St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves Game 5 Picks & Predictions

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

SunTrust Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jack Flaherty vs. Mike Foltynewicz

Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves host the St. Louis Cardinals at SunTrust Park on Wednesday in Game 5 of the NLDS. This series has been tight all the way, with the Cardinals getting a walk-off sac fly in Game 4 to win 5-4. Daniel Hudson pitched 4.2 innings for St. Louis, allowing 5 hits and 1 earned run. Paul Goldschmidt had a big game for the Cards, going 3-4 including a double and solo home run. Dallas Keuchel only lasted 3.1 innings for Atlanta, giving up 4 hits and 3 earned runs. He struck out 4. The Braves open this matchup at -112 while the Cardinals are coming in at -108. The O/U opens at 8.

The Cardinals have been a great choice for baseball wagerers, having gone 93-73-0 SU. Atlanta is covering 59.6% of the time, going 99-67-0 straight up.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The Cardinals have been a good Over option for O/U baseball wagerers, having gone 71-86-9.

St. Louis is covering 50.6% of the time as the road team, having gone 41-40-0 straight up.

Important Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

Atlanta is covering 61.5% of the time at SunTrust Park, going 51-32-0 SU.

The Braves have been a good Over option for O/U baseball wagerers, having gone 78-80-8.

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

9/18/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
9/1/2019 Lane Thomas CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2020
6/26/2019 Tony Cingrani RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 10, 2020

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

10/4/2019 Chris Martin RP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Oct 11
9/27/2019 Ender Inciarte CF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 13
9/18/2019 Johan Camargo SS Lower Leg Expected to be out until at least Oct 10
9/17/2019 Charlie Culberson LF Face Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
9/12/2019 A.J RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jan 1, 2020
9/5/2019 Alex Jackson C Knee Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
8/19/2019 Jacob Webb RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 91-71 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has a 11-8 record with an earned run average of 2.75 and a WHIP of 0.97 this season. He has 231 strikeouts over his 196.1 innings pitched and he's given up 135 hits. He's allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.46. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 607 hitters and walked 235 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 1,284 base hits and 609 earned runs. They have allowed 191 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 545 batters and struck out 1,399. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.27.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .245, good for 23rd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Paul DeJong is hitting .233 with an on-base percentage of .318. He has 136 hits this season in 583 at bats with 78 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .444 and an OPS+ of 97. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .260 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 155 hits and he has driven in 97 men in 597 at bats. His OPS+ is 113 while his slugging percentage is at .476. The Cardinals have 1,337 hits, including 246 doubles and 210 home runs. St. Louis has walked 561 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,420 times as a unit. They have left 1,107 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 764 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta has a 97-65 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.54, Mike Foltynewicz has a 8-6 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 105 strikeouts over the 117 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 109 hits. He's allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.97. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.21 and they have given up 559 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 598 batters and walked 243 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,421 base knocks and 675 earned runs this season. They have given up 203 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 548 hitters and struck out 1,393 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.39.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 9th in the league. The Braves hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .389. He has 176 hits this year along with 121 RBI in 597 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .549 with an OPS+ of 136. Dansby Swanson is hitting .251 this season and he has an OBP of .325. He has collected 121 hits in 483 at bats while driving in 65 runs. He has an OPS+ of 89 and a slugging percentage of .422. The Braves as a unit have 1,432 base hits, including 277 doubles and 249 homers. Atlanta has walked 619 times this year and they have struck out on 1,467 occasions. They have had 1,138 men left on base and have an OPS of .789. They have scored 5.28 runs per game and totaled 855 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals (-108)

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