The St. Louis Cardinals (27-27) travel to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies (39-18) on Friday, May 31st. This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and televised on NSPPH. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.
Cardinals vs Phillies
The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Reds, closing out their series with a 5-3 win. After going on to score a run in the 3rd inning, the Cardinals added two more in the 4th. St. Louis was the +105 underdog on the money line going into this road game.
Andre Pallante put together a good start for the Cardinals, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just three hits and struck out four. Nolan Gorman was hot at the plate, going 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs.
St. Louis is at .500 this season with a record of 27-27, and they have won two straight games heading into today’s matchup vs. the Phillies. In the NL Central, they are five games behind the Brewers for the division lead. This season, they are just 5-7 in divisional games.
The Cardinals have won two straight games as the underdog, and they are 13-14 as the underdog overall. St. Louis has won two straight games on the road, and they are 14-15 on the road this season. They are also 13-12 at home. The team’s overall series record is 10-8, and they have won five straight series.
St. Louis has been a solid play on the run line this season, going 27-27 overall. They have been a better bet on the run line as the underdog, going 17-10, compared to 10-17 as the favorite. They are 14-15 on the run line on the road this season, and have covered in two straight games.
St. Louis is on the road against Philadelphia today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Cardinals have a combined run average of 8.5 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 24-28. Their average over/under line for the year is 8 runs per game, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 3-5-1. So far this season, 57.4% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 25.9% have had lines set lower than 8 runs. The under has hit in each of their last four games.
Miles Mikolas Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Phillies on the road. He has made 11 starts this year and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 5.64. Mikolas’ WHIP for the season is 1.36, and opponents are batting .285 off him this year. In his last outing, Mikolas finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts. Mikolas has made five quality starts this year.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
The Cardinals offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 25th in the MLB. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .237. One positive sign is that they have been hitting the ball well of late, with Masyn Winn batting .419 over his last eight games, and Nolan Gorman has also been swinging a hot bat, going 8/24 in his last seven games.
St. Louis has three players who are tied for the team lead in RBIs, as Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Gorman all have 25 RBIs. Gorman also leads the team with 10 home runs, which is 8th best in the league. Paul Goldschmidt has also been a solid power threat, with seven homers this season.
The Phillies’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Giants, closing out their series with a 6-1 win. After allowing one run to the Giants in the bottom of the first, the Phillies responded with a run of their own and added another in the 2nd inning. Philadelphia went on to score a total of six runs on 14 hits and didn’t hit a home run.
Cristopher Sanchez got the start for the Phillies, going six innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out seven Giants batters. Nick Castellanos was hot at the plate, going 3/5 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. The Phillies also had three other players with two hits.
Philadelphia heads into today’s game vs. the Cardinals with a record of 39-18, putting them 1st in the NL East. They currently lead the Braves by 6.5 games for the division lead. The Phillies went 11-5 in their first 16 division games this year.
At home, the Phillies have gone 22-8 this year, and they are 17-10 on the road. So far, they have been really good in night games, going 25-9. As the favorite, the Phillies are 34-14 and 5-4 as the underdog. Currently, they have a six-game winning streak at home, and their overall series record is 11-4-4.
When betting the run line on the Phillies this season, you would have a winning record. They have covered the run line in 31 of their 57 games, including 16 of 30 at home. They have been a favorite in 48 of their games, covering the run line in 26 of those contests. The average run margin in their wins is 3.9, while it is -3.2 in their losses.
The Philadelphia Phillies are at home today against the St. Louis Cardinals with an over/under line of 8 runs. The Phillies have had a combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season and their over/under record is 27-27. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the Phillies have gone over 11 times and under 5 times. Overall, 38.6% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs or lower, and they have gone under in their last two games.
Aaron Nola Gets The Start For The Phillies
Right-hander Aaron Nola gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Cardinals at home. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 6-2 with a 3.04 ERA. Nola’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.06. In his 11 starts, he has one complete game shutout and seven quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Nola finished with a no-decision vs. the Rockies, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, coming in with a 4-0 record and 1.88 ERA compared to 2-2 with a 4.89 ERA at home.
Phillies Offense Breakdown
Not only are the Phillies the best offensive team in the league in terms of runs per game, but they also have the league’s top team batting average and on-base percentage. They have been even better at home this season, averaging 5.8 runs per game. As a team, they are also 6th in home runs and 3rd in walks, while also having the league’s 3rd best slugging percentage.
Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper have been the Phillies’ top power hitters this season, with Bohm leading the team with 47 RBIs and Harper’s 13 homers being the best mark on the team. Over his last seven games, Kyle Schwarber has gone 12/28 with two homers and six RBIs. Schwarber’s 11 homers this season is the 2nd best mark on the team.
Cardinals vs Phillies Prediction
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Phillies. However, we are recommending taking the over at 8 runs. Offensively, we have the Phillies finishing with 8th fewer strikeouts than the Cardinals, and they are projected to finish with 5th worst in the league today.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Miles Mikolas finishing with five strikeouts compared to Aaron Nola with six. Nola is also projected to finish with a better ERA than Mikolas. If you’re looking for a money line pick, the payout for a Phillies win is -188.
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:May 31, 2024 Cardinals, Phillies