The red-hot St. Louis Cardinals are searching for their seventh consecutive victory as they play host to the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium. This interleague matchup will be televised nationally on Fox Sports One and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (+160) is the solid home-team underdog against Houston (-170) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this game at 8 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). The game’s runline odds stand at -120 for picking the Astros -1.5 runs and +100 for the Cardinals +1.5.
The Astros are 66-39 SU and are 54-50 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 5.3 units for moneyline bettors and 0.3 units ATS. Houston’s covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 56-47 SU and 52-50 ATS. They’ve lost 3.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 0.8 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in three of those seven.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 43-51-8 in 2019. Houston has also been a decent under bet with a total record of 46-55-3.
The right-handed Gerrit Cole is projected to start for Houston. Cole is 11-5 with a 3.03 ERA and 205 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Cardinals are handing the ball to righty Daniel Ponce de Leon (1-0, 2.82 ERA), who’s got 44 strikeouts and 17 walks, along with a 1.12 WHIP. Ponce de Leon did not re a start against the Astros in 2018.
St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 4.3 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.22, a WHIP of 1.36 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.9. The bullpen has a 3.89 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.0 K/9.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.6 runs per outing, including 6.5 per game over its last 10 games and 7.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .260/.335/.576 over its last five contests and is 5-0 SU during that stretch.
The Cardinals’ batters have been led by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong. Goldschmidt is hitting .256/.341/.462 with 23 home runs, 56 RBIs and 64 runs scored, and DeJong is hitting .255 with 18 homers, 50 RBIs and 68 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 10.41 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.85, along with a K/9 of 9.69.
The Astros offense has slashed .269/.349/.475 on its way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Houston’s hitters have been led by left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is slashing .326/.387/.527 with 16 home runs, 58 RBIs and 58 runs scored. Gurriel (.296/.330/.528) has produced 20 homers, 65 RBIs and 58 runs scored.
The Astros have lost 7.2 units and are 38-36 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 35 of those games, compared to 37 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 1.3 units and are 44-38 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 33 of those games, as opposed to 43 that’ve cashed the under.
Astros vs. Cardinals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- Houston has recorded 19 extra-base hits over its last five outings. St. Louis has 28 XBH over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 20 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 22 over their last 10.
- The Astros have an OPS of .823 this season and an OPS of .796 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS sits at .730 overall and .737 against righties.
- St. Louis has posted 23.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.4 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have won nine of their last 10 games SU.
