The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most surprising teams in Major League Baseball this season and have won six of their last seven games ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium – the first time they’ve accomplished the feat since the end of the 2011 campaign. Philadelphia hasn’t been able to get the job done against the Cardinals, however, as the Phillies are 1-6 SU in their last seven meetings with St. Louis.
Sportsbook opened the Phils as +117 road underdogs with a total of 8.5.
Vince Velasquez and Luke Weaver are slated to get the nod on the hill for the Phillies and Cardinals, respectively. Velasquez (3-4, 5.05 ERA) surrendered two home runs for the third time in four outings against the San Francisco Giants last Thursday before retiring 15 of the final 17 batters to pick up the win. The hurler announced earlier this week that he underwent offseason surgery which saw doctors remove a rib stemming from thoracic outlet syndrome.
Weaver (3-2, 4.91) is on the verge of dropping out of the starting rotation with Alex Reyes set to return soon, so a solid start today is a must for him. The 24-year-old scattered four hits over five scoreless innings in a 9-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in his last time out. Weaver dropped his lone career appearance vs Philadelphia in 2016, giving up three runs on nine hits in five frames.
When these teams get together, low-scoring affairs are the story. In the past 10 matchups between the Phillies and Cardinals, the UNDER is 7-3, with an average combined score of 7.7 runs.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Baseball betting oddsmakers, including Sportsbook, opened the St. Louis Cardinals as -140 moneyline favorites in this matchup. OVER/UNDER total bettors saw the number open at 8.5 at shops such as Sportsbook.
OddsShark prediction models pick the Phillies to win this game 4.6-4.0. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The St. Louis Cardinals bring a 23-17 record to the battle against the 24-16 Phillies. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Philadelphia injuries news.
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Cardinals rated this week at No. 16 and the Phillies sitting at No. 10.
Statistical Matchup
At the plate, St. Louis owns the No. 27 ranking for hits at 7.75 per game. By contrast, Philadelphia is rated No. 21 in the same category at 8.05 per game.
St. Louis owns the No. 6 defense, allowing 4.28 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Philadelphia's No. 3-rated defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Phillies hope for a dominant pitching performance similar to their last game when Nick Pivetta struck out 11 batters in a 4-1 victory on Wednesday at Camden Yards.
St. Louis rolled to a 7-5 win against Minnesota on Wednesday, as Miles Mikolas and the Cardinals' bats led the team to victory at Target Field.
Next Betting Matchups
Philadelphia at St. Louis, Friday, May 18