Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
Wednesday’s interleague matchup between the Cardinals and Astros is set for 2:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are heavily favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -172, while the Cardinals’ money line odds are at +145. The over/under line is currently sitting at 8.5 runs.
St. Louis will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 28-31 this season and are 3rd in the NL Central. The Astros are 3rd in the AL West with an overall record of 28-34. Miles Mikolas is set to start for the Cardinals, while the Astros are going with Ronel Blanco.
Check out BetCoco for Houston Astros – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Houston Astros Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Cardinals are 1-4. This includes going 1-4 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Astros have gone 2-3 (SU) and 2-3 in their previous five home contests.
- As the favorite, the Astros are 5-5 over their last ten games, including going 5-5 vs. the runline.
- The Cardinals have a 5-5 straight-up record and a 5-5 record vs. the runline over their previous ten games as the underdog.
The most recent game o of this Astros vs Cardinals series came right down to the end, as the Cardinals rallied late but still fell short with the Astros winning 8-5 at home. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -158 on the money line.
Spencer Arrighetti only went three innings for the Astros but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished with four strikeouts but issued three walks. Tayler Scott got the win out of the bullpen, and Ryan Pressly got the save.
Andre Pallante had a rough outing for the Cardinals, going just three innings and giving up six runs on six hits. He did finish with six strikeouts but allowed one home run. John Gant took the loss.
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
St. Louis is 3rd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by seven games. Overall, the Cardinals are 28-31 and have dropped two straight games. Their losing streak has come vs. the Cubs, where they lost the final game of the series and the first two games of this series vs. the Astros.
At home, the Cardinals are 13-12 this year and 15-19 on the road. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 14-18 this season, and they are 14-13 when favored. So far, they have an overall series record of 10-9.
When the Cardinals are on the road, they have a run line record of 15-19, with an average run margin of -0.9. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games and are 10-17 against the run line as the favorite this season.
St. Louis is on the road against the Houston Astros today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Cardinals’ games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 26-30. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 14-6. So far this season, 22.0% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 12 starts this season and has a record of 3-6 with an ERA of 5.54. Looking at his overall numbers, Mikolas has a WHIP of 1.32 and opponents are batting .280 this season. Mikolas has made six quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing where he took the loss, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Mikolas has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 5.67 compared to 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA at home.
So far this season, the Cardinals are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. At home, they have been slightly better, putting up 4.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .234, which is 14th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .308 is 13th. St. Louis has been led in home runs by Nolan Gorman, who has 14 homers but is batting just .235.
Alec Burleson has been one of the Cardinals’ top power threats this season, as his eight homers is 2nd on the team and 12th in the league. However, he has struggled of late, going just 4/31 in his last seven games. Nolan Gorman has been hot of late, going 10/28 with six homers in his last seven games. Gorman also comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak.
The Astros have won two straight games and are 28-34 overall this season. In the AL West, they are in 3rd place, seven games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they have gone 13-11 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Astros are 17-17 this season compared to an 11-17 mark on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 22-27 this season and 6-7 as the underdog. Houston has an overall series record of 8-10-1 and has lost two straight series.
When the Astros are the favorite, they are just 19-30 on the run line, but they are 7-6 as the underdog. Their run line record at home is 15-19, and their average run margin in winning games is 4.1.
The Astros are home against the Cardinals today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Houston’s games have averaged 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 23-36. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 5-10. The over has hit in two straight games for the Astros.
Houston is starting right-hander Ronel Blanco today vs. the Cardinals, and he has made 10 starts this season. Blanco’s record is 5-1, and he has an ERA of 2.44. In his 10 starts, Blanco has one complete game shutout and six quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Blanco took the loss vs. the Twins, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Blanco’s ERA at home is 3.04, compared to 2.13 on the road.
Currently, the Astros are the top-hitting team in the league, batting a collective .259. They are also near the top of the league in home runs and have the fewest strikeouts of any team. Houston is averaging 4.4 runs per game and has been even better at home, putting up 4.9 runs per contest. As a team, the Astros are 3rd in slugging percentage and 6th in on-base percentage.
Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have been two of the Astros’ top power threats this season, with Alvarez’s 12 homers ranking 2nd on the team and Tucker’s 19 homers leading the team and being 2nd in the MLB. Over his last 10 games, Alvarez has gone 15/39 with three homers, and Alex Bregman has also been hot, hitting five homers in this stretch while batting .359.
Our prediction for the Astros vs. Cardinals game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. We see the Astros coming out on top by a score of 5-4, giving us a little bit of wiggle room if you want to take the Astros on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Ronel Blanco picking up the win for the Astros and finishing with four strikeouts. As for Miles Mikolas, we have him finishing with just four K’s and getting the loss.
Offensively, our projections have the Astros finishing with nine hits compared to the Cardinals with eight. If you’re looking for a player prop, you could look at the Astros finishing with more home runs, as we have them finishing with five compared to the Cardinals with just two.
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 9 runs, we like the over
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Alex Bregman | Questionable | Hand |
| Kyle Tucker | Questionable | Shin |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Forearm |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Forearm |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
| Spencer Arrighetti | Questionable | Calf |
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 |
| Lars Nootbaar | Out | Oblique |
| Nick Robertson | Out | Elbow |
