Yankees vs Cardinals Betting Odds: St. Louis Continues to Fade

Two iconic franchises, the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, will begin a three-game interleague series Friday at Busch Stadium. St. Louis has gotten off to a disappointing start, but might a series against the Yankees provide the energy needed to get the Cardinals going? When considering the Yankees vs Cardinals standings, it’s evident that both teams are eager to improve their position and secure victories in this highly anticipated series.  Read on as we assess the Yankees vs Cardinals betting odds in our series preview.

St. Louis Still Sputtering

It’s been a massively disappointing start for the Cardinals, the -120 favorite to win the National League Central in spring training. The Cardinals entered Thursday last place in the division, 9.0 games behind the Reds at 33-46. Only two teams — the 32-48 Nationals and 32-50 Rockies — owned a lower winning percentage than St. Louis.

The Cardinals are now priced as high as +900, with their hopes of a midseason turnaround quickly fading. They are just 7-14 in June and have a run differential of minus-17 on the season. Their saving grace could be the MLB Wild Card standings, though they’re still 11 games out of the third and final spot.

Pitching has been a big problem. The Cardinals entered their series finale against Houston ranked 23rd in team ERA (4.52) and tied for 28th in opponents’ batting average (.273). Only Colorado has been worse (.283). Take that into account as you assess the Yankees vs Cardinals betting odds.

Yankees Still Judge-less

Outfielder Aaron Judge played catch before Wednesday’s game at Oakland, his first on-field activity since landing on the Injured List on June 6 with a torn ligament in his toe. Still, there remains no timetable for his return, leaving the Yankees’ offense in need of a jolt. Judge was off to a brilliant start in defense of his American League MVP, batting .291 with 19 home runs, 40 RBI and a 1.078 OPS.

After taking two of three games against Oakland, the Yankees are 45-36, third place in the AL East and 9.5 games behind Tampa Bay. That leaves them in control of the second Wild Card spot, trailing only rival Baltimore.

While the Yankees’ divisional odds have plummeted from +100 to +1000, many remain bullish on their chances of making a run deep into October. They’re priced at +800 to win the AL pennant, the fourth-best odds behind Tampa Bay (+210), Texas (+450) and Houston (+450). They’re also a +1200 World Series pick.

While there doesn’t appear to be a quick fix for the lineup besides Judge, the Yankees’ pitching staff may soon get a boost. Left-hander Carlos Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million deal with New York in the offseason, is in line to make his season debut early next month after missing time with a back injury. Rodon is due to make a minor-league rehab start on Saturday.

Game 1

• Matthew Liberatore vs Luis Severino (Friday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Liberatore — the first of two St. Louis left-handers scheduled to start this weekend — is 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). He opposes Severino, who is 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA. Home runs (eight allowed in 36 innings) have been an issue.

St. Louis opened as a -125 favorite but has since dropped to -106 on the moneyline. New York is now priced at -104 to win outright. The projected total has stayed at 9.5, according to the Yankees vs Cardinals betting odds.

Game 2

• Jack Flaherty vs Gerrit Cole (Saturday, 2:15 p.m. ET)

Flaherty has allowed six runs on 10 hits in each of his last two starts. With a 1.60 WHIP, the 27-year-old right-hander has had to work around a lot of traffic on the bases. He’ll need to be on his game, as Cole remains one of the premium pitchers in baseball. Cole is 8-1 with a 2.75 ERA and is seventh in MLB with 113 strikeouts. He’s currently priced as low as +300 to win the AL Cy Young, a smidge behind Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (+275).

Game 3

• Jordan Montgomery vs TBD (Sunday, 2:15 p.m. ET)

Montgomery, traded to St. Louis last August in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader, faces his former team. He’s been steady for the Cardinals, going 5-7 with a 3.52 ERA. The Yankees have yet to name a starter for the series finale.

For MLB point spreads, betting odds, analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com

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