From Busch Stadium in St. Louis, we have the Guardians and Cardinals facing off in an interleague matchup. The Guardians are currently 1st in the AL Central with a record of 90-66, while the Cardinals are 3rd in the NL Central at 78-77.
The over/under line for Sunday's game is at 7.5 runs, and the Guardians are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -108 compared to the Cardinals at -111. First pitch is set for 2:15 PM ET, and BSGL will be televising this one.
Cleveland vs. St. Louis Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Guardians at Cardinals
- Where: Busch Stadium St. Louis
- Date: Sunday, September 22nd
- Betting Odds STL -111 | CLE -108 O/U 7.5
Guardians vs Cardinals Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs. Guardians series. St. Louis went into the matchup as +111 underdogs and squeaked out a 6-5 win. The Cardinals had a huge 7th inning, scoring four of their six runs. As for the Guardians, they scored one run in the 5th and added four in the 8th.
Cleveland actually outhit the Cardinals in the game 10 to 8. Jose Ramirez went 2/4 with a home run, but it came in a losing effort. As for St. Louis, Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker each had two hits and drove in two runs.
Miles Mikolas got the win for the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but didn't issue a walk. Ryan Helsley got the save. Matthew Boyd had a rough outing for the Guardians, taking the loss.
Guardians Preview
As the favorite, the Guardians have a 62-34 record this season, and they are currently 1-1 in their series vs. the Cardinals. Cleveland's overall series record is 28-15-6, and they have a 6-4 record in their last 10 games. The Guardians have a 7.5-game lead over the Royals in the AL Central, with an overall record of 90-66.
This season, the Guardians' games have averaged 8.3 runs per game, with an over/under record of 18-21 when the total is set at 7.5 runs. On the run line, Cleveland is 42-38 on the road and 37-39 at home, with an overall run line record of 79-77.
Gavin Williams gets the start for the Guardians today as he faces the Cardinals on the road. This year, he has made 15 starts and has a record of 3-10. Williams' ERA is 5.12, along with a WHIP of 1.39. Looking at his overall numbers, Williams has issued 3.84 walks per nine innings compared to 9.73 strikeouts. Coming into the game, he has a total of three quality starts. Williams has struggled on the road, coming in with an ERA of 11.2 compared to 6.98 at home.
For the season, the Guardians are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 4.7 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .239, which is 14th in the league, and have the 11th most home runs in the league. One thing to keep an eye on is their team BABIP of .27, which is the worst in the league.
José Ramírez comes into the game with a team-high 37 home runs, which is 6th best in the MLB. He is also 3rd in the league in RBIs, with 112. Over his last five games, he has gone 7/20 with two homers. Josh Naylor is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he has 31 homers this season, which is 11th best in the league. However, he is batting just .241 for the season and has gone 3/20 in his last five games.
Cardinals Preview
St. Louis has a 78-77 record against the run line this season, including 40-40 at home and 38-37 on the road. As underdogs, they have a strong 53-28 record vs. the run line. The Cardinals' games have averaged 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 72-79 for the season.
The Cardinals are 3rd in the NL Central with a 78-77 record, 10 games behind the Brewers. They have won two straight games and are 5-5 in their last 10. Today's over/under line of 7.5 runs is low compared to their season average, and their O/U record for games with that total is 13-22.
Andre Pallante gets the start for the Cardinals today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn't give up a run. In that outing vs. the Pirates, he went seven innings and picked up the win. Looking back further, Pallante had a rough stretch in which he gave up five earned runs in three straight starts. His ERA for the season is 3.87, along with a record of 7-8. Opponents are batting .226 off Pallante this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.08 strikeouts and 3.79 walks.
So far this season, the Cardinals' offense has been pretty average in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Overall, they are averaging 4.1 runs per game (25th) and have been even worse on the road, averaging just 4 runs per contest. St. Louis' offense has been led by Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt, who are tied for the team lead with 21 homers. Brendan Donovan has been a consistent hitter for the Cardinals this season, batting .273 and is 2nd on the team with 68 RBIs.
St. Louis is looking for Jordan Walker to continue his recent power surge, as he has two homers in his last seven games, but is hitting just .250 over that stretch. As a team, the Cardinals are 20th in the league in home runs and are just 19th in terms of OPS.
Guardians vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cardinals ML -111
Getting the Cardinals at -111 on the money line is a great value, as we have them winning this game by a score of 6-5. With the payout being better than even money, this is a great opportunity to get some solid value.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Andre Pallante finishing with four strikeouts, which is better than Gavin Williams, who we have at six. However, Pallante is projected to give up more earned runs than Williams, but we still have him finishing with a better chance of picking up the win.
