MLB Betting Preview: St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers

Added on Apr 14, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

MLB

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a disappointing start in 2011 posting a 5-7 record heading into Thursday’s opening game of this series. The Dodgers have been mediocre with a 6-6 record though they’ve gone 3-1 at Chavez Ravine. This is the second of a four game series between the teams.

St. Louis Cardinals (Lohse) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Garland)
April 15, 2011 7:10 PM Pacific

The Cards’ bats are showing signs of coming around but they still haven’t demonstrated the form of a team with postseason aspirations. Last season they had a decent won/loss record but were a horrible ‘investment’ for baseball betting enthusiasts posting losses of -22.25 units overall. We expect the Cards to round into better form as the year progresses but at the same time we expect them to remain an overpriced quantity for the rest of the season.

Los Angeles may be a team that we bet on often when they play at home. They’ve already taken 2 of 3 from the World Champion San Francisco Giants on their home field and were 45-36 at Chavez Ravine last year. The Dodgers were also a solidly profitable team against right handed pitching at home in 2010 going 34-21 +850.

Veteran RHP Jon Garland gets the start for the Dodgers–he’s making his first assignment of the season after starting the year on the 15 day disabled list with a strained abdominal muscle. Garland was a solid, if unspectacular, performer for the San Diego Padres last season and while he may not be a dominating type pitcher he’s fairly consistent and seldom ‘blows up’. He’ll be opposed by Kyle Lohse who has turned in solid numbers this season (3.00 ERA) despite a 1-1 record.

Ultimately, we’ll ‘play the percentages’ in this game and go against the money burning Cards. Based on the price in this game they’re still an overvalued quantity and we’d much rather be on a Dodgers team that’s shown some impressive tenacity at home and has those solidly profitable numbers against RHP. Not sure whether the Dodgers will be a contender but don’t be surprised if they become a very tough opponent on their home field at Chavez Ravine as the summer progresses.

Bet Los Angeles Dodgers (Garland) -115 over St. Louis Cardinals (Lohse)