Thursday is a pretty good day of the week; it means that Friday is close, but it also means a great day for betting on baseball. A huge matchup will be between two teams with a lot of history in the NL Central. As Astros vs Cardinals best bets
Stand, they go way back and have not always been the best of friends. Tonight, the rivalry renews as the Houston Astros (43-37, third in AL West) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (33-46, fifth in NL Central).
The MLB schedule this year has featured a lot more interleague matchups just like this one. The first two MLB games between these teams were slugfests, so it will be intriguing to see if the series finishes off in the same way as it wraps up on Thursday. It seems like all 30 MLB teams are begging for the All-Star Break, but at the same time, they are looking to finish hot. Let’s get ready to discuss the Astros vs Cardinals best bets.
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Information
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals
Location of the game: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO.
Date & Time: Thursday, June 29. 7:15 p.m. EST.
How to watch: MLB.TV
Recent Scores
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Houston Astros leaving the NL Central. It is safe to say that they are very familiar with the St. Louis Cardinals historically, just not as of late. Thursday marks the final game of the only series these two teams will have against each other in 2023, barring a World Series battle. Our Astros vs Cardinals bets will focus heavily on the first two games of the series and following those trends.
Houston is higher up in the MLB standings, but the Cardinals have actually been better during their last 10 games. St. Louis won game one of the series 4-2, then blew a two-run lead late in game two to lose 10-7. It seemed like St. Louis had the upperhand all series until the 8th inning happened on Wednesday night.
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Analysis
In terms of MLB stats, the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals are among the best offenses in the league. On paper, that would certainly be the case. For the Cardinals, they will be relying on Adam Wainwright on the mound. The ageless wonder is struggling this year with a 3-2 record, 6.56 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and only has 24 strikeouts through 46.2 innings pitched. He is coming off the worst start of the season as he allowed seven runs on 11 hits against the Chicago Cubs.
A trend to follow is that the Cardinals only cover the spread 45% of the time, which is the fifth worst in MLB. Their over/under record is 36-39-3 on the year, which actually is not bad considering the high expectations their offense typically has. It seems like the St. Louis Cardinals score today could be on the higher side.
This may not be the best pitching matchup, but it does favor the Astros. Although J.P. France is not young, he is in terms of MLB experience. He is a rookie this season making his 10th MLB start. The 28-year-old is 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and has 42 strikeouts through 53.1 IP.
Out of the last five games France has pitched in, the Astros have only won a single game. He has pitched against four NL teams and only won once. On the year, Houston is 40-39 against the spread and 39-39-1 in the over/under. That right there is consistency throughout the entire Houston Astros schedule.
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds Breakdown
Houston Astros Odds Breakdown
With an inexperienced pitcher on the mound for the Houston Astros, it is hard to know what to expect. Nonetheless, the MLB odds will still be slightly in their favor.
The Astros come in with -113 odds on the moneyline and will have to cover -1.5 (+145) for the spread.
St. Louis Cardinals Odds Breakdown
The St. Louis Cardinals are the underdogs at +103 odds. In front of their fans at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals will have +1.5 (-165) against the spread.
The overall total for the game is 9.5 runs on Friday night. How do your MLB picks look for the Astros vs Cardinals best bets?
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick and Prediction
- Pick 1: Over 9.5 (-110)
- Pick 2: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-165)
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