2012 Philadelphia vs St. Louis Betting Preview
Cole Hamels pitched a gem to help the Phillies salvage one game from the Washington Nationals last night. St. Louis was comfortably ahead in the NL Central a couple weeks ago, but now the Reds are just half a game behind the Cardinals.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Philadelphia (Blanton) vs. St. Louis (Westbrook)
Date/Time: May 24, 8:15 p.m. EST on MLB Network
MLB Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: St. Louis (-155) Philadelphia (+135)
Runline: Cardinals -1.5 (+145) Phillies +1.5 (-165)
Total: 7.5
The Cardinals have one of the best offenses in baseball, but the Phillies have a great rotation.
Joe Blanton is considered by many to be the weakest link in a very strong Phillies starting rotation. Blanton had been humming along pitching brilliantly until he was shelled in his last outing. Blanton is 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA so far in 2012. Jimmy Rollins has missed the last three games on paternity leave, but he is expected back for this contest. Carlos Ruiz fouled a ball off his wrist and is listed as day-to-day. Ruiz has been the team’s best hitter this year, and the team can’t afford to have him miss much time. The Phillies pitching staff has been hurt by poor middle relief pitching this season. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The Cardinals swept the San Diego Padres to stay just ahead of the Reds in the NL Central. Jake Westbrook has had a terrific season for the team thus far. Westbrook has a stellar 2.41 ERA this year. He has been able to keep his sinker down and get a lot of ground balls, and when he is doing that he is a tough guy to hit. St. Louis leads the National League in both team batting average and runs scored. Rafael Furcal has been brilliant as the team’s lead off hitter, and that has been a real catalyst for the offense. Carlos Beltran is having a major bounce back year, and he leads the team with 37 RBI’s.
This total is set quite low given the fact that the Cardinals can pile up the runs with the best of them this year. The Phillies offense isn’t as bad as some believe, and I think the over is the best value here.
Free MLB Pick: Over 7.5
