Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Friday, August 26, 2022
Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Where to Watch: MLB Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Braves -155, Cardinals +135; Over/Under: 7 runs
Bet365: Moneyline odds: Braves -155, Cardinals +135; Over/Under: 7 runs
BetMGM: Moneyline odds: Braves -155, Cardinals +135; Over/Under: 7 runs
Season Record
Atlanta Braves: 78-48 (2nd place, NL East)
St Louis Cardinals: 71-53 (1st place, NL Central)
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Atlanta Braves: 8-2 last 10
St Louis Cardinals: 8-2 last 10
Atlanta Braves vs St Louis Cardinals Preview and Analysis
The Braves enter this game on a 3 game winning streak. They won their last series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 completing the sweep in a 3-game series. They enter this game with a 78-48 record overall and have a road record of 36-24. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Friday and they have Thursday off as a rest day. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .761 OPS. Kyle Wright was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Spencer Strider is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-4 with a 2.95 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last start, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 9 Ks on 3 hits through 6 IP against the Houston Astros.
The Cardinals lost 2 of their last 3 games and enter this game off of a loss. They won their last series against the Arizona Diamondback 3-0 completing the sweep in a 3-game series. They enter this game with a 71-53 record overall and have a home record of 40-21. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Friday with the 5th game of their series against the Chicago Cubs still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Dakota Hudson is their starting pitcher on Thursday while José Quintana is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-5 with a 3.45 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HRs, and 3 BB with 0 Ks on 7 hits through 2.2 IP against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Braves vs Cardinals Prediction
The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game. The Braves have been playing very well in their recent games, their pitching has been great as they do not allow many runs but their offense has been scoring a lot of runs in their games as well. They just smashed the Pirates in their last series but they are getting another very hot team here in the Cardinals. The Cardinals have also been playing very well recently as they have won a lot of their games over the last week with great pitching and a strong offense as well. The Cardinals did get stunted in a few games of their last series though, as the Cubs have been pitching very well recently and they really shut down the Cardinals in that last series. The Braves are another team that have been very hot with their offense but also have great pitching that does not allow many runs, and the Cardinals will struggle with them here as we saw them struggle with good pitching against the Cubs. The Braves are on a mission right now to catch the Mets in 1st place in their division and they are playing like they want that spot badly. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game.
Braves Cardinals Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 26, 2022 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Braves 3 Cardinals 1.
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MLB Betting Trends
Atlanta Braves: 18-25 (-7.6 Units) ML on the road when the total is 7 to 7.5. 42-36 (-7.2 Units) ML after allowing 4 runs or less in 3 straight games. 13-3 UNDER after scoring 12 runs or more.
St Louis Cardinals: 71-53 (+12 Units) ML in all games. 40-21 (+13.8 Units) ML in home games. 39-20 UNDER against NL East opponents.
Key Injuries
Atlanta Braves: O. Arcia (SS) Mid Sept - Hamstring. A. Duvall (LF) out for season - Wrist. O. Albies (2B) Early Sept - Foot.
St Louis Cardinals: S. Matz (SP) Mid Sept - Knee. J. Flaherty (SP) Late Sept - Shoulder. D. VerHagen (RP) out for season - Hip.
Notable Quotes
"I've never finished a game in the big leagues, so I would have loved to have gotten that. But runs are cool too, especially grand slams." - Kyle Wright after their win against the Pirates on Wednesday.
"Just couldn't generate anything offensively. It happens." - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Cubs on Wednesday.
Starting Lineups
Atlanta Braves
Ronald Acuna Jr. (R) RF
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
William Contreras (R) C
Eddie Rosario (L) DH
Vaughn Grissom (R) 2B
Michael Harris II (L) CF
Robbie Grossman (S) LF
St Louis Cardinals
Lars Nootbaar (L) RF
Brendan Donovan (L) 1B
Nolan Arenado (R) 3B
Nolan Gorman (L) 2B
Tyler O'Neill (R) CF
Corey Dickerson (L) LF
Albert Pujols (R) DH
Yadier Molina (R) C
Tommy Edman (S) SS
Statistical Leaders
Atlanta Braves
Batting Average: Chadwick Tromp (.750)
Hits: Dansby Swanson (143)
Home Runs: Austin Riley (31)
RBI: Matt Olson (87)
Stolen Bases: Ronald Acuna (25)
Wins: Kyle Wright (16)
Saves: Kenley Jansen (29)
ERA: William Woods (0.00)
St Louis Cardinals
Batting Average: Paul Goldschmidt (.335)
Hits: Paul Goldschmidt (148)
Home Runs: Paul Goldschmidt (31)
RBI: Paul Goldschmidt (100)
Stolen Bases: Tommy Edman (24)
Wins: Miles Mikolas (10)
Saves: Giovanny Gallegos (12)
ERA: James Naile (0.00)
Managers:
Atlanta Braves: Brian Snitker (7th season)
St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (1st season)