Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview/Prop Picks
28 August 2022
Time: 7:08 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 18.563; NY Mets 17.131
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 1 ½; 11
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-125); 8 ½
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+105); Over
Two of the top teams in the respective divisions face off tonight. The visiting Atlanta Braves have a record of 79-49 this season and rank second in the NL East. They follow closely behind the New York Mets, who only have a three-game lead.
Today is the final game of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Can they earn a win on the road before returning home?
The St. Louis Cardinals have a record of 73-54 this season, with a 41-22 record at home. The series between them and the Braves is currently tied at 1-1.
With tonight being the last game, the Cardinals could use one more win to cement their NL Central position. The Cardinals actually come into this game as -124 favorites but are they the best pick tonight?
Atlanta Braves: A mix of great pitching and batting is needed
The Atlanta Braves will need Jake Odorizzi to have a strong game on the mound tonight. With a record of 5-5 this season, Odorizzi has a 3.95 ERA.
Through 79.2 innings, Odorizzi has thrown 61 strikeouts and allowed 78 hits. He's one of the more consistent pitchers for the Braves, but they'll need more than just good pitching. They'll need their batters to put up a strong game too.
Although they narrowly lost yesterday's game 6-5, the Braves had won four in a row leading up to it. In one of those games, the Braves put up 14 runs, showcasing their batting talent.
As a team, they rank third in runs with 638 and second in slugging percentage .445. With a .254 batting average, the Braves are just slightly below the Cardinals in terms of rankings.
St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals will seed out Adam Wainwright
One of the best pitchers the Cardinals could send out tonight is Adam Wainwright. This season, Wainwright has a record of 9-9 with an ERA of 3.11.
He's been able to keep nearly an under 3.00 ERA after pitching 156.1 innings. This is an impressive feat for any pitcher, but Wainwright has also thrown 126 strikeouts in that time. He's giving the Cardinals their best chance at a win.
However, it also matters what the Cardinals are able to do at the plate tonight. With a .259 batting average, the Cardinals rank fourth in the league.
They also have the fourth-most runs (619) and the second-best on-base percentage (.331). On paper, they're better than the Braves in a few categories. The question is, will this be enough for them to get a win at home tonight?
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick
Before we make our pick for this game, there are a few things to consider. First, the Atlanta Braves are 8-2 in their last ten games against the Cardinals.
The Braves are also 10-1 in their last eleven games on the road. We'd also like to mention that Atlanta is 15-3 in their last 18 games. In our opinion, their recent record makes them the better pick tonight.
Sure, the Cardinals have a great batting lineup and a good pitcher to go along with it. However, the Braves have this, too, and have a great history against the Cardinals.
We'll also take the over in this game since The total has gone over in five of Atlanta's last seven games.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Atlanta Braves +105, OVER
Prop Picks
Atlanta (-135) OVER 3.5 Runs
Atlanta is averaging 4.98 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 3 in the league. That average remains relatively consistent at 4.97 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in 14 of the Braves’ last 22 road games.
With Dunkel predicting a Braves victory by the score of 6-5, take Atlanta (-135) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against St. Louis.
Atlanta (+110) Most Hits
Atlanta is averaging 8.67 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 8 in the league. That average increases to 8.87 hits per 9 innings on the road. Atlanta is allowing 7.76 hits per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 6 in the league. That average decreases to 7.58 hits per 9 innings on the road.
With Dunkel predicting a Braves win while going OVER their Vegas team run total, take Atlanta (+110) to finish with more hits than St. Louis.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (-130) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Acuna has scored 57 runs in 91 games played this season, which ranks No. 4 on the Braves. The right fielder has scored 17 runs in 91 at-bats in August, the most he has scored in a month this season.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Acuna (-130) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Cardinals.
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