For the second leg of a brief, two-game slate, the shorthanded St. Louis Cardinals will take on the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night.
The home team won the opener handily, by a 10-3 score on Tuesday. As part of a three-hit showing, Toronto outfielder George Springer belted a grand slam in the sixth inning of that matchup.
The Cardinals (51-47) have come out of the second-half gate a little slow, as they’ve lost three of four — including a series loss on the road at Cincinnati.
MLB Standings for Today
Even so, they sit three games out of first place in the MLB standings. The race for the National League Central seems to be coming down to a battle between the Redbirds and the Milwaukee Brewers.
On the other hand, Toronto (54-43) is on a tear. The Blue Jays have won nine of 10 but are still somehow 11.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. They’ve done well at home, too, having won the second-most contests on the familiar turf of any crew in the AL.
Blue Jays’ Success
A big part of the Blue Jays’ success has been tied in with their performance at the plate. They lead the majors with a .267 batting average and are fifth with 124 home runs. Only the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have piled up more RBIs than Toronto.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk leads the team — and is sixth in MLB — with a .317 average at the dish. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is close behind with a .313 mark.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 21 home runs and 62 RBIs. Behind him in terms of runs driven in are shortstop Bo Bichette (52) and third baseman Matt Chapman (51).
Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
The MLB odds today favor the hosts to come out on the right side of this one. Toronto is -1.5 on the run line at -120, while the Cardinals are +100 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Blue Jays are -250 and St. Louis a +205 underdog MLB odds. The total line has been set at 8 runs, with the over being -112 and the under -108.
NL’s MVP Honors
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt has gone a long way in building himself a case for the NL’s MVP honors, as he leads the Cardinals in each major hitting statistic. However, both he and third baseman Nolan Arenado — another key cog for St. Louis — aren’t available to play in Canada.
Behind both of them, who are hitting near or above .300, are second baseman Tommy Edman and right fielder Dylan Carlson. Both of them are swinging for .259 averages.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
Wainwright Analysis
For the visitors, 40-year-old right-hander Adam Wainwright will toe the rubber. He’s turned in a 6-8 record, along with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP to this point. St. Louis won four of his five starts in the month of June but hasn’t quite been able to get it done lately.
The Cardinals have dropped each of his last four outings, including a 9-5 defeat at the hands of Cincinnati last Friday.
Wainwright lasted 5.1 innings in that one, conceding five hits and seven earned runs. It was the first time he’d allowed more than four earned runs in an appearance this year.
Gausman Analysis
Up against him will be Kevin Gausman, the owner of a 7-7 record and a respectable 3.00 ERA going into this tilt. His results have been mixed as of late, but he got a lot of help on a road trip to Boston last week.
He went five frames in that one, allowing three earned runs. The Toronto Blue Jays won, 28-5. He’s only given up more than three earned runs in one of his 18 starts thus far.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Predictions
Now that we’ve taken a look at Cardinals vs. Blue Jays odds, it’s not hard to see why Toronto is so heavily favored.
Cardinals’ Offense
While Wainwright will be out to do better than he did against the Reds recently, the Cards’ offense is weaker without its two best hitters, something to keep in mind when making MLB picks today.
There won’t be any MLB picks against the spread here. Take the Blue Jays to cover and continue their impressive surge.
MLB Pick: Blue Jay -1.5 (-120)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.