Louis (-130). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -110 for over 8.5 runs and -110 for under 8.5. The game’s current runline odds sit at -175 for taking the Phillies +1.5 runs and +155 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs.
The Cardinals are 20-14 straight up (SU) and 21-12 against the spread (ATS). The team’s gained 6.3 units for moneyline bettors and 10.4 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Phillies have gone 19-14 SU this year and are 16-16 ATS. In total, the club has accumulated 0.1 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season, but have lost 0.7 units ATS. Philadelphia’s covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have a 17-13-3 over/under record thus far in 2019. Phillies games have gone over 16 times, gone under 16 times and pushed on zero instances.
Vince Velasquez will get the nod for the visiting Phillies. The right-handed Velasquez is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 29 strikeouts. This is his first outing against St. Louis this year. He made two starts against the team in 2018, putting together a 1-0 record with a 2.84 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are sending righty Miles Mikolas (3-2, 4.72 ERA) to the mound. Mikolas has 23 strikeouts and nine walks to his name, along with a 1.25 WHIP. Mikolas only made one start against the Phillies in 2018 (0-0, 7.20 ERA and three strikeouts across five innings).
St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 4.5 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.58, a WHIP of 1.41 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has a 4.04 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10.6 K/9.
St. Louis’ hitters are putting up 5.1 runs per contest, including 3.7 per game over its last 10 games and 3.2 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .257/.319/.354 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Shortstop Paul DeJong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have led the Cardinals’ offense this year. DeJong is hitting .336/.403/.590 with six home runs, 15 RBIs and 29 runs scored, and Goldschmidt is batting .252 with nine homers, 19 RBIs and 23 runs.
For the visitors, Philadelphia’s pitchers have allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 3.97 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 8.23 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.24, along with a WHIP of 1.37 and a K-per-9 of 9.41.
Phillies hitters have slashed .250/.340/.428 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game this year, including 5.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Philadelphia’s hitters have been paced by second baseman Cesar Hernandez and first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Hernandez is slashing .289/.346/.421 with 35 hits, 10 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Hoskins (.291/.424/.632) is up to 34 hits, 10 homers, 31 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
The Phillies have gained 3.9 units and are 13-11 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 12 of those games, compared to 12 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 6.3 units and are 18-10 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 15 of those games, compared to 11 that’ve gone under.
Phillies vs. Cardinals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Phillies, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in four of Philadelphia’s last seven games.
- The Phillies have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit five over their last 10.
- The Phillies have an OPS of .768 this season and an OPS of .767 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS sits at .780 overall and .801 against righties.
- St. Louis has posted 20.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 21.2 over its last five.
- The Phillies have won three of their last four games SU.
