Astros vs Cardinals Betting Preview: Houston Favored in Opener

The Houston Astros make the trip to St. Louis for a three-game series with the Cardinals. The Astros vs Cardinals betting preview shows St. Louis is one of the worst home teams in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals are just 14-22, which is a large reason why they’re in the basement of the NL Central.

The Astros are 42-36 and 20-17 on the road. Houston is playing as well away from home as it is in front of the home fans. But the Astros trail Texas by 5.5 games in the AL West and are one-half game back in the Wild Card standings.

The Astros haven’t been playing well, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Houston is just No. 18 in team batting average, which isn’t what you expect from the Astros. Typically the Astros have at least one player among the MLB home run leaders, but not this season. Yordan Alvarez leads the team with 17 round-trippers and Houston is No. 15 as a team.

The Astros may not be hitting well, but you can’t find fault with their pitching. Houston is leading the league in team ERA. But the Astros have also allowed 33 unearned runs, which is one of the worst in baseball. With a defense that ranks No. 7 in fielding percentage in MLB Houston Astros shouldn’t be allowing that many unearned runs.

The Cardinals are No. 15 in team batting average and No. 22 in team ERA. That’s not the sign of a very good team. But St. Louis has played better than its 32-45 record indicates. The Cardinals are -16 in run differential, giving them an expected win-loss record of 37-40.

Tuesday’s Game

The Astros vs Cardinals betting preview has Framber Valdez scheduled to start for Houston. The Cardinals haven’t officially named a starter for any of the games in the series. But it is Jordan Montgomery’s turn to pitch for St. Louis, which is returning from its London series with the Cubs.

The Astros are 9-6 when Valdez starts, allowing 3.27 runs per game and 4-1 on the road. Houston hasn’t given Valdez a lot of run support, scoring just 3.8 runs per game.

The Cardinals have been inconsistent against left-handed starters. St. Louis is just 8-11 facing southpaws but are scoring 5.37 runs per game. The Astros are 12-8 against LHP and scoring 5.25 runs per game. St. Louis is just 4-11 when Montgomery starts, but have won two of his last three starts.

The Astros are -115 and the total on the game is 8-over (-120). With both teams able to score against lefties, the over is worth a look in this one.

Wednesday’s Game

The Astros are expected to start Cristian Javier in Wednesday’s Game 2, while the Cardinals should give the ball to Miles Mikolas, although St. Louis has made nothing official. Javier has pitched well for Houston, with the Astros going 11-4 in his starts. Houston is allowing 4.27 runs per game with Javier on the hill, but scoring 6.27 runs. As a result, the Astros are 11-4 in totals when Javier starts.

Mikolas hasn’t pitched bad and the Cardinals are 8-8 when he starts. St. Louis has lost his last four starts, but scored just six runs in those games. The Cardinals have scored just 10 runs in his last six starts.

The Cardinals lack of scoring for Mikolas is a bit of a concern here. But Javier’s over/under numbers are too tough to ignore and the over is also worth a look here.

Thursday’s Game

The Astros vs Cardinals betting preview for the finale shows J.P. France making the start for Houston. It should be Adam Wainwright taking the mound for the Cardinals. France hasn’t pitched poorly, but Houston is just 3-6 with him on the mound. The Astros have lost 2-1 twice and 3-2 when he’s started.

The Cardinals are 4-5 with Wainwright on the hill, allowing 5.78 runs per game. St. Louis is scoring a little bit for Wainwright, but not as much as it allows. Wainwright does have the name recognition, so expect the line to be close to even. The Astros are worth a look provided France is laying more than -120 in this game.

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