The St. Louis Cardinals are just one win away from securing a berth in the World Series as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS on Wednesday afternoon.
St. Louis grabbed a 3-1 lead in the series on Tuesday night with a 4-2 victory at Dodger Stadium. Matt Holliday and Shane Robinson both homered for the Cardinals in that victory, with Yasiel Puig driving in a run for the Dodgers.
Joe Kelly, with a record of 10-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Cardinals, while the Dodgers trot Zack Greinke to the mound in this one. He is 15-5 so far in 2013.
View St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Odds and Stats.
This game matches up the No. 17 (Dodgers) and the No. 2 (Cardinals) teams, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.
Last time out for St. Louis, they were a 4-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Dodgers on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cardinals at +118 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. St. Louis got the job done in their last match in a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium behind starter Lance Lynn.
How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Los Angeles's No. 17-ranked scoring average of 4.01 runs per game, against a Cardinals offense rated No. 3 and scoring 4.75 runs per game. The Dodgers have averaged 8.96 hits per game to date this season, less than the Cardinals hitters have managed (9.04 per nine innings).
Defensively, St. Louis features the No. 8-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.94 runs per game. Los Angeles, meanwhile, comes in at No. 26 at home, scoring 3.6 runs per game.
A few Cardinals at Dodgers trends to consider:
St. Louis is 12-3-1 SU in its last 16 games
St. Louis is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
St. Louis is 4-8-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Next up:
St. Louis at Los Angeles, Friday, October 18th
