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It is the end of an interleague series as the Houston Astros visit the St. Louis Cardinals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Astros-Cardinals prediction and pick.
In game one of the series, the Cardinals dominated. In the bottom of the third inning, Willson Contreras drove in the first run of the game. Then in the bottom of the fourth inning, Pedro Pages and Lars Nootbaar both drove in runs, giving the Cardinals the 4-0 lead. The Cardinals would then add three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nolan Arenado would hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to make it 8-3. Jeremy Pena hit a three-run shot late in the game, but it would not be enough as the Cardinals won the game 8-3.
The Astros and Cardinals will play game two on Tuesday.
Astros-Cardinals Projected Starters
Ronel Blanco vs. Steven Matz
Ronel Blanco (1-1) with a 6.94 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP.
Last Start: Blanco went five innings, giving up four hits, a walk, and a home run in his last start. He would strike out seven while giving up just two runs in a win over the Angels.
Away Splits: Blanco has made one road start. He is 0-0 on the road but gave up five hits and three walks in just 1.2 innings in his only road start. The Twins would score four runs against Blanco in that start, but he took the no-decision.
Steven Matz (0-0) with a 2.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
Last Start: Matz has not made a start this year, primarily being used in relief. In his last outing, Matz went 2.1 innings, giving up five hits, one walk, and one run in relief against the Phillies.
Home Splits: Matz has made two appearances at home this year. He has a 1.42 ERA with a .250 opponent batting average, plus he has a save.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-Cardinals Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+142)
Moneyline: -118
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-172)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
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How to Watch Astros vs. Cardinals
Time: 1:15 PM ET/ 10:15 AM PT
TV: SCHN/FDSNMW
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win
Yordan Alvarez has been solid this year. While he is not hitting well, hitting just .222 this year with a .338 OBP. He has a home run, two doubles, nine RBIs, and three runs scored. Meanwhile, Isaac Paredes has been solid this year as well. He is hitting .262 with a .375 OBP. Paredes has a double, three home runs, nine RBIs, and ten runs scored. Further, Jose Altuve is hitting well. He is hitting .288 with a .324 OBP. He has three home runs, seven RBIs, and ten runs scored.
Jeremy Pena is also having a solid year. He is hitting just .207 with a .288 OBP but has three home runs, seven RBIs, and nine runs scored. Christian Walker has also been scoring runs well this year. He has scored even times while hitting .172 with a .284 OBP. Walker also has a double, a home run, and two RBIs.
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Brendan Donovan has led the way for the Cardinals this year. He is hitting .391 on the year with a .420 OBP. Donovan has five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs, and ten runs scored. Meanwhile, Nolan Arenado has also been solid. He is hitting .316 with a .409 OBP. He has six doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, and 11 runs scored.
Lars Nootbaar has been scoring plenty of runs this year. He has scored 11 times this year while also hitting .279 with two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBIs. Meanwhile, Pedro Pages has also been solid this year. He is hitting .289 with a .308 OBP. He has four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, and five runs scored.
Final Astros-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The Cardinals will be employing an opener in this one, using Steven Matz to take to the mound to start the game. This is not a new role for Matz, though, as he made seven starts last season, going 1-2 with a 6.12 ERA. Still, the current Astros have hit well against Matz. They have hit a .372 batting average lifetime against him with a .400 OBP. Further, they have a double, five home runs, and 11 RBIs. Christian Walker is three for 14 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs, while Yordan Alvarez is three for five with a home run and three RBIs. Meanwhile, Ronel Blanco rebounded in his last start, going five innings and giving up just two runs. Further, the Cardinals have hit just .250 lifetime against him with a home run and four RBIs. While the Cardinals have hit better than the Astros this year, this game will belong to the Astros.
Final Astros-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Astros ML (-118)
