Phillies-Cardinals prediction, odds, pick, how to watch 9/16/2023

We're back with another prediction and pick for this Saturday of MLB action. We head over to the National League for the second game of this three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (80-67) and the St. Louis Cardinals (65-82).

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently second in the NL East and trail the leading Atlanta Braves by 16 games. They're currently leading the National League Wild Card race and they'll have to continue winning games to hold onto their lead. They won last night's game 5-4. Ranger Suarez (LHP) will be their starter.

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently last in the NL Central, sitting 18 games back of the leading Milwaukee Brewers. Their playoff hopes ended some time ago and they've been plagued by the injury bug all season. Still, they have valuable games left to play and hope to stay healthy for the remainder of the year. Miles Mikolas (RHP) will be their starter.

Here are the Phillies-Cardinals MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Phillies-Cardinals Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+138)

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-166)

Over: 9 (-120)

Under: 9 (-102)

How To Watch Phillies vs. Cardinals

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Stream: MLB.TV, fuboTV

Time: 7:15 p.m. ET/ 4:15 p.m. PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

The Phillies are leading the NL Wildcard race and have a solid four-game cushion to work with for the rest of the season. Their race was much tighter with the Chicago Cubs' recent success, but they've lost their last four games while the Phillies continue to find sparse wins. Last night, Nick Castellanos got them off the a great start with a three-run homer in the first inning. They lacked much production afterwards but still pulled out the close win behind their bullpen.

Ranger Suarez (2-6) pitches behind a 3.93 ERA through 107.2 innings pitched on the season. While his ERA is a whole point smaller on the road, he hasn't been able to translate it into wins going just 2-3. His last start was a close loss to the Marlins, but Suarez managed a season-high 10 strikeouts in the performance and controlled the pace from the mound. Look for him to have a similar performance in this one.

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

The Cardinals have been wildly inconsistent this year, but they've fared well in the last 10 games going 6-4. They're not playing for much at this point, but they can certainly play the part of spoilers for some of the teams contending in a tight National League playoff push. They answered well last night by scratching some runs across and holding the Phillies scoreless aside from the first inning. Their defense will have to be equally good in this one as the bats may get hot for both teams once again.

Miles Mikolas (7-11) will start with a 4.75 ERA through 176.1 innings of work this season. He's been giving up a sizable number of hits and homers over his last few starts, so look for Mikolas to try and get back into his groove. He's 2-3 in his last five starts and has a 2-5 record on the road, so the Cardinals may have to drive in some runs to help out Mikolas from the mound.

Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

The Phillies won a close game last night, but the Cardinals continued fighting until the end and made it down to the wire. This time around, the Phillies will have the favorable pitching matchup and their success early-on in games should continue to prove worthy in this one. For the prediction, let's go with the Phillies to get their second win on the road in this series.

Final Phillies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Philadelphia Phillies (-126)