Cardinals vs Braves MLB Betting: Atlanta Favored as Teams Return

Atlanta, St. Louis Begin Second Half Playoff Runs

The St. Louis Cardinals (50-46) visit the Atlanta Braves (53-42) Friday night, as both teams return from the All-Star Break. The Cardinals are in second place in the NL Central and have a half-game lead in the wild-card race. There is reason to be concerned for St. Louis, however, as it has a -38 run differential.

That gives the team an X-W/L record of 44-52, so the Cardinals could be in for a second-half slide. Atlanta is two games below its expected W/L record. Sonny Gray and Spencer Schwellenbach are expected to start. The Cardinals vs Braves MLB betting sees Atlanta is favored by -130, and the total on the game is 7.5 runs.

The Cardinals’ offense has done a fair job hitting for average. St. Louis is No. 13 with a team batting average of .245m, but the team doesn’t hit for much power. St. Louis scores 4.1 runs per game both at home and on the road. The Cardinals do get slightly better pitching at home, although the difference is pretty small in terms of runs allowed.

St. Louis is playing .500 baseball on the road, which isn’t bad, and is keeping it in the playoff mix. The Cardinals have been fair as a road underdog, going 15-17. As long as St. Louis wins some games it’s expected to lose, the Cardinals should be in the hunt until the end.

Sonny Gray is having another solid season with St. Louis, and the Cardinals are 11-6 when he starts. The Cardinals are 5-2 when he starts on the road, although the team has allowed at least six runs per game in his last five road starts.

You expect a little better out of Gray and the St. Louis relief pitchers. Overall, when Gray is an underdog against the MLB betting odds, the Cardinals are 1-1. Both those games came against the Phillies.

Cardinals vs Braves

Date & Time: Friday, July 19, 7:20 am ET

Atlanta Playing Tough at Home

After a strong start to the season, the Braves have come down to earth. Atlanta holds a four-game advantage in the wild card race, so it looks to be in good shape. The Braves have been helped by their 29-17 home record. Atlanta has been favored in every single home game this season. Atlanta’s 21-19 record since June 1 has the Braves’ odds to win the World Series up to +1000.

The offense started strong, but hasn’t been anything to get excited about over the last three months. Atlanta is No. 17 in team batting average at .241 and is tied for No. 10 with 109 home runs. The Braves are scoring 4.3 runs per game.

It’s hard to find fault with anything the Atlanta pitching staff has done. The Braves lead all of MLB baseball with a 3.40 ERA. The bullpen has converted 26 of 37 saves.

Atlanta is just 3-5 when Schwellenbach starts, although he’s pitched better than that. He’s gotten 2.8 runs of support and Atlanta is 1-7 in totals when he starts. Atlanta has won his last two starts and scored 11 runs total.

Who to Bet On?

The Cardinals vs Braves MLB betting is taking Atlanta’s home record into account by making the Braves -130. That seems a bit high with Gray on the mound for the Cardinals, but Schwellenbach has pitched decent. He just doesn’t have a whole lot to show for it.

There are definitely conflicting trends in totals, as St. Louis is 5-1-1 in totals when Gray starts on the road. With Atlanta being such an under team with Schwellenbach on the mound, you can’t really use a total for the MLB today’s picks.

Looking at the side, the Cardinals vs Braves betting odds are almost asking you to take St. Louis at +110, but the Braves are a better team, and Schwellenbach has been pitching almost as well as Gray. Since June 1, Atlanta is allowing 3.4 runs per game when Schellenbach is on the mound. St. Louis is allowing 5.0 runs per game when Gray starts on the road. The Braves make the most sense in this game.


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