Miami Marlins vs St Louis Cardinals Odds Picks and Predictions
The Miami Marlins are hoping to be one of the MLB teams making the playoffs at the end of the MLB schedule. Early returns in spring training are not looking great, however. But judging a team’s regular season based on limited action in spring training is probably not fair.
Similarly, the St. Louis Cardinalshave fared well in their early spring training action, but they are projected to be competing in the MLB standings. They will have a different look to some of their MLB games, with longtime Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras controlling the pitching staff.
That is a big reason why spring training is important, so new players can adapt and adjust, whether it is pitching staffs, infielders, and their first baseman or outfielders communicating. Here are a few items to know before making MLB picks.
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Marlins vs Cardinals odds show the Marlins are +115 on the moneyline while the Cardinals are -145. So far this spring, the Marlins (1-4) are 2-1-1 on over/unders. The Cardinals (3-1) are 2-2 on over/unders.
The run line has the Marlins at +1.5 (-170) and the Cardinals at -1.5 (+140). The over/under is set at 10.5 runs with -120 odds on the over and -110 odds on the under.
In prior regular-season meetings, the Marlins vs Cardinals odds have produced several intriguing trends. The Cardinals are 16-5 in the last 21 meetings, and the under is 18-6-2 in the last 26 meetings.
Again, it is difficult to compare the regular season and spring training because of the pitchers going shorter innings and frequent substitutions, but it does show a sign of the depth the Cardinals have.
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Matchup Information
Miami Marlins vs St. Louis Cardinals
Location of the Game: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter, FL.
Date and Time: Friday, March 3, 2023, 1:05 PM ET.
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
Miami Marlins
The Marlins really struggled with their offense a season ago, and general manager Kim Ng addressed it by trying to use the new rules to her advantage. She added the American League batting champion in Luis Arraez, to add more contact to go along with the speed.
But it has not yet translated into the Marlins score, which is 2.8 runs per game. Miami was third worst a season ago at scoring 3.62 runs per game. They are hitting .204 with a .263 OPS during spring training and are averaging 8.0 strikeouts per game.
Assessing the Strengths of the Miami Marlins Pitching Staff
The pitching staff was above league average last year and contained Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. They added veteran righty Johnny Cueto, who is set to start Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. MLB player stats show that Cueto was 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 158.1 innings pitched, which was the best season since he was 32 in 2018.
The Marlins also added lefty reliever A.J. Puk for promising outfield prospect JJ Bleday in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The Marlins added Matt Barnes after he was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox.
Ng’s belief is that the Marlins are good enough to make the playoffs, but that is a tall order to improve from a 69-93 season. Plus, the MLB injury report shows Miami is already down promising starter Max Meyer and reliever Anthony Bender for the season due to elbow injuries, and Sixto Sanches is also out until mid-July, at least.
There is still plenty to like, but the Marlins have to patch the pieces together.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are a recognizable brand with 11 World Series titles and a group that is consistently in the playoffs, making four straight appearances. They won the NL Central division in 2022 after wild card berths the two years prior. Cardinals picks are always popular, and though there was little turnover, they will again be among the favorites to make the playoffs.
Adding Contreras behind the plate will give St. Louis a little more pop to their lineup, which already includes slugging righties Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Contreras, who turns 31 years old in May, hit 22 home runs with 55 RBIs and 65 runs scored in 113 games for the rival Cubs last season.
The Cardinals were tied for fifth last season in scoring 4.77 runs per game. Some more inexperienced players seemingly fit right in and really bolstered the lineup, and Contreras hopes to add to that.
The offense has delivered this spring with a .303 batting average and scoring 6.94 runs per game. It is early, but those are great numbers, along with 3.5 walks to 6.8 strikeouts per game. Even with youngsters mixing in, it shows the talent and depth of the organization.
The Key to Maintaining Pitching Excellence for the St. Louis Cardinals
Contreras gets to command a pitching staff that features veterans, such as Friday’s starter Miles Mikolas, who is 1-0 after two scoreless innings in his first spring training appearance. The staff was ninth last season in allowing 3.93 runs per game and clearly contributed to the success in winning the division.
So far, the Cardinals have a 3.75 ERA, and the starters have a 3.38 ERA. The bullpen has been very good on the backend, but they have had their struggles. There are also a number of younger pitchers getting work in with the big league club, which inflates those numbers some.
The next step for a roster this talented is to get to the National League Championship Series and even clinch their first pennant in a decade. It is a tall task, but the expectations are high in St. Louis, which claims it has the best fans in baseball.
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Picks
The Marlins vs Cardinals odds are tricky to bet on because there is not always an obvious path for who is going to come in when, whether relievers or position players.
The high run total is not uncommon in spring training, so we will go under 10.5 (-110) because the law of averages says the Cardinals have to score less and the Marlins more at some point to level out.
Though we still like the Cardinals to win at -145 moneyline odds, and we will take the run line at -1.5 (+140).
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