St Louis Cardinals (51-65) vs Kansas City Royals (37-80)
St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals 8/12/2023 – The Cardinals are currently on a roll; they won three of their previous five games. They will strive to maintain the momentum by defeating the Royals, marking their fourth victory in their previous six games. St. Louis scores 4.64 runs per game on average. Their league-leading batting average of .257 places them seventh. They are sixth in both on-base percentage (.330) and slugging percentage (.432). In his most recent start, Matz defeated Colorado 6-2 after allowing five hits and one run over the course of six innings. For free daily MLB picks, stay tuned to expert analysis.
The Royals struggled recently, going 0-6 in their last six games. They will attempt to turn things around with a victory over the Cardinals, which would be their second in the previous seven matches. Kansas City scores 3.88 runs per game on average. Their league-leading batting average of .239 places them 21st. They rank 29th in on-base percentage (.297) and 24th in slugging percentage (.389). Ragans lost to Boston 6-2 after giving up four hits and two runs in 6.2 innings during his previous start.
Cardinals vs. Royals Game Info
| When: | Saturday, August 12, 2023 7:10 PM ET |
|---|---|
| Where: | Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, MO |
| TV: | FOX |
| Stream: | MLB.TV |
Steven Matz (3-7, 3.91 ERA) vs Cole Ragans (3-3, 3.86 ERA)
As of right now, Matz has 877 innings under his belt and 843 career punchouts. With a 4.25 FIP and 3,762 batters faced over his major league career, Matz has a lifetime record of 53-58 wins and losses. His WHIP is 1.324, and his ERA is 4.26 (415 earned runs allowed). He gave up 265 free passes and 897 base hits (9.2 hits per nine innings).
Ragans pitched 82 innings so far in his career and struck out 73 batters while surrendering 78 base hits. Ragans has a 4.39 ERA and an 8.6 hit per nine-inning average throughout the course of his career (3-6 win-loss record). He has a WHIP of 1.366, a FIP of 4.3, and allowed 40 earned runs. He faced 350 hitters thus far in his career, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2.15.
MLB Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis Cardinals -141, Total Odds: 9.5
The total went UNDER in 8 of St. Louis’ last 12 matches against an opponent in the American League. The St. Louis Cardinals are 2-7 SU in their last 9 matches when playing as the favorite. The St. Louis Cardinals are 4-2 SU in their last 6 matches played on a Saturday on the road. The total went OVER in 5 of Kansas City’s last 5 matches against an opponent in the National League. The Kansas City Royals are 2-8 SU in their last 10 matches against an opponent in the National League Central Division division.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
The total went UNDER in 9 of St. Louis’ last 13 matches. The St. Louis Cardinals are 7-13 SU in their last 20 matches. The St. Louis Cardinals are 7-3 SU in their last 10 matches against Kansas City. The total went OVER in 4 of St. Louis’ last 5 matches when playing on the road against Kansas City.
Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The total went OVER in 10 of Kansas City’s last 15 matches. The Kansas City Royals are 2-5 SU in their last 7 matches. The Kansas City Royals are 7-0 SU in their last 7 matches at home. The total went OVER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 5 matches when playing at home against St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals 8/12/2023 Betting Picks
Three of the Cardinals’ past five matches and three last four away games ended in victories. Their last four away games saw them score 24 runs, demonstrating their strong offensive performance. Ragans was excellent on the mound since the Royals acquired him at the trade deadline, but despite only allowing three runs in three starts, he did not receive much run support. In addition, Kansas City has the second-worst bullpen in the league, making it difficult for them to contain the Cardinals in this contest. Five of the Royals’ last six games ended in losses.
In their last three games, they scored 12 runs despite offensive struggles. Because Matz was outstanding for the Cardinals on the mound, particularly on the road where he gave just two runs in his last three starts, their offensive struggles will likely persist in this game. In his last two starts against the Cardinals, he only allowed one run, thus, he will restrain their offense. St. Louis should cover the money line with premium sports betting picks.
Free Pick and Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals will win 8-3.