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The Philadelphia Phillies will attempt another win on the road as they meet the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Sunday. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Phillies-Cardinals prediction and pick.
The Phillies blanked the Cardinals 1-0 on Saturday at Busch Stadium. It was almost an exact duplicate of the night before, where they beat them 2-0. Additionally, it was Alec Bohm with the lone RBI in the ninth inning, a sacrifice fly to left field. Neither offense could function, as the Phillies left seven runners on the base paths while the Cardinals left six. Kyle Gibson tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He took the no-decision. His counterpart Daniel Hudson also pitched well, tossing six scoreless innings before departing.
The Phillies will go with Nick Nelson on the mound. Nelson is 3-1 with a 4.17 ERA but has not started a game this year. He is a solid reliever but can he adapt to a starting spot? Nelson must replicate his strong performances from the bullpen. The Cardinals will go with Andre Pallante on the hill. He is 2-4 with a 3.03 ERA. However, Pallante is coming off a bad start where he went 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, including two home runs. He must bounce back from that clunker.
The Phillies are 46-39 and third in the NL East. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 45-42 and second in the NL Central.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Phillies-Cardinals odds:
MLB odds: Phillies-Cardinals Odds
Phillies: +1.5 (-205)
Cardinals: -1.5 (+168)
Over: 9 (-102)
Under: 9 (-120)
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Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies have won four of five games against the Cardinals in 2022. After winning two games of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies are on the verge of winning a series at Busch Stadium. Additionally, it could set them up for a sweep tomorrow. The Phillies have not swept a series at Busch Stadium since 2006. Moreover, the Phillies are 6-0-3 in their last nine series against the Cardinals. They cannot lose this series so it will be the 10th time they have faced St. Louis and not lost a series.
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Philadelphia has won these two games with pitching and defense. Additionally, the bullpen has done its job, tossing four scoreless innings over two games. Pitching has done well but other aspects of their game have not. The offense has not shown up yet.
Kyle Schwarber is one of the best hitters on the team. However, he went 0 for 3 yesterday with a walk. Likewise, he is 0 for 7 in this series. Rhys Hoskins went 0 for 4 yesterday. Also, he is 1 for 8 throughout the series. With Bryce Harper still recovering from a broken thumb, Schwarber and Hoskins are the best options at the plate. These two must produce to help the Phillies continue winning games.
The Phillies will cover the spread if they get a good outing from their starting pitcher. Likewise, they need sustainable offense from Schwarber and Hoskins. The last two games ended 1-0 and 2-0. Alternatively, this game feels like it may have plenty more runs. The Phillies' offense looks ready to burst, and it may in this contest.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread
The Cardinals rarely lose any series. Additionally, they rarely fail to score a run in consecutive games. So, what's wrong with the Cardinals? Despite the two scoreless games, they still rank ninth in runs scored. They also are middle-of-the-road in the other hitting categories. But the Cardinals have not capitalized off the little opportunity they have had in these two games. They have left 13 runners stranded on the base paths over two games. On Saturday, they had three runners reach second base. However, none of them got to third. The Cardinals are struggling offensively and also not playing smart baseball. Additionally, their sluggers are not hitting the baseball.
Paul Goldschmidt is a potential MVP candidate this season. Likewise, he has two hits in this series. But those hits have amounted to nothing. Goldschmidt is 2 for 8 in the series but has not scored a run. Likewise, Nolan Arenado is pretty solid. He is 2 for 8 in this series but has otherwise been unable to do anything else. The rest of the team has four hits combined over two games. The Cardinals must give Goldschmidt and Arenado some support if they have any chance of winning. They cannot rely solely on them.
The Cardinals will cover the spread if Goldschmidt and Arenado are put in a position to drive runners in and execute. They also must get good pitching all around and hope to keep the Phillies at bay.
Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The Phillies are attempting to win their seventh series in the last 10 attempts against the Cardinals. Philadelphia is the one team St. Louis does not want to face in the playoffs. As for this game, the offenses are long overdue to awaken. Expect some scoring to arrive, finally.
Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Over: 9 (-102)
