Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Prediction
The Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals will play the rubber match of their three-game series at Busch Stadium on Sunday. After drawing the series even on Saturday with a win, are the Cardinals a good bet to win two out of three against the Diamondbacks with a victory today?
Game Snapshot with Current Odds
907 Arizona Diamondbacks (+137) at 908 St. Louis Cardinals (-152); 7.5 runs
Sunday, April 8, 2018, 2:15 p.m. ET, Busch Stadium
TV: FSAZ (ARI); FSMW (STL)
Public Betting Trends
As of this writing, the Cardinals are receiving 56% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks to beat the Diamondbacks today on the money line. Meanwhile, 72% of the betting tickets wagered on the total are on the over.
Arizona Diamondbacks will need more out of Walker to gain Series Win
In order to gain a series victory in St. Louis this weekend, the Diamondbacks will need more out of Taijuan Walker than they received in his first start of the year. He did string together five innings against the Dodgers on Monday, but he struggled at the start while allowing three runs in the first inning alone. While it could have gone much worse for Walker, the Diamondbacks have already borne witness to how this Cardinal lineup can be feast or famine. If Walker is off his game early, St. Louis could deliver the knockout punch in the first few innings.
From an offensive perspective, Luke Weaver has been vulnerable to the long ball in his short major league career. Paul Goldschmidt, David Peralta and A.J. Pollock are three batters to keep an eye on this afternoon at Busch. Pollock went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a double and a run scored in Saturday’s loss to the Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals send Promising Weaver to Hill
Luke Weaver picked up a win over the Mets by going five innings and allowing just one run in his season debut last Sunday. He didn’t have his best stuff and allowed eight baserunners, three of which came via the walk. Still, he was competitive throughout and was able to string together five innings to give his team a chance. As previously mentioned, he’s vulnerable to the long ball but otherwise is a starter with a fantastic future in St. Louis.
Offensively for the Cards, Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter feast on right-handed pitching so look for them to have decent days against Walker. Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna are also dangerous at the top of St. Louis’ lineup, although the righty Walker could keep both hitters under wraps.
Betting Trends:
Arizona
With their loss on Saturday, the Diamondbacks have now dropped 21 of 30 against the Cardinals overall and 37 of 54 games in St. Louis.
St. Louis
The Cardinals have been profitable when Weaver takes the mound, winning nine of his last 10 starts. They’re also 4-1 in his last five home outings dating back to last season.
Bet Sunday’s Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals Matchup
Today’s MLB Prediction
While neither of these starters was dominate in their season debuts, I trust Weaver more than Walker. He has great stuff and excellent command, which are two reasons the Cardinals believe he has top-of-the-rotation stuff. Walker only has moderate strikeout upside, which could be problematic against St. Louis’ offense today.
Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -152