Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (50-44) vs Atlanta Braves (40-52)
Time: 7:15pm CT Friday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network, Matrix Midwest
Probable pitchers: Matthew Liberatore (6-6, 3.70 ERA) vs Grant Holmes (4-8, 3.44 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Cardinals -122, Braves +101
Total: 8.5 (over -120, under -102)
Cards Begin Final Series Before Break
The St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves kick off a three-game set tonight at Busch Stadium in the final series before the All Star break.
The Cards took two of three against Washington this week to pull within 5.5 games of the Cubs in the NL Central and 1 game behind the Giants for the final NL Wild Card spot.
Libby On The Mound
Matthew Liberatore will start the series opener for the Redbirds. The left-hander certainly appears to be over his rough three start stretch where he allowed 16 earned runs in 14 innings. In his four outings since then, Liberatore has given up just 6 earned runs in 24 innings for a 2.25 ERA.
Liberatore faces a Braves lineup that has struggled against southpaws this season, as their .657 OPS against lefties ranks 22nd in MLB.
Horrible First Half For Atlanta
It has been a nightmare first half for the Braves, as their starting rotation has been decimated by injuries and their offense has underperformed. Atlanta ranks 23rd in MLB averaging just 4.03 runs per game.
Tonight’s starter Grant Holmes has been a bright spot for the Braves with his 3.44 ERA, and he is on a heater right now. In his last five starts, Holmes has pitched 29 innings and posted 41 strikeouts with a 1.86 ERA.
My Pick
I think this is a horrible situational spot tonight for Atlanta. With their starting staff having been destroyed by injury and their playoff hopes slipping away, the Braves have the look of a “dead team walking” having gone 3-11 in their last 14 games. They also lost an extra innings game late last night in Sacramento and had to make the long overnight flight to St. Louis when they probably just can’t wait to get to the All Star break.
The Cardinals need to take advantage of the Braves this weekend while they are wounded and win this series, and I think the Redbirds get things started tonight with a victory. Holmes is a tough customer, but four of his five starts during this hot stretch have come against losing teams. I think the Cardinals get to him tonight for a few runs and Liberatore continues his strong run of form.
Pick: Cardinals on the moneyline at -122 on DraftKings (bet to -130)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the STL Sports Central 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