The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Atlanta Braves. Our MLB odds series has our Cardinals Braves prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cardinals Braves.

The St. Louis Cardinals are playing out the string. They are 17 games under .500 with three weeks left in the season. They might reach 70 wins, but it's not a guarantee. This has been a horribly disappointing season for a team which has Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado and a number of other talented players. The winner of the National League Central might be 20 games over .500 (91-71) at season's end, which is a respectable record but hardly a dominant one. The Cardinals frankly should have been the class of this division … and the last two games they have played against the Braves are proof of that.

With Goldschmidt leading the way and other hitters following him, the Cardinals have scored double-digit runs in each of these first two games against Atlanta. St. Louis won 10-6 on Tuesday and 11-6 on Wednesday. This was the team which was supposed to show up for the whole season, or at least most of it. Yet, this is the version of the Cardinals which has very rarely emerged. The pitching was never going to be spectacular this season, but it has imploded. The bullpen gave up leads left and right for large portions of the calendar. The starting pitching collapsed, partly due to having inadquate talent but also because Yadier Molina was no longer around to manage the rotation, something the organization badly underestimated as a central factor in the team's recent success.

The Cardinals are a bad team, but they still have potential. The Braves are certainly aware of that heading into the final game of this series, with St. Louis going for a sweep of the team which is likely to finish with the best record in baseball through 162 games.

Here are the Cardinals-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Braves Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (+146)

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-176)

Over: 10.5 (-110)

Under: 10.5 (-110)

How To Watch Cardinals vs. Braves

TV: Bally Sports Midwest (Cardinals) / Bally Sports South (Braves) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 7:20 p.m. ET/4:20 p.m. PT

*Watch Cardinals-Braves LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

The Cardinals showed over the past two days against the Braves what they can do. They have elite hitters. They have some depth in their batting order, with Nolan Gorman and Tommy Edman supporting the Goldschmidt-Arenado combo. Tyler O'Neill has homered in this series. Everyone has contributed in these two slugfest victories over an Atlanta pitching staff which has been noticeably weak for various lengths of time after the All-Star break. Atlanta has the best hitting in the majors, but the pitching is not deep and is a huge source of concern heading into October.

Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread

The Braves will face St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, who has endured a miserable final season in the majors. He misses his battery buddy, future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina. Wainwright has looked lost at sea, and since he doesn't have the velocity in his 40s which he possessed several years earlier in his career, it is hard for him to compensate. Wainwright has a 10.89 ERA in his last 10 starts. That simply won't play against anyone, worst of all the loaded Braves, who have scored six runs each of the last two games. They might score nine in this game.

Also, Atlanta is sending ace Max Fried to the mound. The Braves have pitching problems, but Fried isn't one. He has a 0.35 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals. That's why Atlanta is such a huge favorite in this game (-350 money line).

Final Cardinals-Braves Prediction & Pick

The Wainwright-Fried matchup is why this game shapes up as a mismatch. Atlanta's pitching is not good right now, but with Fried on the bump, the Braves will be fine. Take the Braves.

Final Cardinals-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5