In this National League matchup, the Cardinals (65-82, 31-41 home) play host to the Phillies (80-67, 37-36 away) at Busch Stadium. Taking the mound for the Cardinals is Miles Mikolas, while the Phillies will go with Ranger Suárez. Check out my pick for two of this St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies matchup.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 7:15 ET on Saturday, September 16th.

WHY BET THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:

  • In their three most recent games as the favorite, the Phillies have gone just 1-2 against the runline.
  • Philadelphia has failed to cover the runline in two straight games when favored to win.
  • The Cardinals are 2-1 in Miles Mikolas’ last five starts.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN NL EAST

On an overall record of 80-67, the Phillies are 2nd in the NL East. On the road, Philadelphia has put together a record of 37-36 while going 43-31 at home. Against teams with below .500 records, the club has gone 37-37. Overall, the Phillies have played in 47 series, going 25-19-3.

Ranger Suárez has made 19 appearances this season, boasting a .409 slugging percentage allowed and a 1.40 WHIP. His overall record stands at 2-6 with an ERA of 3.93, and he has recorded 104 strikeouts, averaging 8.69 K/9 innings. On the road, Suárez is 2-3 with an ERA of 3.32, while he is 0-3 at home with an ERA of 5.92.

Ranger Suárez was unable to secure a victory in his last outing, as he earned a no-decision after pitching 6 1/3 innings and registering a quality start. Despite his efforts, the Phillies ultimately fell to the Marlins 5-4. Suárez surrendered two hits and three earned runs during the game.

Over their last ten games, the Phillies are ranked 13th in the league in scoring at 4.6 runs per game. Their season-long scoring average of 4.9 per contest puts them 9th in baseball. In terms of on-base percentage, Philadelphia is 6th, with an OBP currently sitting at .329. The team’s collective batting average is .258 (5th).

Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies’ home-run king in 2023, with 43 long balls and 94 runs batted in. His slugging percentage for the season is a solid .472.

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

Overall, the Cardinals have a record of 65-82 which has them 5th in the NL Central. St. Louis has rattled off three straight series victories and have an overall series record of 19-23-5. This season, St. Louis is 31-41 at home and 34-41 on the road.

Miles Mikolas will make his 32nd appearance of the season today, boasting a 7-11 record and 4.75 ERA. His opponents’ OBP is .313 and he has struck out 116 batters, resulting in a WHIP of 1.32. When on the road, Mikolas’ ERA is 4.49 compared to 6.17 at home.

Mikolas’ most recent outing was a 5 1/3 inning affair against the Reds, with the Cardinals ultimately dropping the game 7-1. The right-hander allowed seven hits and five earned runs in the loss.

So far this season, the Cardinals’ has gone deep 200 times, placing them 9th in the league. Over St. Louis’ previous five games, they are 17th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.6 runs per game putting them 17th in the league. The Cardinals’ overall team batting average stands at .253 along with an OBP of .328.

Willson Contreras has been a major contributor to the Cardinals’ offense this season, as evidenced by his 3 home runs in their last 10 games and 19 long balls on the year. His overall batting average is .264.