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The St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers will close out a three-game set on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cardinals-Dodgers prediction and pick.
Los Angeles opened this series with a 9-4 victory on Monday night. The Cardinals bounced back with a 3-2 victory in the second game, which means we have a rubber match on our hands in the series finale. We have an incredible pitching matchup on our hands as Carlos Martinez and Walker Buehler will battle it out on the bump.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Cardinals-Dodgers odds.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Dodgers Odds
St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-102)
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-118)
Over 8 Runs (-115)
Under 8 Runs (-105)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The St. Louis Cardinals are no 31-24 and only a half game back of the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central division lead. The Cardinals have won five of their last seven games and certainly look to be a dark horse contender in the National League. With a loaded lineup and filthy pitching staff, this team has all of the tools to take a big step forward in 2021. The Cardinals have been a more productive offensive team and have a better record against the spread at 18-12 away from home this season.
The Cardinals will send out right-hander Carlos Martinez for the rubber match. Martinez is 3-4 with a 4.22 ERA through his first 10 starts of the season. The hard throwing right-hander tossed six innings of three-run ball in his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Martinez will have a tough test on his hands against the Dodgers lineup that has scored the second-most runs in baseball this season.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an up-and-down start to the season as they're now 32-23. After the one-run loss in the second game of this series, the Dodgers have now lost 13 of their 20 games that have been decided by a single run. As the defending champs, Los Angeles is certainly getting the best version of every opponent in 2021. The Dodgers are thankful that this game is being played in Los Angeles as they're currently 18-10 on their home field this year. The Dodgers are a complete club that has scored the second-most runs and allowed the eighth-fewest runs in the Major's to date.
Los Angeles will send out Walker Buehler for the rubber match. Buehler is 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA through 11 starts this season. The Cy Young candidate has struck out 62 batters through 64.10 innings pitched. The Dodgers right-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball in his last outing against the Giants. Buehler has seen a ton of success against the Cardinals lineup in the past. Nolan Arenado is hitting just .172 through 29 at-bats against the hard throwing righty.
Final Cardinals-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
Many will look to take the Dodgers in this game and rightfully so. Walker Buehler is one of the best pitcher's in all of baseball and has seen a ton of success against this Cardinals lineup. St. Louis seems to be a different team this season and shouldn't back down against the hard throwing Dodger ace, though. With Carlos Martinez on the bump, St. Louis can only assume that they'll have to put runs on the board to keep up in the rubber match. The Dodgers have scored the second-most runs in baseball and have a favorable matchup. I like the over in a game that should feature early offense from the Dodgers and late offense from the Cards.
FINAL CARDINALS-DODGERS PREDICTION AND PICK: Over 8 Runs (-115)
