Atlanta pays a visit to St. Louis on Friday, hoping to shut down the Cardinals bats in baseball action at Busch Stadium.

Randall Delgado, with a record of 0-1 on the season, gets the ball for the Braves, while the Cardinals trot Edwin Jackson to the mound in this one. He is 11-9 so far in 2011.



View Atlanta vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as +-135 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 7-ranked Cardinals and the National League No. 4-rated Braves in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting Braves rank No. 11 in the National League at 8.4 hits per game. That compares with St. Louis’s No. 1 ranking in that category.

Defensively, Atlanta features the National League's No. 4-rated defense on the road, allowing 4 runs per game. St. Louis, meanwhile, comes in at No. 6 in the National League at home, scoring 4.3 runs per game.

Last time out for Atlanta, they were a 5-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Mets on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Braves at +100 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Braves enjoyed a 5-1 victory at the expense of the Mets on Thursday, with Julio Teheran throwing 5 1/3 innings of 5-hit ball at Citi Field.

The Cardinals were a 2-0 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Brewers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got St. Louis at -107 on the moneyline, while the total score (2) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Cardinals didn’t allow a single run in their last start, as their staff shut out Milwaukee 2-0 on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.


Atlanta Braves Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing St. Louis are 4-6
After playing NY Mets are 5-5
After a win are 6-4

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Atlanta are 7-3
After playing Milwaukee are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

A few Braves at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis' last 8 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis' last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis' last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta


Next up:
Atlanta at St. Louis, Saturday, September 10