A weekend National League battle will take place when the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Cardinals-Phillies prediction and pick will be revealed.

Entering play, the Cardinals have hit a recent winning surge on their way to coming out victorious in seven of their last eight games. Because of this, St. Louis has finally reached the .500 mark. As it stands, St. Louis is five-games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first-place in the NL Central. In line for the start against the Phillies will be the electric veteran Sonny Gray, who is 7-2 with a 2.60 ERA.

On the other side of things, not only do the Phillies boast the best record in the National League at 39-18, but their bonafide ace will be on the mound in lefty Ranger Suarez. Believe it or not, but the skilled southpaw is in the midst of a career-best season thus far with a phenomenal 9-1 record and 1.75 ERA.

After Philly snapped their three-game losing streak in a recent 6-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants, can the Phillies make it two in a row versus the Cardinals?

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Phillies Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-184)

Moneyline: +120

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+152)

Moneyline: -142

Over: 7.5 (-115)

Under: 7.5 (-105)

How to Watch Cardinals vs. Phillies

Time: 7:15 ET/4:15 PT

TV: MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

Don't look now, but the Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in all of baseball. Certainly, the Red Birds did not get off to the start that they would've liked. But with how long the baseball season is, they have quickly turned the tables in a matter of a few weeks.

In order to continue their stellar play by covering the spread versus the Phillies, the Cardinals will need to make it a priority to get the offense going early and often. Over the course of St. Louis' impressive stretch of play, the bats have awoken from their season-long slumber.

Overall, the ‘Cards only have the 27th-highest scoring offense in the league with 213 runs scored total, but in their last couple of wins, St. Louis has managed to erupt for 12 runs. Simply put, Cardinals hitters are seeing a beach ball at the moment when at the plate and their offensive prowess could be the reason they are able to cover.

Ultimately, the St. Louis offense is in for a tough draw against Ranger Suarez, so the importance of receiving a splendid start from starter Sonny Gray will be vital. Luckily, Gray is more than capable of pitching a gem against even high caliber offenses like the Phillies. Last time out, it was Gray that tossed a scoreless five innings and surrendered no runs on just one hit in a 4-3 win against the Chicago Cubs.

Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win

After enduring a slight bump on the road, the Phillies happened to come out with their hair on fire with a well-balanced effort in all facets of the game against the Giants. It is safe to say that this roster will be more than motivated to show St. Louis who's boss in what should be a jam packed Citizens Bank Park

To make matters worse for the Philadelphia's opposition, the Phillies can beat teams in a multitude of different ways. Beginning with the bats, Philly enters this series with top-ten statistics in runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, walks, stolen bases, and batting average. Furthermore, the ‘Phils boast the second-best on-base percentage and the fourth-best slugging percentage.

Whether it's hitting for power or average, Philadelphia can make an opposing arm pay in a big way. All in all, be on the lookout for OF Bryce Harper to terrorize St. Louis' pitching with his team-leading 13 home runs and 42 RBIs.

Of course, Philadelphia's most dangerous weapon in this series-opening contest has to be Ranger Suarez, who is statistically the best hurler in all of baseball. Even if the Phillies are a tad off on offense, it could be the craft lefty in Suarez that can make up for it. Not to mention, but the Phillies are also an extraordinary 22-8 within the confines of their home ballpark.

Without a doubt, these can all be factors that ultimately lead to Philadelphia covering the spread.

Final Cardinals-Phillies Prediction & Pick

This one could have the makings of an entertaining bout. At the end of the day, side with the mighty Phillies to take care of business on their home turf.

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Final Cardinals-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+152)