The St. Louis Cardinals will head north to play the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. This interleague showdown will be televised nationally on Fox Sports One and the opening pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Minnesota (-120) as the favorite over St. Louis (+110). Bettors can wager on the games total with odds sitting at -105 for over 9 runs and -115 for under 9. Gamblers can also wager on the games spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -190 for the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +165 for the Twins -1.5 runs.
The Cardinals are 22-16 SU and are 18-20 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 1.8 units for moneyline bettors in this young season, despite having lost 2.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Twins, on the other hand, are 17-20 SU and 22-14 ATS. They’ve lost 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 5.0 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Twins games have an over/under record of 19-16-1 so far in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 15-20-3.
Jack Flaherty will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Flaherty is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 11 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Twins this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Twins are putting the ball in the hands of righty Jose Berrios (3-4, 4.50 ERA), who has 40 strikeouts and nine walks to his credit, as well as a 1.04 WHIP. Berrios did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
St. Louis pitching staff allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starters own a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.78 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.66, along with a K-per-9 of 8.40.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .230/.318/.385 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.4 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 3.2 per game over the teams last five outings (2-3 SU).
Outfielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Paul DeJong have led St. Louis offense. Pham is slashing .319/.432/.552 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, 28 runs and seven stolen bases, while DeJong is hitting .262 with eight homers, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Pham enjoyed hitting against righty pitching on the road last season. Across 226 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .352/.438/.633 (compared to his overall season line of .306/.411/.520).
For the home team, Minnesota’s pitching staff has yielded 4.8 runs per game overall this year. The teams starters have an ERA of 4.25, a WHIP of 1.35 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.0. The bullpen has a 4.83 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 9.2 K/9.
Minnesota’s hitters have put up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game over its last 10 games and 3.0 per game over their last five. The team has hit .224/.283/.353 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Twins batters have been led by outfielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Rosario is hitting .285/.309/.556 with nine home runs, 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Escobar’s line sits at .274/.329/.548 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and 23 runs.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .290/.328/.507, Rosario performed well against righties at home last season, slashing .351/.402/.733 over 209 such plate appearances.
The Cardinals have lost 1.6 units and are 10-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 10 of those games, compared to 13 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 3.6 units and are 17-12 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The overs hit in 15 of those games, as opposed to 13 that’ve gone under.
St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- St. Louis has posted 17.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 18.4 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
