The Arizona Diamondbacks are preparing to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a Saturday showdown. Fox Sports Arizona will televise this NL matchup and the action gets going at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (-120) is hosting this one as the favorite over Arizona (+110) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 9 runs (-125 for the under and +105 for the over). The game’s runline odds sit at -190 for taking the Diamondbacks +1.5 runs and +165 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs.
The Cardinals are 44-45 straight up (SU) and 43-45 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 10.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.6 units ATS. The Diamondbacks are 47-45 SU and have gone 53-38 against the spread. Overall, the team’s gained 2.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 12.6 units ATS.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 38-43-7 thus far in 2019. The Diamondbacks have an over/under record of 44-41-6.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly will get the start for the visiting Diamondbacks. Kelly is 7-8 with a 4.03 ERA and 81 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the right hand of Dakota Hudson (7-4, 3.51 ERA), who’s got 68 strikeouts and 41 walks this season as well as a 1.53 WHIP. Hudson did not record a start against the Diamondbacks in 2018.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitching staff has allowed 4.4 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 4.29 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.92 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 10.2 K/9.
The St. Louis offense has put up 4.4 runs per outing, including 3.7 per game over its last 10 games and 4.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .259/.319/.429 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Paul DeJong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have led the Cardinals’ hitters this year. DeJong is hitting .257/.342/.440 with 13 home runs, 37 RBIs and 55 runs scored, and Goldschmidt’s line sits at .251/.339/.421 with 16 homers, 37 RBIs and 49 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Arizona’s pitching staff allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 4.11 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.65 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.41, along with a K-per-9 of 8.69.
The Diamondbacks offense has slashed .258/.324/.448 on its way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar continue to lead Arizona’s offense. Marte is hitting .310/.358/.564 with 21 home runs, 55 RBIs and 59 runs scored, while Escobar (.295/.352/.540) is up to 18 homers, 67 RBIs and 58 runs scored.
The Diamondbacks have gained 0.5 units and are 38-25 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 27 of those games, as opposed to 33 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 7.3 units and are 35-34 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 28 of those games, compared to 36 which went under the total.
Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Diamondbacks, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in just two of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Diamondbacks have an OPS of .772 this season and an OPS of .739 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS stands at .719 overall and .717 versus righties.
- St. Louis has recorded 20.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.6 over its last five.
- The Diamondbacks have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
