The Arizona Diamondbacks will be squaring off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The opening pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Arizona will broadcast this NL matchup.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (-155) is favored against Arizona (+135) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 7.5 runs (-120 for the over and +100 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds standing at Diamondbacks -1.5 runs (-110) and Cardinals +1.5 runs (+100).
The Cardinals are 3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS. They’ve lost 1.1 units for moneyline bettors and 0.3 units against the spread (ATS). The Diamondbacks are 6-1 SU and have gone 5-2 ATS. Overall, the team’s gained 5.3 units for moneyline gamblers this year and 3.0 units ATS.
St. Louis games have a 3-4 over/under record so far in 2018. The Diamondbacks have an over/under record of 3-4.
The Diamondbacks have gained 0.6 units and are 2-1 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in one of those games, compared to two that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 1.0 units and are 3-2 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in three of those games, as opposed to two that’ve cashed the under.
Right-hander Zack Greinke (0-0, 1.59 ERA) will get the start for the visiting Diamondbacks. Greinke struck out 215 hitters in 202 innings last year with only 45 walks while finishing the season 17-7 overall with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
The Cards are turning to righty Michael Wacha (0-1, 7.71 ERA), who recorded 158 strikeouts in 165 innings last year (30 starts). Wacha finished the season 12-9 overall with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.
St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 4.0 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.17, a WHIP of 1.45 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.1. The bullpen has a 3.75 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 9.4 K/9.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.8 per game over its last five. The team has hit .251/.333/.444 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ offense has been led by shortstop Paul DeJong and catcher Yadier Molina. DeJong is slashing .385/.429/.731 with 10 hits, five RBIs and five runs scored, and Molina’s line is .259/.276/.630 with seven hits, six RBIs and four runs.
DeJong performed well against righties at home last year, slashing .383/.416/.695 over 149 such plate appearances (his overall season line was .285/.325/.532).
In the other dugout, Arizona’s pitchers have allowed 3.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.45 K/9. The bullpen has an outstanding ERA of just 1.98, along with a K/9 of 7.90.
The Diamondbacks offense has slashed .258/.358/.422 on its way to 5.4 runs scored per game in 2018, including over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Arizona’s hitters have been led by Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings. Ahmed is slashing .471/.526/.824 with eight hits, seven RBIs and four runs scored, while Owings is slashing .429/.500/.667 with nine hits, four RBIs and seven runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .256/.303/.427, Ahmed did not perform especially well against righty pitching last year, maintaining a slash line of .198/.238/.345 across 122 plate appearances.
Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Notes
The Diamondbacks went 3-4 SU against the Cardinals last season.
The Cardinals’ bullpen managed 3.91 ERA against the Diamondbacks last year.
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