The Atlanta Braves will host the St. Louis Cardinals for the first of a four-game set at Truist Park. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cardinals-Braves prediction and pick.
St. Louis completed a much-needed sweep over the Miami Marlins after losing nine of their last 10 games heading into that series. Atlanta has been struggling as well with losses in six of their last seven games to date. Both National League clubs have the talent to compete with anyone and will hope to use this series as a springboard as they head into the dog days of summer.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Cardinals-Braves odds.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Braves Odds
St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-125)
Atlanta Braves -1.5 (+105)
Over 9 Runs (-109)
Under 9 Runs (-111)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The St. Louis Cardinals were going through a major slump heading into their last series against the Miami Marlins. After a incredibly strong start to the season, St. Louis had lost nine of their last 10 games and looked to be headed toward the gutter. Then, they completed a three-game sweep over Miami, but only scored seven runs in the process.
The offense has certainly been a struggle all season for the Cardinals. They are currently averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 20th in the Majors. St. Louis has heavily relied on their pitching and defense and will need to get the offense going against a Braves club that has allowed 20 runs over their last two games.
St. Louis will turn to right-hander John Gant for the series opener. Gant will be hoping to remove his past two starts from his memory. He has struggled to go deep into games after serving as their reliable stopgap. The right-hander allowed five walks in his last start with all coming in one inning. He has walked eight batters over his last two starts and if that trend continues, look for St. Louis to have a short leash on the righty.
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most disappointing clubs in baseball through the first two months of the season. They are currently five games under .500 with a top 10 offense that is scoring 4.8 runs per game. The Braves recent two-game series against the Red Sox tells the whole story. They lost both games by a score of 10-8.
Superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna is doing all that he can to keep this club relevant. Acuna leads the team with a .390 on-base percentage, .597 slugging percentage, and 18 long balls. In addition to Acuna's monster numbers, four other Braves hitters have hit at least 10 long balls as well. Atlanta has allowed 4.97 runs per game, which is 24th in baseball and the sole reason that this club is struggling.
Atlanta will turn to right-hander Charlie Morton for the series opener. Morton will hope to bounce back after his most recent four inning outing against the Marlins on Friday. The veteran right-hander has been going through some alarming struggles of late. He has allowed at least three runs in one single inning in seven of his 13 starts this season.
Final Cardinals-Braves Prediction & Pick
I am not going to come out of the gate and say that the St. Louis Cardinals are back by any means. They completed a nice three-game sweep over the underwhelming Marlins, but they still have a long way to go. I see that as an advantage for them in this series as they will try to carry that momentum into a matchup with another underwhelming NL East club. Atlanta just got done serving up 10 runs to the Red Sox in two-straight games and although Boston is much better than St. Louis, I see that trend staying true. The Braves lack of pitching is burying them game after game.
FINAL PICK: St. Louis Cardinals ML (+166)
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