The Atlanta Braves are on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game two of their series Tuesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. So let’s check out our MLB odds series, which includes our Braves-Cardinals prediction and pick.
Atlanta (3-1) took two of three from divisional foes Washington Nationals to start the season. That gave them some momentum coming into the first game of the series in St. Louis. The Braves outdueled the Cardinals thanks to a five-run second-inning effort. That will need to keep those bats red-hot in order to keep this winning streak going Tuesday night.
St. Louis (2-2) looked like they were onto something in their home opening series against Toronto. That quickly came back down to earth with a loss at the hands of the Braves. The bright spot for the Cardinals is that they have at least plated four runs in each of their first four games. That offense may have to go to battle once more in Tuesday night’s showdown with the Atlanta Braves.
Here are the Braves-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Braves-Cardinals Odds
Atlanta Braves: +1.5 (-164)
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+136)
Over: 10 (-120)
Under: 10 (-102)
How To Watch Braves vs. Cardinals
TV: Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports South
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:45 PM ET/4:45 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Braves Could Win
The Braves are one of the favorites to win it all this season and rightfully so. They have shown that they have one of the best offenses in all of baseball and are at the top in most statistical categories. In four games, they are eighth in the majors in OPS (.817 OPS), 10th in runs per game (5.75 runs), and sixth in home runs (7 HRs).
They also have a great pitching staff to go along with their red-hot offense. They have a team ERA of 2.83 which is good for seventh in the league. Up to the mound for Tuesday night’s game is lefty Dylan Dodd who is their 13th-ranked prospect who will make his first career major league start. As long as he can limit the Cardinals he can then hand it off to the bullpen to finish the job and keep their winning ways going.
Why The Cardinals Could Win
The Cardinals have an offense that can without a doubt rival the Braves. They have scored 26 runs in their first four games to start the season and just like the Braves are at the top of most statistical categories. They lead the majors in OPS (.946 OPS) and batting average (.356) and have the fewest strikeouts in the league with just 25.
If the Cardinals’ pitching staff could catch up to their offense they could be legitimate contenders this season. On the mound for Tuesday night’s game making his season debut is Steven Matz. Matz only had 48 innings of work in the 2022 season and compiled a 5-3 record with a 5.25 ERA. He will need to be in his best form to silence the bats of the Braves and get the Cardinals back into the win column.
Final Braves-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
Dylan Dodd isn’t one of the top pitching prospects so for him to be pitching already in only his 31st professional game is quite puzzling but here we are. He also gets the daunting task of facing off against one of the premier lineups in the St. Louis Cardinals. Even though Matz wasn’t in his best form last year he still is the more proven pitcher so I will have to side with him the Cardinals to get the job done at home.
Final Braves-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+136)
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