Subscribe
Follow Us
The Philadelphia Phillies will continue their three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals as the teams meet again at Busch Stadium on Saturday. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Phillies-Cardinals prediction and pick.
The Phillies blanked the Cardinals 2-0 on Friday. It was scoreless until the sixth inning when Alec Bohm approached the plate. Then, Bohm clobbered a solo home run to deep center that landed just over the wall, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It was his fifth home run in 2022. Later, Bohm struck again, blasting a 1-1 pitch to deep left field, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. These blasts would be the only runs of the game.
Zack Wheeler was wheeling and dealing all night, going seven innings, not allowing a run on five hits. Also, Adam Wainwright pitched well, making only two mistakes, both against Bohm, in a complete game in defeat.
Kyle Gibson will take the mound for the Phillies today. Gibson is 4-3 with a 4.91 ERA. He tossed four innings in his last start, allowing six earned runs, including four home runs. Gibson is 0-2 with a 6.34 ERA on the road this season.
Dakota Hudson will pitch for the Cardinals. Hudson is 6-5 with a 4.29 ERA. He is 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA in seven starts at home. Additionally, Hudson is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies. He is coming off a rough start, allowing six earned runs with nine hits and three walks in four innings. Hudson's June was up-and-down, as he was 3-2 with a 4.58 ERA in six June starts.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Phillies-Cardinals odds:
MLB odds: Phillies-Cardinals Odds
Phillies: +1.5 (+162)
Cardinals: -1.5 (-196)
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies have gone 6-4 since Bryce Harper went down with an injury. However, they still have weapons in Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber leading the pack.
Hoskins is batting .252 with 17 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 45 runs scored. Additionally, he is batting .385 with two home runs, three RBIs, and three runs scored over four games against the Cardinals in 2022. Hoskins has career marks of .293 with six home runs, 10 RBIs, and 19 runs scored over 24 games against St. Louis. However, he is batting .204 with four home runs, four RBIs, and a run scored over 12 games at Busch Stadium.
Schwarber is batting .221 with 27 home runs and 56 RBIs. Alternatively, it has been worse against the Cardinals, where he is batting just .118 with two hits and an RBI over four games. Schwarber is batting .177 with nine home runs, 29 RBIs, and 26 runs scored over 75 career games against the Cards. Likewise, he is batting .165 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and nine runs scored in 35 career games at Busch Stadium.
The Phillies will cover the spread if they get a good outing out of Gibson. Also, they need Hoskins to produce, and for Schwarber to hit his first home run against the Cards in 2022.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals have done some heavy lifting with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
Goldschmidt is batting .344 with 19 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 61 runs scored. He is making a name for himself in the MVP race and should receive consideration. His numbers at Busch Stadium have been insane. Goldschmidt is batting .399 with 15 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 35 runs in 39 games at home. Expect a monster game from Goldschmidt, especially after a quiet Friday night. Goldschmidt is batting .375 with six hits in four games against the Phillies in 2022, still looking for that first home run. He has hit nine home runs against the Phillies in his career. Additionally, his last one at home came last season.
Arenado is batting .295 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 39 runs scored over 82 games. His numbers even out at home, where is batting .294 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and 17 runs scored over 38 games at Busch Stadium. Arenado is batting .563 with nine hits, three home runs, six RBIs, and three runs scored over four games against the Phillies in 2022. He had two hits last night and will look to pick it up again.
The Cardinals will cover the spread if they can get a great performance out of Hudson. Additionally, they need solid nights from Goldschmidt and Arenado to avoid the shutout again. Look for both sluggers to have a bigger role today.
Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
Gibson is not a good pitcher on the road. Conversely, Hudson has excelled at home. That simplicity fortifies the decision to go with the Cardinals. Plus, there is a 100 percent chance they will come out swinging after failing to score a run last night. Expect the Cardinals to get one back.
Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals: -1.5 (-196)
