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The St. Louis Cardinals are on the verge of getting swept in two straight series as they face the Los Angles Angels. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Cardinals prediction pick, and how to watch.
The Cardinals lost the first two games of this series, and now have lost ten of their last 12 games. They are struggling to score, as they have scored just 11 runs combined in their last five games, all resulting in a loss. Yesterday was looking like they would get the win until a late rally knocked them off. For the Angels, it was a 13-strikeout performance from Shohei Ohtani, but he gave up four runs, and going into the top of the ninth, the Angels were down 4-3. Jake Lamb led off the ninth with a solo home run, and two batters later, Mike Trout added another solo shot. Ohtani then doubled and Anthony Rendon drove him home to complete the comeback. The Angels will go for the sweep today, as they attempt to close the gap with the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Here are the Angels-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Cardinals Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-170)
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+140)
Over: 9 (+100)
Under: 9 (-122)
How To Watch Angels vs. Cardinals
TV: BSW/BSMW
Time: 1:15 PM ET/ 10:15 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Angels have won three straight games now, and have moved into second place in the AL West. In the process, they had a ninth-inning rally and a shutout win. The biggest issue for the Angels this year has been starting pitching. Outside of Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval, the Angels have sent out four starting pitchers. Their combined ERA is 5.72. This was a solid rotation last year, so they could rebound, and Jose Suarez started that rebound the other night going five scoreless innings, but without any major minor league options, the Angels need to figure this out.
Griffin Canning will get a shot at that in this one. He is currently 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts on the season. In his last outing, he went five innings and gave up three runs, but had enough run support to get the win. He has given up two or more earned runs in each of his first three starts, and has yet to pitch six full innings. The distance of starts may not be a bad thing though. The Angels' bullpen ranks fourth in the majors with a 2.91 ERA but did just lose one of their best arms.
The Angels have also been providing run support to their pitchers. In the last ten games, they are averaging 5.4 runs per game. The team leader in RBIs, Hunter Renfroe, has cooled off a little in that department. He only has three runs batted in during his last eight games. He has scored seven times in that time frame though. Mike Trout is heating up though. He has hits in 11 of his last 14 games, reached base safely in 13 of 14, and driven in nine runs in that time frame. If he can keep it up and provide a little run support for Canning, they will get the win.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
This season, when the Cardinals scored five or more runs, they are 8-2 on the season. When they have not, they are 2-19. They have lost five straight games, and their highest run output in them has been four. If the Cards expect to get to their numbers, they have to do better with runners in scoring position. They are currently 13th in the major with a .250 batting average in those situations.
Yesterday it was a two-for-seven effort with runners in scoring position. Wilson Contreras came through again and has been doing that a fair amount during the season. He only has 12 RBIs, but 10 of them come with runners in scoring position as he is hitting .364 in those situations. This game is at home, so that could be even better for him. Contreras has hit much better at home this year, with a .354 batting average, two home runs, and nine RBIs.
On the hill tonight will be Jack Flaherty. Flaherty has given up home runs in each of his last four starts, and his starts have been steadily declining this year. In his first start of the season, he threw five scoreless innings. The next two were both under three runs. In the final three, he gave up three or more runs in all of them. If Flaherty can get back to his early season success, the Cardinals have a chance, if not, the Angels will easily win.
Final Angels-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The Cardinals are just not playing great baseball. When they have had the chance to win, they have blown it. In a lot of games, they have not even been competitive. Conversely, the Angels are just finding ways to win. Griffin Canning should give Angels fans a little concern, but if he can give them six solid innings, and keep it close, the Angels will be able to score in the late innings and cover this one.
Final Angels-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Angels +1.5 (-170)
