Atlanta Braves (4-1) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (2-3)
April 5, 2023 1:15 pm EDT
The Line: St. Louis Cardinals -122 / Atlanta Braves +103; Over/Under: +8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals meet Wednesday in MLB action at Busch Stadium. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Atlanta Braves have scored 13 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 4 of their first 5 games. The Braves are 4-0 this season when scoring 4 or more runs. Travis d’Arnaud leads the Braves with 10 hits and 4 RBI, while Ronald Acuna Jr. and Orlando Arcia have combined for 14 hits and 6 RBI. Bryce Elder gets the ball, and he was 2-4 with a 3.17 ERA and 47 strikeouts last season. This will be Elder’s first career game against the Cardinals.
The St. Louis Cardinals have scored 14 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 4 of their first 5 games. The Cardinals are 2-2 this season when scoring 4 or more runs. Paul Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals with 9 hits and 2 RBI, while Nolan Arenado and Wilson Contreras have combined for 13 hits and 6 RBI. Miles Mikolas gets the ball, and he is 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA and 6 strikeouts this season. Mikolas is 1-3 with a 3.04 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his career against the Braves.
The Braves are 4-1 in their last 5 road games and 42-19 in their last 61 overall. The Cardinals are 2-6 in their last 8 home games and 2-6 in their last 8 overall. The over is 5-2 in Braves last 7 road games. The over is 5-2-1 in Cardinals last 8 overall. The Braves are 13-4 in the last 17 meetings in St. Louis and 10-3 in the last 13 meetings.
The St. Louis Cardinals should be the favorite at home with their ace on the mound. However, Miles Mikolas wasn’t sharp in his debut and the Braves have had their success against him as well. The Braves are just too hot out of the gate and too stacked offensively to bet against in the underdog role. The value is with the Braves and the plus money, so that’s where I lean.
