Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Point Spread Picks 7/26/2019

Friday, July 26, 2019

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jose Urquidy vs. Jack Flaherty

George Springer and the Houston Astros (66-38, 1st in AL West) travel to Busch Stadium on Friday where they'll meet the St. Louis Cardinals (54-47, 2nd in NL Central). The line on this matchup has the Astros priced at +102 and the Cardinals are at -112. The O/U opens at 9.

The Astros have been an excellent choice for bettors, having gone 66-38-0 SU. St. Louis covers 53.5% of the time, going 54-47-0 straight up. The Cardinals have been decent for baseball wagerers as a favorite, going 31-26-0 SU. Houston covers 28.6% of the time as an underdog, having gone 2-5-0 straight up.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros have been a rough Over bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 45-55-4.

Houston covers 53.1% of the time as the road team, having gone 26-23-0 straight up.

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

St. Louis covers 58.3% of the time at Busch Stadium, going 28-20-0 SU.

The Cardinals have been a dicey Over bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 44-52-5.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

7/23/2019 Josh James RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
7/21/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/12/2019 Carlos Correa SS Ribs Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

7/23/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/16/2019 Matt Carpenter 3B Foot Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
7/14/2019 Jedd Gyorko 3B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Out for the season
7/11/2019 Yadier Molina C Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
7/3/2019 Marcell Ozuna LF Finger Expected to be out until at least Aug 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 66-38 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jose Urquidy has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 5.54 and a WHIP of 1.31 this season. He has 17 strikeouts over his 13 innings pitched and he's given up 16 hits. He's allowed 11.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.77 and they have given up 301 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen and they've struck out 381 hitters and walked 128 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.79. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 770 base hits and 395 earned runs. They have allowed 154 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 293 batters and struck out 1,057. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.13 and their FIP as a unit is 4.12.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .270, good for 4th in the league. The Astros hold a .476 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. George Springer is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .382. He has 83 hits this season in 281 at bats with 58 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .591 and an OPS+ of 155. Michael Brantley is hitting .326 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .386. He has totaled 124 hits and he has driven in 55 men in 380 at bats. His OPS+ is 140 while his slugging percentage is at .521. The Astros have 964 hits, including 196 doubles and 170 home runs. Houston has walked 393 times so far this season and they have struck out 740 times as a unit. They have left 742 men on base and have a team OPS of .822. They score 5.22 runs per contest and have scored a total of 543 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 54-47 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.24, Jack Flaherty has a 4-6 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 122 strikeouts over the 108.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 96 hits. He's allowing 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.48. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.93 and they have given up 273 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 394 batters and walked 139 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 821 base knocks and 410 earned runs this season. They have given up 133 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 339 hitters and struck out 868 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.48.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 22nd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Paul DeJong comes into this matchup batting .258 with an OBP of .339. He has 97 hits this year along with 49 RBI in 376 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .471 with an OPS+ of 112. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .250 this season and he has an OBP of .336. He has collected 94 hits in 376 at bats while driving in 52 runs. He has an OPS+ of 105 and a slugging percentage of .444. The Cardinals as a unit have 829 base hits, including 151 doubles and 129 homers. St. Louis has walked 335 times this year and they have struck out on 861 occasions. They have had 672 men left on base and have an OPS of .726. They have scored 4.61 runs per game and totaled 466 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Astros/Cardinals MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros +102

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