Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (23-19) at Philadelphia Phillies (24-17)
Time: 5:45pm CT Tuesday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Sonny Gray (4-1, 3.50 ERA) vs Jesús Luzardo (3-0, 2.11 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Phillies -155, Cardinals +130
Total: 7.5 (over -118, under -102)
Cardinals Go For Ten Straight
The St. Louis Cardinals go for their tenth consecutive win when they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night (weather permitting).
A big factor in the Redbirds’ winning streak has been their improved performance in close games. They’ve now won six consecutive one-run games after starting the season 0-5 in that category, and four of the one-run victories have taken place during the streak.
Cards Give Ball To Their Ace
Sonny Gray is coming off his best start of the season and will be on the mound in this one for the Cardinals. He pitched 7 shutout innings while allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts in a win over the Pirates on May 7th.
Gray has given the Cards what they want out of their ace this season, as they have a 6-2 record when the veteran right-hander makes the start.
Another Super Southpaw For Philly
The Phillies counter with Jesús Luzardo, who has been terrific in his first season in a Philadelphia uniform. The left-hander has a 2.11 ERA and has allowed 2 runs or less in seven of his eight starts - and he gave up only 3 runs in the other one.
However, Luzardo appears more hittable here in May. In his two starts this month, he has permitted 18 baserunners (15 hits and 3 walks) in 10.2 innings.
My Pick
I think the NRFI is live in this game - that’s a bet on No Runs in the First Inning.
Both Gray and Luzardo have given up a first inning run in only two of their eight starts this season - and there is more supporting data for this play.
Gray has dominated hitters the first time through the order this season with a .176 batting average against. He also has a strong 3.21 ERA in the first inning for his entire career.
Luzardo has been lights-out in the first inning in his career with a 2.69 ERA - that’s 0.74 runs lower than his next best inning (3.43 career ERA in the second inning).
The NRFI is juiced to -145, which is a little higher than I’d prefer. So I’m going to combine it with both teams to score in the game to bring my bet down to -110.
Pick: Same Game Parlay priced at -110 on DraftKings - Under 0.5 runs in the first inning AND Both teams to score 1+ runs in the game
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer