The St. Louis Cardinals will head north to square off against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. This interleague matchup can be viewed across the country on Fox Sports One and the first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Minnesota Twins Odds
Oddsmakers are listing St. Louis (+110) as the underdog to Minnesota (-120). Gamblers are able to bet on the game’s total with odds sitting at -105 for over 9 runs and -115 for under 9. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at Cardinals +1.5 runs (-190) and Twins +-1.5 runs (+165).
The Twins are 17-20 SU and 22-14 ATS. The team’s lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors while earning 5.0 units against the spread (ATS). Minnesota has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Cardinals have gone 22-16 SU this year and are 18-20 ATS. In total, the team’s gained 1.8 units for moneyline gamblers in the season’s early going, but have lost 2.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the under has cashed in five of those seven.
Minnesota games have an over/under record of 19-16-1 thus far in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 15-20-3.
Jack Flaherty is getting the nod for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Flaherty is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 11 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Twins this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Twins will turn to righty Jose Berrios (3-4, 4.50 ERA) to the mound. Berrios has 40 punchouts and nine walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.04. Berrios did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.78 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.66, along with a K/9 of 8.40.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .230/.318/.385 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game this year, including 3.4 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Right fielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Paul DeJong have led St. Louis’ offense. Pham is slashing .319/.432/.552 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, 28 runs and seven steals, while DeJong has a .262 average with eight homers, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Pham enjoyed batting against right-handed pitchers on the road in 2017. Over 226 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .352/.438/.633 (his overall season line was .306/.411/.520).
In the other dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff has allowed 4.8 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.25, a WHIP of 1.35 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.0. The bullpen has a 4.83 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 9.2 K/9.
The Minnesota offense has produced 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game over its last 10 games and 3.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .224/.283/.353 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Twins’ offense has been led by left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Rosario is hitting .285/.309/.556 with nine home runs, 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Escobar’s line is .274/.329/.548 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .290/.328/.507, Rosario enjoyed hitting against righty pitching at home in 2017, slashing .351/.402/.733 over 209 such plate appearances.
The Cardinals have lost 1.6 units and are 10-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 10 of those games, compared to 13 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 3.6 units and are 17-12 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 15 of those games, compared to 13 that went under the total.
St. Louis Cardinals at Minnesota Twins Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
St. Louis has recorded 17.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 18.4 over its last five.
The Cardinals have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
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