The Cleveland Guardians (90-65) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (77-77) on Saturday, September 21st. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on BSGL. The Guardians are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cardinals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Guardians. First pitch is set for 6:15 CT.
Guardians vs. Cardinals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Cardinals (+116)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Cardinals have won 7 of their last 15 games, showing a positive trend in recent performance.
- In their last 15 home games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 4.2 runs per game, indicating strong offensive performance at home.
- The Cardinals have won 4 out of their last 5 home games, demonstrating a strong home-field advantage.
- In the last 15 games, the Cardinals have held their opponents to 3 or fewer runs in 7 games, showcasing effective starting pitching and defense.
- The Cardinals have a higher home win percentage (.532) compared to the Guardians’ away win percentage (.532), giving them an edge as the home team.
Guardians vs Cardinals
Cleveland picked up a 5-1 road win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians offense got off to a fast start, scoring three runs in the first and adding two more in the 2nd. As for the Cardinals, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were at -101 on the money line.
Ben Lively got the win for Cleveland, going five innings and giving up just one run. Kyle Gibson had a rough outing for the Cardinals, taking the loss after going six innings and giving up three earned runs.
Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez each homered for the Guardians, while Lane Thomas went deep for the Cardinals. Ramirez, Gimenez, and Thomas each had two RBIs.
With a 90-65 record, Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak and holds a 7.5-game lead in the AL Central. They are 30-22 against division rivals this season. The Guardians have a 48-28 home record and are 42-37 on the road. Overall, they are 28-15-6 in series play.
When Cleveland has been the underdog, they are 35-25 against the run line, and their overall run line record is 42-37. The under has hit in two straight games for the Guardians, bringing their season under record to 67-67-10. The O/U record for games with an 8-run total is 13-20-6.
Matthew Boyd Gets The Start For The Guardians
Cleveland is sending left-hander Matthew Boyd to the mound today vs. the Cardinals. Boyd has made seven starts this season and has a record of 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Boyd has a WHIP of 1.06 and opponents are batting .199 this season. In his last outing, Boyd finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. He has made three quality starts this season. Boyd’s ERA at home is 2.86, compared to 2.88 on the road.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians’ top power threats this season, as Ramirez’s 36 homers leads the team and is 7th in the league, while Naylor’s 31 homers is 12th in the MLB. Ramirez is also 4th in the league with 109 RBIs. Ramirez comes into the game with a batting average of .274, while Naylor is batting .243 for the season.
Over his last six games, Josh Naylor has gone 5/23 with two homers and five runs scored. Jose Ramirez has also homered in this stretch, going 9/24 with two RBIs. Kyle Manzardo has been swinging a hot bat for the Guardians, going 6/11 with two homers in his last five games. Lane Thomas has also homered twice in his last six games, but he is batting just .130 in this stretch.
St. Louis has an overall series record of 25-20-5 and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central with a 77-77 record. The Cardinals have lost two straight games, including the first game of their series vs. the Guardians.
Against the run line, the Cardinals are 52-28 as underdogs and 77-77 overall. Their average run differential in wins is +2.8, and they have an average of 8.5 runs per game this season. The over/under record for games with an 8-run total is 11-18-1, and they are on a two-game under streak.
Miles Mikolas Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces off against the Guardians. He has made 30 starts this season and has a record of 8-11 with an ERA of 5.49. Mikolas’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.29, and opponents are batting .284 off him this year. In his 30 appearances, Mikolas has turned in 14 quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Mikolas finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. He only gave up one homer in that outing. Before that, he had given up a homer in three straight starts.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are 25th in the league in runs scored at 4.1 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 9th in the league, and are also one of the better teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts. However, they are near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs and have a collective OPS of just .697.
Over his last five games, Brendan Donovan has gone 8/18 with three runs and one homer. This has raised his season average to .275, which is 2nd on the team. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead with 21 homers, with Goldschmidt batting just .245 for the season.
Guardians vs Cardinals Prediction
At +116, the Cardinals on the money line is the way we recommend playing this one. We have the final score at 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals, and at +116, there is some good value on the Cardinals to pick up the win.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Miles Mikolas is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is fifth-worst among today’s starters. As for Matthew Boyd, he is projected to finish with five K’s, which is right in the middle of the pack.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:September 21, 2024 Cardinals, Guardians