Heading into game three of this National League matchup, the Cardinals (42-53, 21-26 home) will send Dakota Hudson to the mound against the Marlins (53-44, 23-26 away) and Sandy Alcantara. Check out my pick for today’s Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals game in St. Louis.

MIAMI MARLINS VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 2:15 ET on Wednesday, July 19th

WHY BET THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:

  • Over their previous three games as the underdog, the Marlins are just 1-2 vs. the runline.
  • Miami have failed to cover the runline in two straight road games.
  • Opponents are hitting a healthy .302 against Sandy Alcantara in his last two starts.

MIAMI MARLINS STRUGGLING VS RUNLINE OF LATE

This year, the Marlins have put together a 47-50 record against the runline. On the road, their runline mark sits at 25-24. Straight-up, they are 53-44 and are 3rd in the NL East. Lately, Miami has had problems on the road, losing two straight series. The team’s over/under record for the season is 46-48.

Sandy Alcantara has made 19 appearances this season, with a 3-8 record and an ERA of 4.64. His WHIP is 1.26 and he has allowed an OBP of .298. He has also given up a home run in each of his last three outings, and his strikeout to walk ratio stands at 99/34.

Sandy Alcantara will look to continue his strong performance from his last outing, in which he pitched six innings and gave up two earned runs on eight hits. Unfortunately, the Miami Marlins were unable to come away with the win, losing 5-2 to the Baltimore Orioles.

So far this season, the Marlins’ has gone deep 90 times, placing them 19th in the league. Over Miami’s previous five games, they are 16th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.2 runs per game putting them 19th in the league. The Marlins’ overall team batting average stands at .265 along with an OBP of .323.

The Marlins have seen Bryan De La Cruz lead the charge in recent games, as he has hit one home run over the last five. His total for the season stands at 11, and his batting average is .275.

WILL THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

St. Louis head into today’s game seeking their 5th straight win and are in 4th place in the NL Central. On the road, St. Louis is 21-27 and 21-26 at home. With an overall record of 42-53, the Cardinals have a series win percentage of 42% (11-15-4).

Dakota Hudson is off to a strong start in 2023, boasting an undefeated record (1-0) and an ERA of 1.80. He has seven strikeouts, resulting in a K/9 ratio of 6.3, and only three walks for an OBP allowed of .302. Additionally, Hudson has held opponents to a slugging percentage of .432.

Dakota Hudson earned a victory in his last outing, as the Cardinals defeated the Nationals 9-6. The right-hander allowed no runs and four hits over seven innings of work.

Across their last five games, the Cardinals’ offense is 2nd in batting average, leading to an average of 6.6 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 11th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .760 on 130 (5th). On average, they have struckout 8 times per game compard to 3.4 walks.

Nolan Gorman has been on fire for the Cardinals over the last five games, leading the team in hits and batting an impressive .470. This season, Gorman is hitting .239 with 57 RBIs.