The St. Louis Cardinals are prepared to battle against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Fox Sports North will be airing this interleague matchup and the action gets going at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Minnesota (+180) is the underdog to St. Louis (-190) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this game at 8 runs. The odds for betting on the games total stand at -105 for the under and -115 for the over. You can also wager on the games runline with the odds sitting at Twins +1.5 runs (-125) and Cardinals +-1.5 runs (+105).
The Twins are 14-17 SU and have gone 17-13 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.0 units for moneyline gamblers through the early part of the year, despite having gained 1.7 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 20-13 SU and 17-15 ATS. They’ve gained 5.0 units for moneyline bettors and 1.1 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 14-16-2 so far in 2018. Minnesota has an over/under record of 17-13.
Jake Odorizzi will get the start for Minnesota. The right-handed Odorizzi is 2-2 with a 4.10 ERA and 35 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 7.36 ERA and four strikeouts over three and two-third innings).
The Cardinals are turning to righty Carlos Martinez (3-1, 1.40 ERA), who has 45 strikeouts and 19 walks to his credit as well as a 1.04 WHIP. Martinez did not record a start against the Twins in 2017.
St. Louis pitching staff has yielded 3.7 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The clubs starters have a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.
The St. Louis hitters have put up 4.5 runs per contest, including 3.2 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over their last five. The teams hit .205/.330/.349 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Outfielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Paul DeJong have led the Cardinals hitters so far. Pham is hitting .323/.442/.535 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, 24 runs and seven stolen bases, while DeJong is batting .258 with seven homers, 14 RBIs and 19 runs.
Pham didn’t do very well against righty pitching at home last year. Across 183 such plate appearances, he slashed .257/.377/.355 (compared to his total season line of .306/.411/.520).
For the visitors, Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 5.1 runs per game and its starters own a 4.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 9.22 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.42, along with a K/9 of 9.75.
The Twins offense has slashed .243/.319/.415 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.8 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 6.0 per game over the teams last five contests (4-1 SU).
Minnesota’s hitters have been powered by shortstop Eduardo Escobar and left fielder Eddie Rosario, who collectively have belted 13 home runs. Escobar is slashing .309/.366/.609 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and 22 runs scored, while Rosario (.287/.310/.557) is up to seven homers, 25 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Rosario did not seem to enjoy hitting against right-handed pitchers on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of .235/.282/.380 across 195 such plate appearances (compared to his total season line of .290/.328/.507).
The Twins have lost 5.5 units and are 13-11 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, as opposed to 10 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 1.4 units and are 10-12 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to 10 that’ve gone under.
Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Twins have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
- Minnesota has recorded 22.4 runs + hits + errors per game over its last 10 games and 24.0 over its last five.
