St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves MLB Playoff Picks 10/3/2019

Thursday, October 3, 2019

SunTrust Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Miles Mikolas vs. Dallas Keuchel

Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals (91-71, 1st in NL Central) go to SunTrust Park on Thursday where they'll meet the Atlanta Braves (97-65, 1st in NL East) in Game 1 of the NLDS. The Braves open this matchup at -192 while the Cardinals are coming in at +155. The O/U is set at 8.

The Cardinals have been great for baseball bettors, having gone 91-71-0 SU. Atlanta is covering 59.9% of the time, going 97-65-0 straight up.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The Cardinals have been a less than ideal Under option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 69-84-9.

The Cardinals are covering 50.6% of the time on the road, having gone 40-39-0 straight up.

Important Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Braves are covering 61.7% of the time at SunTrust Park, going 50-31-0 SU.

The Braves have been a less than ideal Under option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 76-78-8.

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

9/29/2019 Kolten Wong 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 3
9/27/2019 Michael Wacha SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Oct 14
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

9/29/2019 Josh Donaldson 3B Hip Expected to be out until at least Oct 3
9/27/2019 Ender Inciarte CF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 13
9/25/2019 Ronald Acuna CF Groin Expected to be out until at least Oct 3
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 Miles Mikolas has a 9-14 record with an earned run average of 4.16 and a WHIP of 1.22 this season. He has 144 strikeouts over his 184 innings pitched and he's given up 193 hits. He's allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.27. 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 Goldschmidt is hitting .260 with an on-base percentage of .346. He has 155 hits this season in 597 at bats with 97 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .476 and an OPS+ of 113. Paul DeJong is hitting .233 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .318. He has totaled 136 hits and he has driven in 78 men in 583 at bats. His OPS+ is 97 while his slugging percentage is at .444. 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 3.75, Dallas Keuchel has a 8-8 record and a 1.37 WHIP. He has 91 strikeouts over the 112.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 115 hits. He's allowing 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.72. 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. Ronald Acuna Jr comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .365. He has 175 hits this year along with 101 RBI in 626 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .518 with an OPS+ of 122. Freddie Freeman is hitting .295 this season and he has an OBP of .389. He has collected 176 hits in 597 at bats while driving in 121 runs. He has an OPS+ of 136 and a slugging percentage of .549. 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?

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals (+155)

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