Betting Matchup Preview
Game Details
- Who: Los Angeles Angels at St. Louis Cardinals
- When: Wednesday, May 3
- Time: 7:45 p.m. ET / 4:45 p.m. PT
- Where: Busch Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri)
Betting Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Angels -130, Cardinals +110
- Runline: Angels -1.5 (+125), Cardinals +1.5 (-145)
- Total: Over/Under 7.5 Runs (-120/+100)
Note: Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Subject to change.
The Los Angeles Angels take the field on Wednesday looking to win their third game in a row when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of their series. The Halos have a massive pitching mismatch working in their favor and should be able to extend their winning streak here.
Shohei Ohtani (4-0, 1.85 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season for LA, which has won five of his six turns this year. The Halos haven’t lost an Ohtani start since Opening Day in March.
Shotime did struggle for the first time this season in his most recent appearance, giving up five earned runs to the lowly Oakland Athletics. Los Angeles still managed to win, but it was a bad showing for one of the favorites to win the AL Cy Young Award.
Ohtani has been electric on the road this year with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings with 21 strikeouts and a .111 opponent batting average.
We’ve yet to mention the horrible tailspin that St. Louis is dealing with after losing seven of its last eight games, including Tuesday’s contest with LA. Not only are the Cardinals losing, but they are also getting blown out often.
The Redbirds’ inability to keep games close leaves them with the fifth-worst record against the spread (ATS) in the MLB at 12-18. At home, they are 5-9 ATS with a return on investment (ROI) of -25.15%.
To make matters worse, Miles Mikolas (1-1, 5.97 ERA) is starting for St. Louis on Wednesday. While the veteran righty pitched a gem against the San Francisco Giants last week, the rest of his season has been a complete disaster, with a 7.46 ERA before his most recent start.
One game is insufficient to convince us that Mikolas is out of his slump and suddenly figured out how to be a winning pitcher. He’s still averaging far more hits than innings pitched and is not a guy to lean on after one good start.
Best Bet: Angels vs. Cardinals
With Mokolas on the mound, we are not going anywhere near the Cardinals tonight. One good game does not erase a season of bad results, and we will need to see more than one solid outing to trust the veteran.
Ohtani’s last start against the A’s was concerning, but like Mikolas, we expect Shotime to return to form in this game. Luckily, Ohtani’s form is that of a Cy Young candidate, and St. Louis is in for a tough night at home.
Our best bet for the Angels vs. Cardinals today is to take the Halos to cover the spread. The Cardinals have so much going against them today, including the fifth-worst ATS record in the MLB. They are impossible to trust in this spot, even at home.
The moneyline on Los Angeles is also solid and a bit safer, but there could be more value on the spread with plus-odds.
At DraftKings Sportsbook’s current odds, a winning $100 bet on the Angels’ runline would pay $125 in profits plus the return of your initial $100 wager.
Same-Game Parlay
If you are hunting for a larger payout on the Angels vs. Cardinals game, adding a same-game parlay to your betting card is worth considering. These are long-shot bets, however.
This type of wager allows you to combine two or more bets from the same event into a single play. The advantage is that the odds for the combined wager are higher than betting all plays separately. For more information, check out our same-game parlay overview.
Here’s the trio of MLB prop bets we have chosen for this game:
- Shohei Ohtani to Record a Win (+135)
- Shohei Ohtani Over 17.5 Outs Recorded (-170)
- Miles Mikolas Over 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-110)
After combining these three bets into a same-game parlay, the odds jump to +613. That would be good for a $613 profit on a $100 winning bet.
Our first leg of the same game parlay is for Ohtani to record his third win in a row and fifth in his last six starts. Our best bet is on Los Angeles to win, and we might as well double down on Ohtani to get the decision.
En route to leading his team to a win, we expect Ohtani to record at least 18 outs on Wednesday. The only time he failed to complete the sixth inning this season was in a start cut short by a rain delay in Boston.
Finally, we’re committed to our fade of Mikolas and are betting that he goes over 2.5 earned runs before the Cardinals replace him. One good start is not enough to erase all the terrible pitching he’s done this season. Mikolas allowed three or more earned runs in four of his six starts this year, and we think he will regress tonight.
