The Los Angeles Dodgers take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Our MLB odds series has our Dodgers Cardinals prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Dodgers Cardinals.
This MLB betting situation is one of the classic dilemmas for anyone who considers betting on one baseball game. Most games are just straightforward questions about form, pitching matchups, and who sets up better to win a game. It doesn't guarantee the outcome, but most of the time, a game can be sized up by looking at the numbers and stats and which pitcher or batting order has the advantage.
This game defies easy categorization because of the story involved on one side of the matchup.
The St. Louis Cardinals were 10-24 through 34 games. The absolutely atrocious beginning to the season is shocking enough in its own right, but it's even more improbable when one realizes just how consistently good the Cardinals have been over the past 42 years of their history. Beginning with the 1982 World Series championship team, the Cardinals began a multi-decade-long era in which they had great managers — Whitey Herzog, Tony La Russa — and a lot of highly competitive ballclubs which regularly won division titles, reached the postseason, and were, at the very least, a threat in September with a chance to do something special. Since the 1982 season, the Cardinals have never gone more than nine years without making an appearance in the National League Championship Series.
The last time the Cardinals had consecutive losing seasons: 1994 and 1995. The last time the Cardinals went more than three years without making the playoffs: 1988-1995. They just don't lose a lot of games. They very rarely have losing seasons. Of all the teams to start a season 10-24, the Cardinals would have been just about the last team anyone selected, alongside the Dodgers and a few other obvious choices.
Everyone wondered if this team could get off the mat and begin to reverse course before it was too late. Sure enough, the Cardinals have begun to steer this ship in the right direction. St. Louis is now 19-26 after beating the Dodgers on Thursday night. This follows a series win over the Milwaukee Brewers and a sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park this past weekend. You're finally seeing the Cardinals hit in the clutch and not make crippling defensive mistakes. Their pitching in general and their bullpen in particular are still causes for considerable concern, but at only seven games under .500, the Cardinals have reason to think they can get back to .500 by mid-June, which certainly would put them in playoff contention if they maintain a winning trajectory and don't have another big losing skid at any point in the near future.
Here are the Dodgers-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Cardinals Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+130)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-156)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Dodgers vs Cardinals
TV: SportsNet LA (Dodgers) / Bally Sports Midwest (Cardinals) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT
*Watch Dodgers-Cardinals LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers did score eight runs against the Cardinals on Thursday. It's not as though St. Louis has truly figured out its pitching rotation. The Cardinals are a complete mess there, even with the recent wins. Los Angeles and Julio Urias had an aberrationally bad night on the mound. The Dodgers will win this game if they simply hold St. Louis under five runs. They'll score at least five if not seven or eight.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals are flying. They believe in themselves. They're hitting the baseball the way they know they can. Nolan Arenado is out of his slump, the main reason St. Louis is back to winning games again. This team has been unleashed, and now it is playing very relaxed baseball, hitting at the standard it always expected. That should be more than enough against Tony Gonsolin, the Dodger starter who is working his way back after a recent injury layoff.
Final Dodgers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
You should stay away from this game. We don't know how well Gonsolin will pitch, and we don't know if St. Louis starter Steven Matz will hold down the Dodgers. Take a pass on this one.
Final Dodgers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5
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