Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals MLB Best Bets for Thursday (Archive)
The Arizona Diamondbacks open a four-game series in St. Louis with a chance to get to .500 on the year. Picked for the bottom of the loaded National League West, the D-Backs have turned around a slow start, most recently beating the Dodgers in a three-game series. Arizona enters the Cardinals series on a two-game winning streak. The Diamondbacks have also won two straight on the road.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, are a game out of first place in the National League Central. They have the second-best run differential in the division, at plus 18, and are fifth in the National League. St. Louis salvaged the last game of a series against the Mets, which opened the current homestand. They’ve split their last 10 games to fall behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central.
Which way to lean at the top-rated sportsbooks? Here is all you need to know for your MLB picks.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs St. Louis Cardinals
Thursday, April 28, 2022 – 07:45 PM EDT at Busch Stadium
Winning but Not Hitting
The Diamondbacks found ways to produce runs in their last two games against the Dodgers, winning while managing just 4 hits against Los Angeles pitchers on Tuesday, then finding a way to win with just 2 hits on Wednesday. By comparison, the Dodgers pounded out 14 hits over the two games.
The Diamondbacks have scored more than 5 runs in a game just once this season and have been shut out four times. They have seven wins while scoring 5 or fewer, however, including 3 by 1 runs and another 3 by 2. They are 6-3 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer.
"We've learned to embrace close games, we've learned to embrace execution in critical moments and we're prepared to play games like this all season long," manager Torey Lovullo said.
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Righthander Humberto Castellanos will get the start to open the series in St. Louis. Castellanos will be wrapping up an eventful April. He opened the season in the bullpen but gave up 5 hits in three innings for a 6.00 ERA. Since then, he’s been moved to the rotation and has gone 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in two starts.
Castellanos is making his first appearance since coming off the paternity list—his daughter was born on Saturday.
Not Much Punch Here Either
The Cardinals broke out with a 10-5 win over the Mets on Wednesday, scoring more than 5 runs for the first time in 11 games. The Cardinals hadn’t scored a total of 10 runs in their previous four games combined before exploding against the Mets. The game was marred by a benches-clearing brawl, which may have helped inspire the bats to wake up.
Nolan Arenado, who had a pitch thrown at his head, sparking the brawl, has been the best hitter for St. Louis so far this season. He ranks third in MLB with a 1.155 OPS. He leads the team in batting (.375), home runs (5), RBI (17), runs (11), and hits (24) and is more than twice as good as the average hitter in baseball, according to OPS+ (245).
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The Cardinals rank in the bottom half of MLB in home runs, slugging, batting average, hits and runs scored, ranking in the bottom 10 in all of those categories except batting average.
St. Louis pitching, however, has allowed the third-fewest runs in all of baseball, which has helped keep the Cardinals in contention.
Righthander Dakota Hudson gets the ball on Thursday. He’s 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA. He turned in 6.2 scoreless innings in his last outing, against the Reds on Saturday.
The Picks
The D-Backs have been finding ways to win this year, but they’re facing a team that has been doing the same thing. For your best bets, look for the Cardinals to open the series with a win in a low-scoring affair.
MLB Pick: Cardinals ML (-165) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
MLB Pick: Under 7.5 Runs (-115) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.