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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Free Pick 08/22/18

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are ready to play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Fox Sports Midwest is in line to televise this NL matchup and the action gets going at 10:10 p.m. ET.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Odds

Oddsmakers have listed Los Angeles (-160) as the favorite over St. Louis (+150). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds listed at even money (+100) for over 8 runs and -120 for under 8. The game’s runline odds sit at -145 for picking the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +125 for the Dodgers -1.5.

The Cardinals have gone 70-57 SU this year and are 65-61 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle a whole lot this year, gaining 0.8 units for moneyline gamblers and 2.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are 67-60 SU and 55-71 ATS. The team’s lost 25.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 15.7 units ATS. Los Angeles has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in three of those seven.

Neither side has established itself as a strong over/under bet this year. Dodgers games have a 60-61-5 over/under record in 2018. Cardinals games have gone under 61 times, gone over 59 times and pushed on six occasions.

Jack Flaherty will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Flaherty is 7-6 with a 3.05 ERA and 134 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Dodgers this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.

The Dodgers are handing the ball to righty Walker Buehler (6-4, 3.19 ERA), who’s got 93 punchouts and 21 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.04. Buehler did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.

St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.40 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.08 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.16, along with a WHIP of 1.23 and a K-per-9 of 8.21.

Cardinals hitters have slashed .250/.325/.411 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this year, including 5.2 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).

Outfielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez continue to lead St. Louis’ offense. Ozuna is hitting .275/.319/.409 with 16 home runs, 69 RBIs and 52 runs scored, while Martinez (.308/.369/.472) is up to 15 homers, 72 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

For the home team, Los Angeles’ pitchers have allowed 3.9 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have an ERA of 3.27, a WHIP of 1.13 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.4. The bullpen has a 3.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 9.5 K/9.

Los Angeles’ hitters are putting up 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game over its last 10 games and 6.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .273/.384/.481 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.

First baseman Cody Bellinger and outfielder Chris Taylor have led the Dodgers’ hitters this year. Bellinger is slashing .260/.345/.469 with 20 home runs, 60 RBIs, 72 runs and 10 stolen bases, and Taylor’s line is .248/.323/.434 with 13 homers, 53 RBIs and 67 runs.

The Cardinals have lost 3.4 units and are 45-44 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 37 of those games, compared to 47 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Dodgers have lost 18.8 units and are 33-45 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 46 of those games, compared to 30 that’ve gone under.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Free Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Dodgers, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER

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Notes

Betting Notes

St. Louis has tallied 15 extra-base hits over its last five contests. Los Angeles has 16 XBH over its last five.

The Cardinals have won four of their last five games SU while the Dodgers have lost three of their last four.

The St. Louis defense has allowed two errors over its last five games, compared to five errors for Los Angeles over its last five.

The Cardinals have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Dodgers have hit 13 over their last 10.

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Written by GMS Previews

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