Phillies vs. Cardinals Friday Prediction
The red-hot Philadelphia Phillies took Game 1 of their four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. Will the Phillies also pull off a small upset in Game 2 Friday night at Busch Stadium?
Game Snapshot & Odds
911 Philadelphia Phillies (+110) at 912 St. Louis Cardinals (-120); 7.5 runs
Friday, May 18, 2018
8:15 p.m. ET, Busch Stadium
TV: PHI (CSP); STL (FSMW)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Cardinals as a -120 favorite. As of this writing, 58% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Phillies to beat the Cardinals on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Phillies’ Arrieta excellent in no-decision vs. Mets
Jake Arrieta was handed another no-decision despite throwing 7 1/3 scoreless innings against the Mets on Friday. He was in position for the win before Hector Neris blew the save in the ninth. Arrieta was in control against the scuffling Mets, scattering five hits while walking a pair and striking out five. He’s still not striking out batters at the same rate we’ve seen in the past, but it was an improvement after he struck out two batters in three straight starts coming in. Arrieta now has a 2.59 ERA and 1.06 WHIP through his first seven starts with Philadelphia. He gets the Cardinals on the road next.
Cardinals’ Wacha strong again in no-decision vs. Padres
Michael Wacha earned a tough no-decision on Saturday while allowing one run in six innings on Saturday against the Padres. Wacha deserved better, but the St. Louis bats weren’t able to get anything going against Tyson Ross on Saturday in the extra-innings loss. The 26-year-old has looked like the version we saw just a few years ago so far in 2018, and his ERA drops to 3.09 to go along with 36 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. We’ll see Wacha back on the bump on Friday when he takes on the Phillies in St. Louis.
MLB Betting Trends
Philadelphia
Despite their 6-2 win on Thursday night, the Phillies are still just 5-15 in their last 20 games versus the Cardinals and are 1-5 in their last six games in St. Louis.
St. Louis
The under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings between these two teams and is 4-1 in the last five meetings in St. Louis.
Prediction:
The under should be profitable again in St. Louis but I’m going to ride the red-hot Phillies seeing as how they’re getting plus odds. Arrieta owns a 3.34 ERA, is producing plenty of ground balls (47.7%) and has limited hard contact (27.6%). Wacha has been impressive as well but I trust the Phillies’ hitters to figure him out before the struggling Cardinals lineup taps into the familiar foe in Arrieta. In fact, Arrieta has faced this current Cardinals’ roster in 95 plate appearances and he owns a 2.01 FIP against those hitters. He should fare well again tonight.
The Pick: Philadelphia Phillies +110