The St. Louis Cardinals will travel to Citizens Bank Park to take on the Philadelphia Phillies to start a three-game series on Friday. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Cardinals-Phillies prediction and pick.

 

The Cardinals finished off a six-game-home stand where they went 3-3. Additionally, they lost two of three to the Chicago Cubs at home before taking two of three from the Colorado Rockies. The Cards went 15-14 in June, and have gone 3-7 over the last 10 road games. Overall, the Cardinals are 19-19 away from home this year. 

The Phillies are coming off a series in which they lost two of three at home to the Atlanta Braves. However, Philadelphia went 19-8 in June, including 18-8 since they fired Joe Girardi as their manager. The Phillies went 9-4 at home in June and have a 20-19 overall mark at Citizens Bank Park. Although, they are 1-2 since they lost Bryce Harper to an injury. 

The teams met seven times last season, with the Phillies taking four of seven games. Additionally, the Cards are 2-4 over the last six games played at Citizens Bank Park. The Cardinals are 43-35 and second place in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 40-37 and third in the NL East. 

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cardinals-Phillies odds:

MLB odds: Cardinals-Phillies Odds 

Cardinals: -1.5 (-114)

Phillies: +1.5 (-137)

Over: 9.5 (+100)

Under: 9.5 (-122)

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Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

The Cardinals will go with Miles Mikolas on the mound. Mikolas is 5-5 with a 2.57 ERA in 2022. He tossed six innings in his last start, allowing one earned run on four hits and nine strikeouts. Mikolas has thrown at least six innings in four straight starts. Additionally, he has struck out 27 batters over four starts. Mikolas went 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA in five June starts. He is 3-3 with a 2.53 ERA over seven road starts this season. Mikolas has faced the Phillies three times, going 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA. Unfortunately, he has a 9.00 ERS in the one start in Philadelphia. Mikolas has the offense to support him in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado

Goldschmidt is batting .342 with 19 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 56 runs scored through 74 games this season. Alternatively, he is hitting .289 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, and 21 runs scored through 36 games on the road. Goldschmidt is hitting .249 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and 35 runs scored through 58 games against the Phillies in his career. However, the numbers are higher on the road, as he is batting .299 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs through 30 games at Citizens Bank Park. 

Arenado is batting .278 with 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 35 runs scored through 74 games this year. Likewise, he is batting .268 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs, and 18 runs scored through 37 road games. Arenado has a .245 mark against Philadelphia through 50 games, batting .245 with five home runs, 25 RBIs, and 18 runs scored. However, he is batting a lowly .180 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 10 runs scored through 22 games against the Phillies on the road. 

The Cardinals will cover the spread if Mikolas gives them a great outing. Additionally, they need Goldschmidt and Arenado to hit the mark. 

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

The Phillies will go with Bailey Falter on the hill. Falter is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. Today, he is replacing Zach Eflin in the rotation. Eflin went down with a bruised knee, so the Phillies recalled Falter from Triple-A. He went six innings, allowing one hit on five strikeouts in a June 25 stint in Triple-A. Falter has some help in the offense. With Harper out, Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber must pick up the offense. 

Hoskins is batting .251 with 15 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 41 runs scored. Likewise, he is batting .275 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs, and 23 runs scored in 38 home games in 2022. Ho9skins is batting .278 with four home runs, seven RBIs, and 16 runs scored through 20 games against the Cardinals in his career. Additionally, those numbers inflate at home, where is batting .382 with three RBIs and seven runs scored through 9 games at Citizens Bank Park against the Cardinals. 

Schwarber is batting .217 with 23 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 54 runs scored. He is the ultimate ‘boom-or-bust' player as he will either pop a home run or do nothing. Schwarber is batting .212 with nine home runs, 18 RBIs, and 24 runs scored in 38 home games this year. He is batting .182 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs, and 26 runs scored through 71 career games against the Cardinals. Likewise, he is batting .193 with six home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 runs scored through 37 career home games against the Cardinals. 

The Phillies need a good performance from Falter to cover the spread. Additionally, they need Hoskins and Schwarber to pick up the offense and score early against Mikolas. 

Final Cardinals-Phillies Prediction & Pick

The Cardinals and Phillies both may end up in the playoffs. However, the matchup today heavily favors the Cardinals. Expect the offense to roll the spot-starter and Mikolas to finish it off. 

Final Cardinals-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Cardinals: -1.5 (-114)