The Atlanta Braves will attempt to continue their recent surge when they host the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday for the third contest of their four-game series. Atlanta (48-34) has gone 25-7 since June 1 to climb within 2.5 games of the New York Mets for first place in the National League East. The Braves have won the first two games of this set, defeating St. Louis 6-3 in the opener before posting a 7-1 triumph on Tuesday. The Cardinals (44-39) trail first-place Milwaukee by three games in the NL Central and are struggling at the moment as they've lost three straight and five of their last six.
First pitch at Truist Park is set for 7:20 p.m. ET. Atlanta is the -170 money-line favorite (risk $170 to win $100) in the latest Braves vs. Cardinals odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while St. Louis is the +143 underdog. The over/under for total runs scored is 8.5. Before making any Cardinals vs. Braves picks, be sure to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and it is 271-232 on top-rated MLB money-line picks since the start of the 2021 season, returning well over $500 for $100 players. This is the same model that pegged the 2021 Atlanta Braves at 10-1 as one of three best bets to win it all last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Braves vs. Cardinals, and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Cardinals vs. Braves:
- Braves vs. Cardinals money line: Atlanta -170, St. Louis +143
- Braves vs. Cardinals over/under: 8.5 runs
- Braves vs. Cardinals run line: Atlanta -1.5 (+118)
- ATL: The Braves haven't won three straight since their 14-game streak from June 1-15
- STL: The Cardinals are 1-5 in their last six games at Atlanta
- Braves vs. Cardinals picks: See picks here
Why you should back the Braves
Atlanta has jumped on St. Louis' starters early in this series, building a 6-0 lead in the first two innings of the opener before striking for five runs in the first frame in Tuesday's victory. Matt Olson delivered an RBI single in the first on Monday and added another during the Braves' five-run second inning, which was highlighted by Dansby Swanson's three-run double. The 28-year-old first baseman, who was acquired from Oakland in March to replace Freddie Freeman, ignited the team's early rally on Tuesday with a run-scoring single and also recorded an RBI double in the fourth.
Austin Riley went 3-for-4 in the 7-1 triumph for his fifth multi-hit performance in six games, a stretch during which he has gone 12-for-24 with three homers and eight RBI. The 25-year-old third baseman launched the first of Atlanta's pair of two-run blasts in the opening frame and capped the scoring in the fourth with an RBI double. Left-hander Max Fried (8-2, 2.66 ERA) has allowed one run over 20.2 innings while going 3-0 against St. Louis in his career and hasn't lost since April 13. His record improved to 8-0 in his last 14 starts by limiting Cincinnati to one run over seven frames in a Friday victory.
Why you should back the Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt is having another strong season at the plate for St. Louis as he ranks second in the NL with a .340 batting average and is tied for the same spot in RBI with 65. The 34-year-old first baseman scored his 1,000th career run on Tuesday and is closing in on two other milestones as he is one homer shy of 300 and needs eight RBI for 1,000. While Goldschmidt has been the Cardinals' top hitter this year, Nolan Arenado is their hottest at the moment.
The 31-year-old slugger entered June with a .278 batting average but has raised it nearly 20 points by going 11-for-20 over his first five contests this month. Arenado has recorded four multi-hit performances, including one in each of the first two games of this series, during the stretch while belting three homers and driving in six runs. Right-hander Miles Mikolas (5-6, 2.61 ERA) has won just one of his last five starts but has allowed fewer than three earned runs in each outing.
How to make Braves vs. Cardinals picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting 8.0 total runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Cardinals vs. Braves? And which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of Braves vs. Cardinals you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.
