St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 5/17/2019

Friday, May 17, 2019

Globe Life Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Miles Mikolas vs. Drew Smyly

Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals (23-20, 3rd in NL Central) are headed to Globe Life Park on Friday where they'll meet the Texas Rangers (18-22, 4th in AL West). The Rangers open this game at -120 while the Cardinals are priced at +110. The O/U is set at 9.

The Cardinals have been solid for baseball bettors, having gone 23-20-0 SU. The Rangers are covering 45.0% of the time, going 18-22-0 straight up. The Cardinals have been a pretty good pick for MLB bettors as a favorite, going 13-11-0 SU. Texas is covering 39.4% of the time as the underdog, having gone 13-20-0 straight up.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The Cardinals have been a solid Over option for over/under baseball wagerers, having gone 22-18-3.

St. Louis is covering 44.4% of the time as a visitor, having gone 8-10-0 straight up.

Important Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Rangers are covering 63.2% of the time at Globe Life Park, going 12-7-0 SU.

The Rangers have been a strong Over option for over/under baseball wagerers, having gone 24-15-1.

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

05/15/19 CF Harrison Bader Neck is questionable Thursday vs Atlanta Braves
04/17/19 P Mike Mayers Shoulder 10-day IL (04/16)
03/27/19 P Brett Cecil Arm 60-day IL (03/28)
03/27/19 P Carlos Martinez Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/27/19 RF Justin Williams Hand 10-day IL (03/25)

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

05/15/19 SS Elvis Andrus Hamstring 10-day IL (05/15)
05/09/19 P Shawn Kelley Infection 10-day IL (05/06)
04/26/19 P Taylor Hearn Elbow 10-day IL (04/26)
04/13/19 P Edinson Volquez Elbow 60-day IL (04/05)
04/01/19 P Yohander Mendez Elbow 60-day IL (04/01)
03/25/19 P Luke Farrell Jaw 60-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 RF Scott Heineman Shoulder 60-day IL

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 23-20 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Miles Mikolas has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 3.83 and a WHIP of 1.06 this season. He has 35 strikeouts over his 54 innings pitched and he's given up 47 hits. He's allowed 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 103 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the bullpen and they've struck out 176 hitters and walked 65 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 331 base hits and 178 earned runs. They have allowed 66 home runs this season, ranking them 4th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 155 batters and struck out 378. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.73.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .260, good for 3rd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .266 with an on-base percentage of .354. He has 45 hits this season in 169 at bats with 23 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .467 and an OPS+ of 122. Paul DeJong is hitting .319 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .410. He has totaled 52 hits and he has driven in 19 men in 163 at bats. His OPS+ is 159 while his slugging percentage is at .552. The Cardinals have 378 hits, including 73 doubles and 53 home runs. St. Louis has walked 166 times so far this season and they have struck out 354 times as a unit. They have left 314 men on base and have a team OPS of .766. They score 5.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 220 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Texas has a 18-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.85, Drew Smyly has a 0-3 record and a 1.73 WHIP. He has 27 strikeouts over the 23.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 25 hits. He's allowing 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.27. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.93 and they have given up 171 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the Rangers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 133 batters and walked 75 opposing hitters. As a team, Texas allows 9.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.4. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 385 base knocks and 212 earned runs this season. They have given up 57 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. Texas as a staff has walked 167 hitters and struck out 301 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.56 while their FIP as a staff is 5.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 14th in the league. The Rangers hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Nomar Mazara comes into this matchup batting .255 with an OBP of .309. He has 36 hits this year along with 22 RBI in 141 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .447 with an OPS+ of 93. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .288 this season and he has an OBP of .392. He has collected 42 hits in 146 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 128 and a slugging percentage of .493. The Rangers as a unit have 338 base hits, including 79 doubles and 60 homers. Texas has walked 157 times this year and they have struck out on 400 occasions. They have had 262 men left on base and have an OPS of .782. They have scored 5.6 runs per game and totaled 224 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Rangers -120

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