Free MLB Pick: A’s at Cards

Oakland Athletics vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Wednesday, August 16th, 6:45 ET
Location: Busch Stadium
TV: BSMW
Money Line: Athletics +156/Cardinals -189 (Learn about reduced juice!)
Total Line: 9.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics on Wednesday, August 16th at Busch Stadium. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

Athletics vs. Cardinals Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Oakland Athletics: 33-87 SU / OU 63-52 / Runline 57-63
St. Louis Cardinals: 54-66 SU / OU 59-57 / Runline 60-60

If the Athletics are going to climb out of last place in the AL West, they will need to turn things around with a win over the Cardinals. Heading into the game, the Athletics have lost five straight games and stand with an overall record of 33-87. On the road, the Athletics are 15-46 and 18-41 at home. The team’s overall series record is 9-28-1.

• The Athletics have two straight losses vs. the runline and have a season-long run margin of -2.4.
• The Athletics have been favored in 0.8% of their games and have runline records of 30-29 and 27-34 at home and on the road, respectively
• The over has hit in 55% of the Athletics’ 120 games at 63-52.

As they take on the Athletics, the Cardinals have an overall record of 54-66 and are currently last in the NL Central. However, they have rattled off three straight wins. At home, St. Louis has a mark of 27-33 compared to 27-33 on the road. Their series record sits at 14-19-5.

• The Cardinals have covered the runline in two straight games and have a season-long run margin of -0.2.
• The Cardinals have been favored in 56.7% of their games and have runline records of 27-33 and 33-27 at home and on the road, respectively
• The over has hit in 51% of the Cardinals’ 120 games at 59-57.

Pitching Matchup

Starter Paul Blackburn comes in with an overall record of 2-3 for the Athletics. Having made 13 appearances, his ERA is 4.52 and he has a K/9 figure of 9.05. Additionally, he has a FIP of 3.73 and an OBP of .343.

In Paul Blackburn’s last outing, the Athletics lost by a score of 8-2 to the Nationals. In the game, he allowed four runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Matthew Liberatore heads into the game with an overall record of 2-4 and an ERA of 5.71. In his five appearances on the road, he has an ERA of 27.09 and record of 1-2. At home, he has put together a mark of 1-2 and ERA of 5.86. His season-long WHIP stands at 1.51, accompanied by a batting average allowed of .273. Teams facing him have amassed a slugging percentage of .439.

In his last outing, Matthew Liberatore finished with a quality start and picked up the win in a 5-2 victory over the Rays. Liberatore gave up zero runs and two hits across eight innings.

Athletics vs. Cardinals Offense Outlook

The Athletics have played 120 games so far this season and are currently ranked 28th in the league with an average of 3.6 runs per game. In terms of home run hitting, Oakland is 21st, having hit the ball out of the park 118 times. Their overall batting average is .222, including .223 on the road and .208 at home.

Oakland Athletics Team Hitting Stats

Oakland Athletics Top Hitters: Last Five Games

As of now, the Cardinals are one of the top home run hitting teams in baseball, with a total of 169 home runs (5th). Their overall performance has been impressive, averaging 4.7 runs per game with a collective batting average of .259. When playing on the road, their slugging percentage is .418 compared to .435 at home.

St. Louis Cardinals Top Hitters vs. Righties

St. Louis Cardinals Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Free MLB Pick

The Athletics starter Paul Blackburn wasn’t freat against the Nats his last time out (5.2 ER, 5 2/3 IP), but he looked pretty good in his previous three allwoing three earned runs over 17 2/3 innings pitched. His counterpart lefty Matthew Liberatore pitched a gem in his latest and while I think he could bounce off of that, Oakland is awful against left handed pitching 3.5 RPG and .228 BA. Plus the A’s come in ice-cold at the plate scoring three or fewer runs in six of their past eight games.
Take the Under 9.5.

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