At 2:15 PM ET, the Dodgers and Cardinals square off in an NL matchup. This one is being played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the Dodgers are the favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -120 compared to the Cardinals at +102. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
Clayton Kershaw will be starting for the Dodgers, while Sonny Gray gets the nod for the Cardinals. Los Angeles is 72-52 this season, while the Cardinals are above .500 at 61-62. St. Louis is second in the NL Central, while the Dodgers are in first in the NL West.
Los Angeles vs. St. Louis Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Dodgers at Cardinals
- Where: Busch Stadium St. Louis
- Date: Sunday, August 18th
- Betting Odds LAD -120 | STL +102 O/U 8
Dodgers vs Cardinals Last Game Recap
It was all St. Louis in the last game of this series, as the Cardinals took down the Dodgers by a score of 5-2. The Cardinals offense only had two more hits than the Dodgers and struck out 11 times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +102 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Andre Pallante for the Cardinals and Bobby Miller for the Dodgers. Pallante went seven innings and gave up just two hits and two earned runs while picking up a win. On the other side, Miller was tagged for four runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.
St. Louis got a huge performance from Alec Burleson, as he went 3/4 with a home run and two RBIs. Both Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras each drove in two for the Cardinals' offense.
Dodgers Preview
Los Angeles has an overall series record of 22-17-2 this season. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game, with their average run differential sitting at +0.8. The Dodgers are 34-30 on the road and 28-32 at home, and their run line record is 59-65.
The Dodgers are 68-42 as favorites but only 4-10 as underdogs. They currently lead the NL West by two games over the Padres, with an overall record of 72-52. Today's over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is lower than their average line of 9 runs per game.
Clayton Kershaw will be making his 4th start of the season, and he will be on the road against the Cardinals. He is coming off a win vs. the Brewers in his last outing, where he went 5 2/3 innings and struck out 6.
Shohei Ohtani has been one of the league's top power threats this season, as his 38 home runs are the 2nd most in the league and lead the Dodgers. Ohtani is also 6th in the league with 87 RBIs. However, Ohtani has struggled at the plate of late, hitting just .140 over his last 10 games. Freddie Freeman has been hot of late for the Dodgers, going 14/41 in his last 10 games with one home run and five RBIs.
As a team, the Dodgers are 5th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 3rd in the league in home runs and have the 4th best slugging percentage in the league.
Cardinals Preview
St. Louis is 61-62 overall and 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Their home record is 32-28, while on the road, they are 29-34. The Cardinals have a 19-17-4 series record this season and are 31-31 when favored.
On the run line, the Cardinals are 60-63 and as underdogs, they have a strong 40-21 record. High-scoring games are common for the Cardinals, as their average combined run total is 8.7 runs per game. Their over/under record is 60-60, with 61% of their games having total lines higher than 8 runs.
Sonny Gray will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Reds, as he gets the start for the Cardinals today. In that start, which came on August 12th, Gray took the loss, giving up six earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back further, Gray has made 22 starts and has a record of 11-7 with a 3.93 ERA. Opponents have a batting average of .215 vs. Gray this season. Out of his 22 starts, Gray has turned in 10 quality starts and is averaging 11.16 strikeouts per nine innings. So far, he has allowed 17 homers.
St. Louis comes into the game with the 24th ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. They have been slightly better at home, putting up 4.4 runs per game. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .246, which is 9th in the league, and are 17th in team slugging percentage.
Over his last 10 games, Nolan Arenado has gone 11/37 with two homers and seven RBIs. Alec Burleson has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/35 with two homers in his last nine games. For the season, he is batting .278 with a team-high 21 homers. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman are both tied for 2nd on the team with 19 homers, but Goldschmidt is batting just .229, and Gorman is hitting .205.
Dodgers vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cardinals ML +102
With the Cardinals at +102 on the money line, that is the way we recommend playing this one. We have the Cardinals winning this game 5-4, and with the payout, there is some good value in picking them to win outright.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we actually have Clayton Kershaw finishing with more strikeouts than Sonny Gray, but Gray going longer into the game. Kershaw is projected to finish with five K's and Gray with six.
