1. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies: Two great pitchers are on the mond tonight

The Philadelphia Phillies are hosting the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the series tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

The Cardinals won the last five series

The St. Louis Cardinals are second in the NL Central with a 27-28 record. They are coming off a solid month of May, winning the last five series against the Angels, Red Sox, Orioles, Cubs, and Reds. However, they didn’t start well in Philadelphia, losing the first game 4-2. The Cardinals have a 4.15 ERA, a .250 batting average, a .315 on-base percentage, and 1.30 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Nolan Arenado leads the team with 53 hits, Paul Goldschmidt is on top with 28 runs, and Nolan Gorman has 10 home runs.

The Phillies have the best record in the National League

The Philadelphia Phillies are on top of the NL East with a 40-18 record. After losing three consecutive games, they won the last two against the Giants and the Cardinals. The Phillies have a 3.07 ERA, a .220 batting average, a .287 on-base percentage, and 1.15 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Alec Bohm leads the team with 66 hits, and Bryce Harper is on top with 32 runs and 13 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Phillies have won 12 of their last 17 games overall, the last 7 home games, and the last 5 home games against the Cardinals. Philadelphia has played under the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, 5 of the last 6 against the Cardinals, 5 of the last 7 games against teams from the NL, and 10 of the last 13 games against teams from the NL Central Division. The Cardinals have won seven of their last nine games and have lost four of their last five games against teams from the NL East Division. They have played under the total run line in their last 5 games, 4 of the last 6 games on the road, and 6 of the last 7 games against teams from the NL.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Phillies defeated the Cardinals 4-2 last night, which is their fifth consecutive home win against St. Louis and their 10th in their last 12 head-to-head games. There is no doubt that the Phillies look like a real contender this season, as they are tied with the Yankees for the best record in the MLB. Tonight, they will go with Ranger Suarez on the mound, who is 9-1 for the season with a 1.75 ERA, 72 IP, and 0.82 WHIP. The Cardinals will try to match up with one of their best pitchers, Sonny Gray. The three-time All-Star is 7-2 for the season with a 2.60 ERA, 52 IP, and 1.00 WHIP. Given the level at which both pitchers are playing this season and the fact that the Phillies have played under the total run line in four of their last five games and the Cardinals in all five of their last five, we are going with under 7.5 runs in total for tonight’s game.