The St. Louis Cardinals (9-9) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (7-11) on Wednesday, April 17th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on NSPCA. The Cardinals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Athletics. First pitch is set for 3:37 ET.
Cardinals vs Athletics
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs. Athletics series. St. Louis went into the matchup as -143 favorites and squeaked out a 3-2 win. Heading into the game, the Cardinals had won the first two games of the series.
Oakland wasted a good outing from JP Sears, as he gave up just one run in five innings of work for the A’s. Dany Jimenez took the loss. Lance Lynn got the win for the Cardinals, going seven innings and giving up one earned run.
Kyle McCann hit the game’s only home run while going 2/3 with two RBIs, but it came in a losing effort. Nolan Arenado had a two-hit game for the Cardinals, scoring one run and driving in another.
Heading into today’s game vs. the Athletics, the Cardinals are in 5th place in the NL Central. They are two games behind the Reds for 4th place and two games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Cardinals come into today’s game, having won two straight games, closing out their series with the Diamondbacks with a win and sweeping the two-game series with the Athletics so far.
At home, the Cardinals have gone just 3-3 this season, but they are at .500 on the road, with a 6-6 record. St. Louis has won two straight games as the road team. This season, the Cardinals are 4-2 as the favorite and 5-7 as the underdog.
St. Louis has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 11-7 overall. They have been even better on the road, where they are 7-5 against the run line. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 8-4 against the run line. They have been a .500 team against the run line as the favorite, going 3-3. Their average run differential on the season is -0.3 runs per game.
St. Louis has seen the under hit in four straight games, and their games have averaged just five runs per game over that stretch. The Cardinals are 6-11 to the under on the season, and their games have averaged 7.8 runs per game. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs, and the Cardinals have played to the under in two of the three games with that line this season.
Steven Matz Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Steven Matz will be on the mound for the Cardinals today, as they take on the Athletics. Matz has started 3 games this season and has yet to take a loss. He’s coming off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks, where he struck out 8 in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
When it comes to the Cardinals’ offensive projections, Brendan Donovan has the highest total hits projection on the team and the 15th highest in the league today. Nolan Gorman has the best odds to hit a home run for the Cardinals, with his home run projection being 9th best in the league. Willson Contreras has the 10th best odds in the league to hit a home run today.
The Athletics are currently on a two-game losing streak, as they dropped the final two games of their series with the Cardinals. In the AL West, they are two games behind the Mariners for 3rd place and two games behind the Rangers for the division lead.
So far, the Athletics have been the underdog in 16 of their games, and they are 5-11 in those contests. At home, they are 3-9 compared to 4-2 on the road.
The Oakland Athletics have been a solid run line bet so far this season, going 9-9 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 5-1 against the run line. As the underdog, they are 9-7 against the run line. Their average run margin in losses is -3.6, while it is +2.1 in wins.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs for the Athletics-Cardinals game is right in line with the average over/under line for Oakland’s games this season. The Athletics have played 17 games this season, and the over/under line has been set at 8 runs or higher in 12 of them. The over/under record for the Athletics this season is 7-10, and the over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 2-3-1. The combined run average in Athletics games this season is 6.9 runs per game, and the under has hit in two straight Oakland games.
Paul Blackburn Gets The Start For The Athletics
Paul Blackburn will be making his third start of the season for the Athletics, and he has been solid in his first two outings. He picked up a win in his first start against the Tigers, and then went 6 1/3 innings in his last start vs. the Nationals. He has yet to give up an earned run this season, but has given up a total of 9 hits in 12 1/3 innings.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
For the Athletics, Zack Gelof is projected to have the most hits on the team and his total is the 19th highest in the league today. Shea Langeliers is the favorite to hit a home run for the Athletics, as his home run projection is 5th best in the league. Esteury Ruiz has the 2nd highest hits projection on the team and his total is 20th best in the league today.
Cardinals vs Athletics Prediction
With the Athletics at +126 on the money line, that is the direction we are recommending that you go for today’s Cardinals vs. Athletics matchup. We have the final score prediction at 5-4 in favor of the Athletics.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Steven Matz is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and we have Paul Blackburn with four. However, we have Blackburn picking up the win 14th among starters, and Matz is 11th.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:April 17, 2024 Athletics, Cardinals