The St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves meet Friday in MLB action from Truist Park. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The St. Louis Cardinals will send out Sonny Gray for the start here and Gray is 9-6 with a 3.34 ERA and 121 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against Atlanta, Gray is 0-2 with a 2.81 ERA and 33 strikeouts. Spencer Schwellenbach will start for Atlanta here and Schwellenbach is 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA and 41 strikeouts this season. This will be Schwellenbach’s second career start against St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals Recap
The St. Louis Cardinals come into this one looking to build some momentum in the second half after a series split with the Chicago Cubs thanks to an 8-3 loss in their final game before the break. The split followed up a sweep at the hands of the Royals in the prior series.
Cardinals Trying To Keep Ball Rolling In NL Central Pursuit
Nolan Arenado has 93 hits along with 14 doubles and 40 RBIs while Brendan Donovan has a team-high 98 hits and 45 RBIs with 22 doubles. Nolan Gorman has a team-high 17 home runs along with 47 RBIs in addition to 13 doubles while Masyn Winn has a .284 batting average and 9 stolen bases. Paul Goldschmidt also has 114 K’s while Gorman has a team-high 129 strikeouts as well this season. Alec Burleson also has 17 home runs and a team-high 53 RBIs as well this year.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Cardinals have won each of their last four games as underdogs following a loss.
- The Braves have lost six of their last seven games as favorites against NL Central opponents following a win.
- The Braves have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 11 games as favorites against NL Central opponents following a road win.
- The road team has covered the run line in seven of the Cardinals’ last eight games.
Atlanta Braves Recap
The Atlanta Braves will try to make a solid playoff push in the second half after their series win in the final set before the all-star break thanks to a 6-3 win over San Diego in their last matchup. The win kept the unbeaten streak alive for Atlanta after earning a split against the Diamondbacks to start the week.
Braves Trying To Catch Phillies In NL East Hunt
Marcell Ozuna leads the Braves with 107 hits including 26 home runs and 77 RBIs while Orlando Arcia has 18 doubles and Ozzie Albies has a team-high 27 doubles, logging 90 hits as well this season. Ronald Acuna Jr. has a team-high 16 stolen bases as well this season but is out for the season with a torn ACL. Matt Olson has 21 doubles, 13 home runs and 44 RBIs with a team-high 109 strikeouts and Austin Riley has 20 doubles with a pair of triples.
Why the Atlanta Braves will win
- The Braves have won each of their last seven night games at Truist Park following a road win.
- The Cardinals have lost 11 of their last 12 road games following a home loss.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last 10 road games against National League opponents following a home loss.
- The Braves have covered the run line in four of their last five games against teams that held a winning record.
Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
I’m on the Braves here. I’m high on this Atlanta team in the second half as I think they have all of the tools to potentially catch the Phillies at the top of the NL East and make a serious case for a wild card spot at the very least. I like the Cardinals chances to make a run as well, but Sonny Gray hasn’t been as sharp lately and he’s struggled on the road for much of the season. I think the Braves draw first blood here so give me Atlanta.