MLB Predictions: Dodgers & Cardinals to be low-scoring at Busch? 5/29/17
In what is shaping up to be a perfect Memorial Day in St. Louis, the Cardinals will host the Dodgers at 2:15PM ET this afternoon. Can bettors expect a low-scoring game at Busch Stadium?
The Odds: Dodgers vs. Cardinals, 2:15PM ET, Busch Stadium
According to oddsmakers, this matchup is evenly matched. Both Los Angeles and St. Louis are receiving -105 odds on the money line, respectively, to win today’s game. If you shop around, you can find the Cardinals as a +100 underdog, but those odds are rare. The lowest Dodger odds are -104.
As for the over/under, the total hit the board at 8 runs before being bet up to 8.5.
The Pitching Matchup: Rich Hill (L.A.) vs. Mike Leake (STL)
These two pitchers just met in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Hill took the loss for the Dodgers after walking seven and allowing five runs in four-plus innings. Just 40 of Hill’s 82 pitches went for strikes. The 37-year-old left-hander dealt with a finger issue earlier this season, but it’s not clear whether that same problem affected his performance last week.
Leake, meanwhile, has been dominant. He limited the Dodgers to one run over eight innings in that first matchup with Hill. Leake was so good that be brough his ERA back under 2.00 to 1.91. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed just 47 hits and four home runs over 61 1/3 innings. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.
Our Prediction
The under has cashed in six of the last eight meetings between these two teams in St. Louis. It is also 13-6 in the last 19 meetings overall, hitting in two of the three games in L.A. last week. (That includes the Cards’ 6-1 victory in the game Leake faced Hill last Wednesday.)
Granted, the Dodgers just scored nine runs on Sunday against the Cubs in a game that Jon Lester pitched. But given how good Leake has been, coupled with the Cards’ offensive struggles, I’m taking the under today in St. Louis.
Memorial Day MLB Prediction: Dodgers/Cardinals under 8.5
