Cleveland Guardians vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/21/24
The forecast from St. Louis on Saturday calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 90’s. First pitch from Busch Stadium is set for 7:15 PM ET. BSGL will be televising this interleague matchup, and the Guardians are the favorites on the money line (-135).
The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Guardians will be looking to extend their three-game winning streak with a victory. They are 90-65 and in 1st place in the AL Central. The Cardinals are 77-77 and have lost two straight, and they are 3rd in the NL Central.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline +116
This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 7:15 ET on Saturday, September 21st.
HOW TO BET THE GUARDIANS VS CARDINALS:
- We have the Cardinals winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Cardinals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Cleveland cruised to a 5-1 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 3rd inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Cardinals, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were at -101 on the money line.
Ben Lively only went five innings for the Guardians but gave up just one run and picked up the win. Kyle Gibson struggled on the mound for the Cardinals, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. He did finish the game with nine strikeouts.
Jose Ramirez was the difference for the Guardians’ offense, as he went 3/4 with a home run and two RBIs. Both Andres Gimenez and Lane Thomas each drove in a run and scored a run for Cleveland.
Guardians Records & Stats
Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak, and they lead the AL Central with a record of 90-65. The Guardians hold a 7.5-game lead over the Royals in the division. So far, they have gone 30-22 against other teams in the AL Central.
At home, the Guardians have been strong this year, going 48-28. On the road, they are above .500 at 42-37. Cleveland has been good as the favorite this year, putting up a mark of 62-33. They are 28-32 as the underdog this year.
When the Cleveland Guardians are on the road, they have been a solid bet against the run line, going 42-37 on the season. They have covered the run line in four straight road games and have a run line record of 79-76 overall. Their average run margin this season is +0.5 runs per game.
The Cleveland Guardians are on the road today to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Guardians games this season is 8.3 runs per game, and their over/under record is 67-77. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 13-20-6. This season, 44.5% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 30.3% have had lines set lower. The under has hit in their last two games.
Cleveland is sending left-hander Matthew Boyd to the mound today vs. the Cardinals. He has made seven starts this year and has a record of 2-1 with an ERA of 2.52. Boyd’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.06. In his 35 2/3 innings of work, he has issued just 2.52 walks per nine innings compared to 10.09 strikeouts. Boyd has made three quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. He didn’t give up a homer in that outing, but he had given up a homer in three straight starts before that.
One of the keys to the Guardians’ offense this season has been the play of José Ramírez and Josh Naylor, who have combined to hit 67 home runs and are both in the top 10 in the league in RBIs. Ramírez is batting .274 for the season and is on a good stretch of games, going 9/24 in his last six games. Naylor has gone just 5/23 in his last six games but has two homers in that stretch.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.7 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .238, which is 13th in the league, and are 12th in the league in home runs.
Cardinals Records & Stats
With an overall record of 77-77, the Cardinals are 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. St. Louis lost the first game of this series vs. the Guardians and have an even 26-26 record in divisional games this year. Currently, they are 3rd in the NL Central.
At home, the Cardinals are 42-37 this season, and they are 35-40 on the road. As the favorite this year, the Cardinals have gone 37-37 and 40-40 as the underdog. St. Louis has been good as the home underdog, putting together a mark of 15-10 this year. Heading into today’s game, they have dropped two straight at home.
St. Louis is 39-40 against the run line at home this season, and the average run margin in their winning games is +2.8. They have been the underdog in 80 of their games, and they are 52-28 against the run line in those contests.
The St. Louis Cardinals are at home today against the Cleveland Guardians, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Cardinals games this season is 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 71-79. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 11-18-1. Overall, 53.9% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Guardians at home. Mikolas has made 30 starts this season and has a record of 8-11 with an ERA of 5.49. Looking at his overall numbers, Mikolas has a WHIP of 1.29 and has issued just 1.34 walks per nine innings. This year, he has turned in 14 quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he allowed two earned runs in five innings of work. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Mikolas has not taken a loss in his last three outings.
St. Louis comes into the game with the 25th ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 4.1 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per contest. The Cardinals are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team slugging percentage of just .388 (20th).
Over the team’s last five games, Brendan Donovan has been swinging the bat well, going 8/18 with three runs scored and one homer. For the season, he is batting .275 and is 2nd on the team with 68 RBIs. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead with 21 homers, with Burleson also holding the top spot in RBIs (73). Burleson is batting .269 for the season, while Goldschmidt is at just .245.