Tonight, Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay (5-6, 4.02 ERA) is slated to oppose St. Louis’ Kyle Lohse (12-2, 2.79 ERA) in a duel of right-handed starters. Find out why I am adding a Cardinals victory to my MLB picks tonight.
Joe Freda’s 2012 MLB Record: 49-53-3
(-4.52 ROI)
The Philadelphia
Phillies went 3-1 in May’s four-game road set with the St. Louis Cardinals,
edging out Mike Matheny’s club by a combined margin of 22-20. Friday’s National League slate has the rivals
opening a weekend series in Philadelphia, where the UNDER has gone 4-2 in the
Phillies’ first six dates of their present homestand.
Most online baseball betting sportsbooks opened with Halladay listed as a 130 favorite, while the ‘total’ was
first set at 7 ½.
Halladay ends slide at home
Halladay picked up his first win in
six starts with Saturday’s 3-0 victory for Philadelphia against the Arizona
Diamondbacks, cashing as a 136 home favorite. The 15-year veteran gave up three hits and one walk, tossing seven
innings of shutout ball.
Phillies catcher Erik
Kratz drove in two runs, while mate Ryan Howard went 2-for-4 from the cleanup
spot. Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins was
held to a 0-for-4 night, uniting with outfielder John Mayberry to leave five
men on base.
The contest’s three runs
dipped below the ‘total’ of eight, dropping the OVER to 5-2 in Halladay’s last
seven starts. Phillies relievers Josh
Lindblom and Jonathan Papelbon logged a hold and save, respectively, tossing
two strikeouts each over the final pair of frames.
Lohse continues hot stretch
Lohse notched his sixth winning
decision in eight outings with Sunday’s 3-0 triumph for St. Louis as a -175 home
favorite against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 33-year-old lasted six innings, allowing four hits and three walks.
Cardinals mates David
Freese and Daniel Descalso united to hit 5-for-8, driving in one run each. Descalso poked his fifth triple of the year,
while catcher Yadier Molina and outfielder Matt Holiday both had 2-for-4
nights.
The affair’s three runs
saw UNDER backers collect, despite both squads slugging to a combined 18
hits. Cardinals closer Jason Motte
recorded his 24th save with two strikeouts in the final frame, while
relievers Edward Mujica and Mitchell Boggs both logged holds.
Back the Cardinals as road dogs
Friday’s first pitch is scheduled
for 7:05 p.m. (ET). The weather forecast
in Philadelphia calls for an 80 degree night, with an 80 percent chance of
thunderstorms.
I am adding the
Cardinals and Lohse to my MLB picks for the evening’s betting action, looking
for St. Louis’ lineup to bring in just enough runs for a cashed ticket.
Halladay has had his
share of inconsistency, giving up eight homers over his last 40 IP. The stretch included a combined 11 runs
surrendered in a pair of home starts (12 IP) against the Milwaukee Brewers and
Washington Nationals.
Lohse has tossed some
tight ball as of late, allowing 21 runs over his most recent 12 outings (81 1/3
IP). The California native held the
Phillies to two earned runs over 6 1/3 frames during May’s series.
St. Louis’ Yadier Molina
has one homer in just six career at-bat’s against Halladay, while Cardinals
slugger Carlos Beltran comes in with a warm bat after three long balls and two
doubles over his last six games.
Philadelphia is 3-10 in its last 13 home dates against right-handed starters,
while going 2-6 in Halladay’s last eight outings against clubs with winning
records. Look for the Phillies to come
up short again here, while St. Louis adds more value to its 6-1 mark in its
last seven contests against a starter with below a 1.15 WHIP.
Take advantage of the MLB odds, and grab the Cardinals as +107 dogs befor the value continues to fall.
MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +107