The Cardinals make the trip to Atlanta to face the Braves! These two teams are very similar so far this year. The Cardinals have not been as consistent as the Braves, but neither team was playing well to end the first half of the year. Our MLB odds series has our Cardinals-Braves prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

Cardinals-Braves Projected Starters 

Sonny Gray vs. Spencer Schwellenbach

Sonny Gray (9-6) with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up three runs on nine hits with zero walks and six strikeouts in a Cardinals loss.

2024 Road Splits: (3-2) 5.09 ERA

Spencer Schwellenbach (3-4) with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a Braves win.

2024 Home Splits: (2-2) 3.68 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Braves Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+162)

Moneyline: +02

Atlanta Braves: +1.5 (-196)

Moneyline: -120

Over: 7.5 (-124)

Under: 7.5 (+102)

How to Watch Cardinals vs. Braves

Time: 7:20 pm ET

TV: Bally Sports Midwest / Bally Sports Southeast

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals have been inconsistent this season, but they still have a winning record of 50-46. The Cardinals have been below average with their bats and just outside the top 10 in pitching this season. Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Willson Contreras have at least tried to stand out on a bad offense. On the mound, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Sonny Gray have been solid for a unit that has struggled this season. The Cardinals struggled a bit leading into the All-Star break.

The Cardinals are starting Sonny Gray on the mound, where he has a 9-6 record, a 3.34 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP up to this point in the season. Through 99.2 innings, he has allowed 45 runs on 81 hits with 24 walks and 121 strikeouts. In his 17 appearances this season, the Cardinals have gone 12-5. Gray has been a huge bright spot for the Cardinals this season on the mound. He gets a difficult matchup against a talented Braves offense, even though they have not lived up to expectations.

The offense for the Cardinals has jumped around on offense this season. They are 13th in team batting average at .245 after finishing last season with a .250 batting average by comparison. Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Brendan Donovan lead the Cardinals in most batting categories. Burleson leads in batting average at .288 and in RBI at 53. Donovan leads in OBP at .345 and in total hits at 98. Finally, Burleson and Gorman are tied for the lead in home runs at 17. This offense has been inconsistent all year even though they are playing better now. This should be an interesting matchup because Schwellenbach has been inconsistent in his own right for the Braves.

Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Braves have come out strong this season. They are 53-42 and won two out of their last three games. Their offense has taken a massive dip and is around average after being one of the best in the league. Their pitching has stayed great and they are in the top five in the MLB. Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, and Chris Sale have all had varying levels of success up to this point. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II not far behind. The Braves have lost some steam recently, but are still the most talented teams in the MLB.

The Braves are starting Spence Schwellenbach on the mound. He has a 3-4 record, a 4.43 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP. He has allowed 22 runs on 42 hits with 10 walks and 41 strikeouts through 44.2 innings. He has started in eight games so far this season and the Braves are 3-5 in those games. Schwellenbach has been inconsistent in a limited capacity for the Braves on the mound. He gets a difficult matchup with a surging offense like the Cardinals.

The Braves offense has taken a huge dip and is 17th in the MLB in batting average up to this point in the season at .243. This is after they led the entire MLB in batting average last season at .276. Marcell Ozuna has been great for the Braves to open the season and leads the way in most batting categories. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .303, in home runs at 26, in RBI at 77, in OBP at .379, and in total hits at 107. The Braves offense can compete with anyone in the league based on their talent, but they need to play better and a matchup against Sonny Gray will not help.

Final Cardinals-Braves Prediction & Pick

The Cardinals have the easy pitching advantage in this game. Gray is much better and more trustworthy than Schwellenbach on the mound. The Cardinals have the better offense, even if the Braves might have the more talented offense. This should be a close game, but the Cardinals should cover and potentially win at home against Atlanta.

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Final Cardinals-Braves Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+162)