The St. Louis Cardinals will try to be nasty hosts on Friday when the Atlanta Braves pay a visit to Busch Stadium.
Manny Banuelos gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Atlanta Braves on Friday; he's 1-1 on the season. The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, will counter with Tim Cooney, who will be looking to improve on his 0-0 mark.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had installed the St. Louis Cardinals as -173 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB betting odds matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 7.5 before betting at Sportsbook started to move the line.
Handicapping models based on recent betting stats and prediction formulas pick a 4.8-2.7 win for the Cardinals. A 4.8-2.7 result in favor of the Cardinals is the prediction by the Odds Shark handicapping pick engine. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
61-34 St. Louis battles the Braves, currently with a 45-49 mark. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Atlanta injuries news.
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the St. Louis Cardinals rated this week at No. 16 and the Atlanta Braves sitting at No. 23.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up St. Louis Cardinals No. 17 ranked offense (4.06 runs per game) against a Atlanta Braves defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 20 at 4.27 runs allowed per game. The St. Louis Cardinals have been averaging 8.81 hits per game, more than the Atlanta Braves have managed so far this season (8.53 hits on average).
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping betting factors and St. Louis has the No. 1-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Braves own the No. 20 mark in runs allowed.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Atlanta got a 11-strikeout performance from J Teheran but couldn't turn it into a win, suffering a 3-1 loss at the hands of Los Angeles on Wednesday at Turner Field.
The Cardinals enjoyed a 4-3 victory at the expense of the Royals on Thursday, with J Lackey throwing 7 innings of 6-hit ball at Busch Stadium.
Next Betting Matchups
Atlanta at St. Louis, Saturday, July 25th