St. Louis Cardinals vs Cleveland Guardians Preview
Ben Lively will start for the Guardians on Friday, as they look to extend their two-game winning streak. Cleveland is currently 89-65 and they are 1st in the AL Central. The Cardinals will be looking to move above .500, as they are 77-76. Kyle Gibson is starting for the Cardinals.
St. Louis is currently favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -114 compared to the Guardians at -104. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and the game will be televised on BSMW.
Check out BetCoco for St. Louis Cardinals – Cleveland Guardians odds
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cleveland Guardians Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Guardians have recorded a 3-2 record, with a 3-2 performance on the runline.
- Conversely, the Cardinals have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 3-2 record in their last five home games.
- In the past ten games, when playing as the favorite, the Guardians have a record of 7-3, while as the underdog, they have a record of 4-6.
- The Cardinals have a 5-5 record when favored, while their record as the underdog is 4-6.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Twins with a 3-2 win. This was especially big, as they were the slight favorite at -107 on the money line. It took the Guardians 10 innings to pick up the win, and they scored their third run in the top of the 10th. Cleveland’s offense was carried by Kyle Manzardo, who went 3/3 with a homer and a run scored.
Joey Cantillo got the start for the Guardians, going 4 1/3 innings, and giving up just one run on three hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and took the no-dejson. Eli Morgan picked up the win out of the bullpen, and Cleveland’s closer, Bryan Shaw, picked up the save.
Cleveland is on the road today to take on the Cardinals, and they lead the AL Central by 6.5 games over the Royals. The Guardians are 89-65 overall, and they have won two straight games. In the AL Central, they have gone 30-22 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Guardians have gone 48-28 and are just over .500 at 41-37 on the road. As the favorite, Cleveland is 62-33 this year, and they are 27-32 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Guardians are 28-15-6 this year.
The Guardians have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 78-76 overall. They have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 41-37. Their average run margin on the season is +0.5 runs per game, and they have been outscoring opponents by 0.4 runs per game on the road.
The Cleveland Guardians are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their combined run average of 8.3 runs per game this season. The Guardians’ over/under record for the season is 67-76, and their average over/under line is 8 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 20-20. So far this season, 18.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Ben Lively will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that outing vs. the Rays, he went five innings and gave up just two hits. Looking at his overall numbers, Lively has made 27 starts and has a record of 12-9. His ERA for the season is 3.87, along with a WHIP of 1.23. Opposing batters are hitting .235 off Lively this season. Out of his 27 starts, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have both been big run producers for the Guardians this season, as Ramirez’s 107 RBIs are 6th in the league, and Naylor is right behind him with 105 RBIs. Ramirez also leads the team with 35 homers, which is 7th in the league. Naylor has gone 8/31 in his last eight games, with two homers and four RBIs. Ramirez has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 9/31 in his last eight games.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.4 runs per game and are batting a combined .238. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Overall, they are 12th in home runs and have done a good job of avoiding strikeouts this season.
Brendan Donovan had a big game at the plate for the Cardinals in their most recent game vs. the Pirates, going 4/4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored. However, the Cardinals still took the loss, as Pittsburgh scored a run in the 8th to pick up the 3-2 win. St. Louis was the -148 favorite at home going into the game.
Erick Fedde started for the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out three. However, he took the loss, as the Cardinals’ offense didnjson’t score a run after he left the game.
St. Louis is hosting the Guardians today with an overall record of 77-76, and they are 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they are 26-26 in divisional matchups. The Cardinals took the series 3-1 in their most recent series vs. the Pirates.
At home, the Cardinals are 42-36 this season compared to a 35-40 mark on the road. As the underdog, St. Louis is an even 40-40 this season, and they are 37-36 when favored. Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals’ series record is 25-20-5, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.
When betting the run line with the Cardinals, it’s been more profitable to take them as the underdog, as they are 52-28 against the run line in those games. They are just 25-48 against the run line as the favorite. Their overall run line record is 77-76, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the St. Louis Cardinals’ season average of 8.6 runs per game. The Cardinals’ over/under record for the season is 71-78, and they have played 48 games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs, going over in 29 of them. Overall, 22.9% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Blue Jays. In that start, he took the loss, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up five runs (one earned). Looking back further, Gibson has had a bit of an up-and-down time on the mound. He has made 28 starts and has a record of 8-7 with a 4.12 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .247 off Gibson this season. One positive note for Gibson is that he has 12 quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.12 strikeouts and 3.49 walks.
Currently, the Cardinals are 24th in the league in runs per game at 4.1. This is just a tick below their season average of 4.2 runs per game at home. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league, and have the 10th best on-base percentage in the MLB. St. Louis has been good at avoiding strikeouts this season and are 9th in the league in this category.
Over his last six games, Brendan Donovan has gone 9/22 with a home run and five RBIs. This has pushed his season average to .277, which is 2nd on the team. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead in homers this season, with 21 apiece.
Our prediction for today’s Guardians vs. Cardinals game is to take the Cardinals on the money line at -114. We have the Cardinals winning this one by a score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to the over/under line, which is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Kyle Gibson finishing with four strikeouts compared to Ben Lively, who we have finishing with just four as well. Offensively, we have the Cardinals finishing with nine hits compared to the Guardians with nine.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Tips
- We like the Cardinals on the moneyline (-114)
- The Cardinals are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Lynn | Out | Knee |
| Willson Contreras | Out | Finger |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Cobb | Out | Finger |
| Sam Hentges | Out | Shoulder |
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
| Steven Kwan | Out | Back |
