Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
Where: Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO
When: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 – 8:15 PM ET
Line: Boston Red Sox (-107) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (-103) – total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN / FS-M
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Betting on the Boston Red Sox (20-18)
It was a nice win, but the Red Sox are still going up-and-down as of late. With the 6-3 victory over the Cardinals Tuesday night, they have now been alternating wins and losses for six straight games.
It’s not that big of a deal for now, though, especially since it’s a nice redemption from the 11-2 rout they suffered from the Tampa Bay Rays this past Sunday.
They also have to love their effort on both sides, as they held the Cards to eight scoreless innings and gave enough damage on offense to secure a win – Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley chipped in one homer each.
The two can be expected to do as such moving forward, with proven and reliable hitters Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, and Andrew Benintendi also joining in – the three Bs (Betts, Bogaerts, and Benintendi) all have 40 or more hits on the season, while also batting .294 or better.
Over on defense, the same threat can be hyped about, with reigning Cy Young awardee Rick Porcello (2-5, 4.01 ERA) being next in line to step to the mound. He isn’t as efficient as last year, but he’s beginning to pick up the pace and will still be considered intimidating by most batters. He has six or more strikeouts in his last five games.
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals (21-16)
The Cardinals took a step back from their hot streak. They looked like they weren’t feeling the game and was only 6-for-30 for the night (.200). Six of the nine batters were struck out at least once and no one registered a run in the last six innings.
Still, they should feel pretty relaxed. The defeat was only their second in 10 games, and they still have a great group of well-experienced hitters on the roster.
Through the leadership of their top main guys on offense – Alemys Diaz and Randal Grichuk, among others – the Cards are eighth overall in batting average (.261) and their number of hits have been on the upper half of the category’s standings.
Confidence shouldn’t also be a problem despite facing a pitcher that’s in the caliber of Porcello. Along with knowing that the veteran is not playing up to par this season, they are also collectively batting .300 against him (9-for-30).
Topping all of that is the presence that their own starting pitcher will have. Mike Leake (4-2, 1.94 ERA) paces the National League in ERA and the batters he has faced this season combine to have a .211 batting average.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cards (-105) take it, 5-3.
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