Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
At 8:10 PM ET, the Cardinals and Astros will square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the heavy favorite on the money line (-176). The Cardinals are +148 on the money line, and the over/under line is currently 8 runs.
Justin Verlander will start for the Astros, while the Cardinals are sending Kyle Gibson to the mound. St. Louis is 2nd in the NL Central, and they have a record of 28-29, while the Astros are 3rd in the AL West with a record of 26-34.
Check out BetCoco for Houston Astros – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Houston Astros Trends and Key Stats
- The Cardinals are 3-2 across their last five road games. They have gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- The Astros, on the other hand, have played five home games recently, during which they have recorded a 2-3 (SU) and 2-3 record.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Astros have a record of 4-6 straight-up, and have gone 3-7 against the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Cardinals have won 6-4 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 6-4 against the runline.
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Phillies, closing out their series with a 5-4 win. After scoring two runs in the 1st inning, the Cardinals added another two runs in the 3rd. St. Louis went on to close things out with a 5-4 win. Going into the game, the Cardinals were at +118 on the money line.
Lance Lynn put together a good start for the Cardinals, going four innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out four Phillies batters. However, the Cardinals had to use six different relievers to close things out, and St. Louis’s bullpen allowed four runs in the 8th.
St. Louis is on the road today, taking on the Astros, with the Cardinals seven games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they are 5-7 against other NL Central teams. The Cardinals are 28-29 overall and have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Cardinals have gone 13-12 this year, and they are just under .500 at 15-17 on the road. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 14-16 this year compared to 14-13 as the favorite. St. Louis’ overall series record is 10-9, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Phillies.
When betting on the Cardinals’ run line, it’s been a good idea to take them as the underdog, where they are 18-12. They have been a poor bet as the favorite, going just 10-17. Their average run margin in losing games is -3.8, compared to +2.5 in their wins.
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road today against the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is slightly lower than the combined run average for their games this season, which is 8.5 runs. The Cardinals’ over/under record for the season is 24-30, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 3-6-1. So far this season, 56.1% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA. Gibson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.22. In his last outing, he went six innings, giving up one earned run on two hits. He finished with six strikeouts in that outing. Looking back, he has turned in a quality start in six of his outings. Per nine innings, Gibson is averaging 7.2 strikeouts and 3.46 walks. At home, his ERA is 4.0 compared to 2.99 on the road.
St. Louis is hoping that Nolan Gorman can continue his recent hot streak, as he has gone 9/30 with three homers over his last eight games. For the season, Gorman is batting just .223, but his 11 homers are the best mark on the team and 9th in the league. Paul Goldschmidt has also hit three homers in his last eight games, and he comes into the game with an overall batting average of .221.
As a team, the Cardinals are batting just .233, which is 13th in the MLB. They are also near the bottom of the league in runs per game and have one of the worst team OPS marks in the league. Overall, they are averaging 3.9 runs per game.
Houston closed out their series vs. the Twins with a 4-3 loss. Heading into the game, the Astros were the heavy favorite at -150. Things started off well for the Astros, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Twins scored in the top of the 2nd.
Hunter Brown put together a good start for the Astros, going six innings and giving up just three runs on five hits. He also issued only one walk and struck out seven Twins batters. The Astros’ offense was carried by Alex Bregman, who went 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Houston is 26-34 overall, putting them 3rd in the AL West, 7.5 games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they have gone 13-11 in divisional matchups. The Astros are at home today, where they are 15-17 compared to 11-17 on the road.
The Astros have dropped two straight series, losing two of three to the Twins in their most recent series. Over the last 10 games, the Astros are 4-6. When favored, the Astros are 20-27 this year, and they are 14-14 as the home favorite. So far, their overall series record is 8-10-1.
When betting the run line, the Astros have been a better play at home than on the road, with a 13-19 record at Minute Maid Park compared to 11-17 on the road. They have been favored in 47 games and have gone 17-30 against the run line as the favorite. Their average run differential in wins is +4.2, while in losses, it is -3.4.
With an over/under line of 8 runs, the Houston Astros have played to the under in nine straight games and have an over/under record of 21-36 on the season. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 1-3-1. Overall, 73.3% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs.
Right-hander Justin Verlander gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Cardinals at home. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA. Verlander’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.13. Looking back at his last outing, Verlander finished with a no-decision against the Mariners. In that start, he went seven innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts. One issue for Verlander has been the long ball, as he has given up eight homers this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 2.87 walks compared to 8.43 strikeouts.
Coming into today’s game, the Astros are 3rd in the league in batting average and have the fewest strikeouts in the league. As a team, they are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 4th in home runs and have the 5th best on-base percentage in the league.
Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have been leading the way for the Astros, with Alvarez’s 11 homers being 2nd on the team and Tucker’s 19 homers leading the team and being 2nd in the league. Tucker also has 40 RBIs, which is the best mark in the league. Alvarez comes into the game on a 6-game hitting streak, as does Alex Bregman, who has gone 10/24 in his last six games.
With the Astros picking up a win at home, the money line is a good option, but at -176, the return isn’t great. Instead, we will be looking to the over/under line, and our pick is to take the over at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Justin Verlander is predicted to finish with six strikeouts, and for Kyle Gibson, he is projected to finish with four. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could take the over on Verlander’s strikeout line.
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Astros on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Cardinals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 10 runs, we like the over
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Forearm |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Forearm |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Matz | Out | Back |
| Willson Contreras | Out | Forearm |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Giovanny Gallegos | Out | Shoulder |
| Tommy Edman | Out | Wrist |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
| Brendan Donovan | Questionable | Neck |
| Lars Nootbaar | Out | Oblique |
| Nick Robertson | Out | Elbow |
