The Atlanta Braves are 5-1 in their last six games against the St. Louis Cardinals after taking the first two games of this week’s three-game series in St. Louis. The Braves will try to earn a third straight road win over the Cardinals on Thursday night.
- Date/Time: August 5, 8:15 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Busch Stadium
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Cardinals -110 | O/U 9 (Line History)
- Braves vs Cardinals Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Cardinals opened this game as a -110 home favorite before the Braves received enough betting action to move the line to Atlanta -115. St. Louis is now a +105 underdog while the total has stayed the same since Sportsbook at 9 runs. The OVER is 5-2 in Atlanta’s last seven games as a favorite.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
Touki Toussaint got torched for six hits and seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his last trip to the mound. Before that blowup, Toussaint had a 1.32 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through his first two starts in 2021. The 25-year-old carries a 4.76 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP into Thursday night’s game.
Wade LeBlanc was sharp in his last start against the Minnesota Twins, allowing six hits and one earned run in 5.2 innings en route to a 5-1 Cardinals win. LeBlanc has recorded a 3.15 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP in 34.1 innings for the Cardinals this season across six starts and four bullpen appearances. The veteran left-hander has a 6.28 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP in 28.2 career innings against Atlanta.
Atlanta News & Notes
The Braves are getting a good early return on their trade deadline acquisitions. Adam Duvall hit a two-run home run and Jorge Soler launched a solo shot in Atlanta’s 7-4 win over St. Louis on Wednesday. Soler also hit a home run in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Cardinals. The newly acquired right-fielder is batting .375 with two homers and four RBIs through his first four games with Atlanta.
Atlanta enters Thursday’s action with a 54-54 record and the chance to climb above .500 for the first time this season. The Braves are 0-7 in their last seven games with a .500 record, most recently losing to the Miami Marlins at 44-44 on July 10. Despite being at or below .500 all season long, the Braves are just 2.5 games behind the New York Mets for the division lead in the National League East.
St. Louis News & Notes
The Cardinals fell to 4-6 over their last 10 games with their two losses to the Braves this week. St. Louis acquired veteran starters Jon Lester and JA Happ at the trade deadline to bring in some much-needed starting pitching depth, but Lester and Happ have struggled this season with ERAs over 5.00 and WHIPs over 1.50. Both Happ and Lester are on expiring contracts.
It has been an odd season all around for the Cardinals. St. Louis traded for Nolan Arenado this offseason with the intention of being a contender and in the early stages of the season looked like one with a 30-22 record. But pitching injuries and inconsistent play have produced a 23-32 record over the team’s last 55 games. The path to a playoff spot isn’t at all clear for this group.
Betting Pick: Atlanta -115
The Braves are hitting the ball well and should continue to do so against Wade LeBlanc. They can win in a shootout if Touki Toussaint doesn’t pitch well or potentially in a blowout if he does.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- St. Louis is 10-5 in its last 15 home games.
- Atlanta is 9-2 in its last 11 road games vs St. Louis.
- The OVER is 4-2 in St. Louis’s last 6 games.
