The Philadelphia Phillies will face the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The game gets underway 2:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Midwest is in line to televise this NL matchup.
Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (+105) is the underdog against Philadelphia (-115) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this one at 7.5 runs. Odds for wagering on the games total stand at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the games spread with the most recent runline odds coming in at Phillies -1.5 runs (+130) and Cardinals 1.5 runs (-150).
The Cardinals are 24-19 SU and 20-22 ATS. They’ve gained 1.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 2.8 units against the spread (ATS). St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Phillies are 26-17 SU and have gone 20-22 ATS. Overall, the teams accumulated 6.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline in this young season, but have lost 4.8 units ATS. Philadelphia has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 17-22-3 so far in 2018. Phillies games have gone under 20 times, gone over 19 times and pushed on three occasions.
Aaron Nola will get the start for the visiting Phillies. The right-handed Nola is 6-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 51 strikeouts. He has yet to face St. Louis this year, but he made two starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 1-1 record with a 2.92 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Jack Flaherty (0-1, 2.87 ERA), who has 14 punchouts and six walks to his credit, as well as a 1.34 WHIP. Flaherty did not record a start against the Phillies in 2017.
St. Louis pitching staff has allowed 3.9 runs per game overall this year as a unit. Its starters have a 3.13 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.
The St. Louis offense has put up 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game over its last 10 games and 5.6 per game over its last five. The teams hit .273/.349/.419 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
Right fielder Tommy Pham and first baseman Jose Martinez have led the Cardinals batters this year. Pham is slashing .321/.429/.547 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs, 35 runs and eight steals, and Martinez’s line is .314/.385/.487 with five homers, 29 RBIs and 17 runs.
Pham seemed to take a step back when hitting right-handed pitchers at home last year, slashing .257/.377/.355 over 183 such plate appearances (his total season line was .306/.411/.520).
In the visiting dugout, Philadelphia’s pitching staff allowed 3.9 runs per game and its starters own a 3.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 8.56 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.76, along with a WHIP of 1.19 and a K/9 of 8.98.
The Phillies offense has slashed .242/.331/.403 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.8 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 5.0 per game over the teams last five outings (4-1 SU).
Right fielder Odubel Herrera and second baseman Cesar Hernandez have led Philadelphia’s offense. Herrera is slashing .353/.420/.558 with seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 24 runs scored, while Hernandez is hitting .282/.392/.448 with six homers, 15 RBIs, 34 runs and nine steals.
The Phillies have gained 3.5 units and are 14-17 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, compared to 15 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.0 units and are 12-18 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 12 of those games, compared to 15 that went under the total.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Phillies have won four of their last five games SU.
- Philadelphia has posted 23.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.8 over its last five.
- The Phillies have hit 18 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 13 over their last 10.
