It will be two of the most historic franchises squaring off, as the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Wild Card Game. The Cardinals come in winning 19 of their last 22 games, while the Dodgers have won each of their last seven and 18 of their last 21. Los Angeles finished the season as one of only three 100-game winners, so it gets home-field advantage tonight. Let’s look at the Cardinals vs. Dodgers NL Wild Card MLB betting guide.
NL Wild Card MLB Betting Picks: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
Starting Pitchers
STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (17-7, 3.05 ERA/1.06 WHIP)
LAD: RHP Max Scherzer (15-4, 2.46 ERA/0.86 WHIP)
Betting Odds
STL: Moneyline (+188) | Run Line: -120
LAD: Moneyline (-225) | Run Line: +100
Total: 7.5 Runs
Best NL Wild Card MLB Bets & Player Props Today
Over 7.5 Runs, +100 (Caesars)
Two of the best pitchers in baseball will toe the rubber tonight, with Wainwright against Scherzer. However, Awesemo’s Sports Betting Model believes that the total will get over 7.5 runs tonight. The Cardinals and Dodgers played seven times in the regular season, with the total exceeding 7.5 runs in four of those games.
Just before the end of the regular season, the Dodgers hung at least eight runs in each of their last four games. Wainwright allowed four runs back on Sept. 8 against the Dodgers, and it could have been five if Mookie Betts had not been thrown out at home plate in the first inning.
On the other side, it is always a dicey proposition getting runs off Scherzer. Although, the Cardinals lineup is dangerous, led by Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Scherzer is always deadly with the strikeouts, but he is prone to giving up a few home runs every now and again.
Max Scherzer: Over 7.5 Strikeouts, -105 (DraftKings)
Although the over is the play in this game, Scherzer is going to get his strikeouts. He is coming off two rough outings in which he allowed 17 hits and 10 earned runs total, but it is unrealistic to think he will get rocked like that again. Looking at past matchups against the Cardinals, some of their hitters have struggled against Scherzer. Arenado has struck out five times in 11 career plate appearances against Scherzer, while Goldschmidt has struck out 16 times in 33 career plate appearances.
Dodgers to Score First and Win, +105 (DraftKings)
Arenado and Goldschmidt will have to face their struggles with Scherzer in the first inning. If those struggles continue, that will leave the Dodgers with a golden opportunity to win this prop bet, even though they do not get the first at-bats. The Dodgers top three will likely be Betts, Corey Seager and Trea Turner, and all are capable of stealing a base and scoring on a single.
Tyler O’Neill: Over 2.5 Total Bases, +265 (DraftKings)
According to Awesemo’s expert projections, O’Neill is the top-ranked hitter for the Cardinals tonight. Since the system also likes the over in this game, the level of optimism is up here a bit. O’Neill has strong -140 odds to get one hit tonight, so taking the chance on him getting one for extra bases is a good idea. Over the final 15 days of the regular season, O’Neill led the Cardinals in home runs with six, and he slashed .340/.354/.830.
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