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Two NL pennant hopefuls go head-to-head as the Atlanta Braves kick off the weekend by squaring off with the St. Louis Cardinals. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Braves-Cardinals prediction and pick will be revealed.
Winners in seven of their last eight and currently on a four-game winning streak, the Braves sit only two games behind the Mets for sole possession of the NL East throne. With the offense humming with 26 runs scored in their past two matchups, the defending champs will send out RHP Charlie Morton with his 6-5 record to go along with a 3.99 ERA.
Outside of being on the wrong side of yesterday's 11-4 game against Atlanta, the Cardinals haven't been too shabby themselves, as St. Louis was able to reel off an eight-game winning streak not too long ago. Additionally, St. Louis has won 10 of their previous 13 matchups. Getting the nod on the mound for St. Louis in this one will be the former Yankee in southpaw Jordan Montgomery. The lefty is 7-3 with a 3.08 ERA.
Here are the Braves-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Cardinals Odds
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+146)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-176)
Over: 7.5 (+100)
Under: 7.5 (-122)
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
Simply put, this Braves squad is on fuego. Whether it's generating an absurd amount of runs or silencing bats from the mound, the World Series champions from a season ago have put the rest of the majors on notice with their recent style of play. Not to mention, their workhorse stallion from the rubber in Charlie Morton has been an absolute machine during the month of August.
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In his past two starts, Morton has struck out 23 batters in 12 2/3 innings. Over that span, he also only surrendered a pair of runs on eight hits and three walks. At the ripe age of 38, Morton has not yet faced off with the Cardinals this season but should be rather sharp against this St. Louis squad that may start out the game guessing with their unfamiliarity with him in 2022. Because of this, Morton should be a great factor in why the Braves cover the spread on Saturday.
Another reason why the Braves should get their weekend started off on the right foot is because of this potent offense at the plate. The bats have come alive over the course of their last couple of games, as no team in the majors has scored as many runs in the past two days. Over the course of the entire year, Atlanta is third in runs scored and has a sparkling .445 slugging percentage which is the second-best mark in all of baseball. Be on the lookout for this offense to continue their scorching hot stretch that may cause some problems for Cardinals pitching in this one.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
During the trade deadline, the Red Birds made a terrific move by acquiring Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees in order to bolster their starting staff. While every one of his starts since becoming a Cardinal has been nothing short of fantastic, Montgomery's most dominant outing came recently in which the lefty shut down the Cubs in a 1-0 shutout complete game victory. Montgomery avoided the free pass in that one by walking no one while getting Chicago hitters to punch out seven times.
Similarly to the Braves, the Cardinals will supply their solid starter with a hefty amount of weapons within their lineup offensively. Not only do they have a chance to cover the spread because of their southpaw on the mound, but Braves arms will have to limit mistake pitches as the St. Louis bats can make any team pay. Leading the charge at the dish is none other than first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who is firmly leading the race for NL MVP this season with his .338 batting average, 33 home runs, and 105 RBIs. St. Louis will need to rely on Goldy a little more than usual on Saturday as well, especially since it is rumored that Nolan Arenado might sit this one out after being put on paternity leave.
Final Braves-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The world champs have looked nearly unbeatable of late, and even though the Cardinals have looked good as well, the absence of Nolan Arenado will be a punch in the gut that will take away the Red Birds' lethal ways on offense.
Final Braves-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (+146)
