ODDS ANALYSIS
The Dodgers and Cardinals are quite familiar with one another having met in the postseason in each of the last two years and LA is used to losing at Busch Stadium, dropping all five playoff games there in that two-year stretch.
As good as the Dodgers have been this season they could be better with improved road play. LA enters the series with the fewest road wins in the National League, of course that number is skewed a bit since a majority of their games have been played at home, but the Dodgers are still in the red 7.38 units in their 18 away contests.
The Cards are enjoying the best home start in team history at 18-5 following a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks and are up 11.16 units at Busch while being the most profitable NL team, in the black 13.48 units for the season. There’s a good chance the Cards extend that streak with Michael Wacha on the bump. St. Louis is 9-0 in games he starts this season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LA’s Carlos Frias (3-2, 5.34 ERA) was hammered by San Diego for 12 hits and 10 runs in four innings in his last outing and has earned the loss his past two times out. He’s fared much better on the road, however, with a 3.00 ERA in three away games against a 7.02 ERA at Dodger Stadium.
Frias will make his sixth start of the season and eighth career in his first appearance against St. Louis.
St. Louis’ Michael Wacha (7-0, 1.87 ERA) allowed just one unearned run over seven innings Sunday in a win over Kansas City and the Cards are 9-0 in his starts this season. Wacha has surrendered more than two earned runs just once and sports a fancy 1.87 ERA.
Wacha will be facing the Dodgers for the first time during the regular season but went 2-0 without allowing a run in 13.2 innings in the 2013 NLCS.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Wacha’s really good. He really spots his fastball well. A lot of times you can rate a pitcher’s pitches. All three of his pitches are really effective, good pitches. It’s hard to rate them. They’re all three so good.” – Royals manager Ned Yost on Michael Wacha
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Cardinals have been so good for so long you just expect them to win. And they do, especially at home, where they’re off to the best start in franchise history. And that’s saying something given the storied history of the franchise. The Cards swept Arizona in their previous series giving them four straight victories at Busch Stadium and they won twice in their last at-bat during the streak, picking up a walkoff victory on a Diamondbacks throwing error Wednesday. The Cards have won five of their six home series and opponents seem to crumble under the pressure of playing the Cardinals in their own yard.
PROP TALK
The Cardinals have apparently found their leadoff hitter. Kolten Wong has thrived in that spot in the order, hitting safely in seven of eight games since taking over on May 20, with two three-hit games. Wong cracked his first career leadoff home run and sixth of the season in Wednesday’s win over the Diamondbacks to complete the three-game sweep. “He’s doing a great job and I think we’re a better offense with him hitting leadoff,” Matt Carpenter said. Wong has tamed his aggressiveness at the plate, cut down the strikeouts, and with his speed can create havoc and fluster opposing pitchers.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
As if the Cardinals need more help, they catch a break in this series missing Dodgers’ aces Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. St. Louis sends its ace and Cy Young candidate Michael Wacha to the hill Saturday against a Dodgers team that hasn’t scored a lot of runs recently. LA had its moments against the Braves scoring 14 runs while taking the first two of a three-game set, but in the other nine games during a 5-6 run the Dodgers managed just 11 runs.
The Dodgers have amassed decent offensive numbers over the course of the season which makes their dry spell puzzling. It won’t be easy to bust out against Wacha, who holds opponents to a .214 batting average. The Cards got some bad news when Matt Adams tore a quadriceps muscle running the bases against Arizona and is expected to be out 3-4 months.
St. Louis 5, Los Angeles 1
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2015, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
