The Cardinals (65-83, 31-42 home) will host the Phillies (81-67, 38-36 away) in game three of this National League series. Starting for the Cardinals is Dakota Hudson, while the Phillies are giving the ball to Taijuan Walker. Read on to see my pick for this showdown between St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.

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 2:15 ET on Sunday, September 17th.

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.
  • The last five times the Cardinals have been the underdog, they are 3-2 vs. the runline.
  • Taijuan Walker has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 7.82 over his last two starts.

CAN THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

The Phillies head into today’s game ranked 2nd in the NL East on an overall record of 81-67. So far, they have put together an above .500 mark on the road at 38-36 and across 47 series, they are 25-19-3.

Taijuan Walker is in the midst of a successful campaign, boasting a 15-5 record across his 29 appearances. He has limited opponents to a .235 batting average and owns an ERA of 4.30. On the road, Walker has gone 8-3 with an ERA of 9.32, while at home he is 7-2 with an ERA of 3.76. Teams have managed to slug .394 against him this season.

Taijuan Walker’s most recent start ended in a no-decision for the right-hander, as he yielded six runs on six hits across 5 1/3 innings against the Braves. Despite his efforts, Philadelphia ultimately fell 10-8 in the contest.

During their last five games, Philadelphia is the 11th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .247 and are averaging 5 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Phillies are hitting .259 with an OBP of .329 while averaging 4.9 runs per contest. This figure puts them 9th in the league.

Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies’ home-run king in 2023, swatting 44 round-trippers and driving in 97 runs. His slugging percentage is a robust .475 for the season.

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

Looking to snap a two game losing streak, the Cardinals are in 5th place in the NL Central. St. Louis’ overall record sits at 65-83 while going 34-41 on the road and 31-42 at home, respectively. So far, they have played in 47 series, and have gone 19-23-5.

Today marks Dakota Hudson’s 16th outing of the season, and he holds a 6-2 record. His ERA currently stands at 5.10, with an opposing batting average of .343. Hudson has struck out 37 batters and has a WHIP of 1.44. When away from home, his ERA is 6.23 compared to 3.45 when pitching in front of his home crowd.

After a 7-2 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles, Dakota Hudson’s most recent outing saw him surrender seven runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.

For the season, the Cardinals’ offense is averaging 4.5 runs per game. Over their last ten games they have swung the bats well, sitting 9th in the league in scoring, with a total of 46 runs. Overall, St. Louis’ team batting average is .252, putting them 9th in the MLB.

Over the Cardinals’ last five games, Jordan Walker has been the leader in hits, batting .287. This season, Walker is hitting .272 and has recorded 46 RBIs.