Sunday night baseball brings the National League showdown from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia with the first pitch at 7:08 PM ET, so here’s the best Cardinals vs. Phillies betting pick along with the latest odds update on BetOnline Sportsbook. 

St. Louis and Philadelphia close down a three-game series. Saturday’s clash has been excluded from this preview, while the Phillies beat the Cards 5-3 in Friday’s opener. Philadelphia is a slight -127 moneyline fave for Sunday’s game, and the totals are listed at 8.0 runs. 

The Cards dropped five of their previous eight contests                                        

The St. Louis Cardinals recorded their second defeat in a row last Friday and fell to 43-36 on the season. They’ve been pretty unpredictable of late, going 3-5 in their last eight games overall and 6-7 in their previous 13 outings at any location. 

In the last couple of weeks, the Cardinals have posted a solid .253/.316/.464 slash line across 459 at-bats, while their pitching staff has registered a 3.68 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Adam Wainwright will toe the rubber Sunday in Philadelphia, and the veteran righty holds a 6-5 record, 3.07 ERA, and 1.25 WHIP in 15 starts (91 innings) this season. 

After surrendering 13 earned runs on 31 hits across his first four starts in June (25 innings), Wainwright fired seven shutout innings in a 9-0 dismantling of the Miami Marlins this past Monday. The three-time All-Star ranks in the 80th percentile in hard-hit percentage, and his curveball has a nice minus-7 run value. 

The Phillies are fighting through the injury crisis         

The Philadelphia Phillies improved their record to 41-37 for the season following Friday’s clash against the Cardinals. It was the fourth win in the last six games for the Phillies, who miss a few very important players. 

Bryce Harper is recovering from a thumb injury. Jean Segura is on the IL with a finger injury, while Johan Camargo will miss some action due to a knee injury. The Phillies are hitting only .229/.296/.372 in the last two weeks and 433 at-bats. 

Zack Wheeler will toe the slab Sunday and try to get back on the winning track. After picking up a loss in a 4-2 defeat at the Texas Rangers on June 22, the 32-year-old right-hander took a no-decision in a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves this past Tuesday. Wheeler is now 6-5 with a solid 3.07 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 15 starts (91 frames) in 2022.  

Trends:

St. Louis: 

  • 3-8 in the last 11 games on the road 

Philadelphia:

  • 10-4 in the last 14 games at home  
  • 6-3 in Zack Wheeler’s last nine starts  

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick 

The current Phillies lineup has 25 hits and four home runs in 82 at-bats against Adam Wainwright. On the other side, the current Cardinals have only six hits in 33 at-bats against Zack Wheeler. If Wheeler provides six strong innings and the Phillies’ relievers continue to impress, the hosts should come out on top. 

Philadelphia’s bullpen has notched a microscopic 0.63 ERA and 1.45 FIP in the last ten days and 28.2 innings of work. The Cards’ bullpen has tossed 32.2 frames in that span and posted a 3.03 ERA and 3.86 FIP. 

Pick: Take Philadelphia Phillies at -127                                    

The Total:

I’m not expecting to see a high-scoring affair with Adam Wainwright and Zack Wheeler on the mound. The starting duo has plenty of experience and should be able to get deep into this contest. 

The total has gone under in five of the last six encounters between the Cardinals and Phillies, excluding the middle game of this series. Also, the under is 5-2 in St. Louis’ previous seven games overall and 5-1 in Philadelphia’s last six tilts played in July. 

Pick: Go under 8.0 runs at -120