The Miami Marlins (53-44) and the St. Louis Cardinals (42-53) play the final contest of a 3-game series Wednesday at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook‘s lines around the Marlins vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Series tied 3-3 after St. Louis walked it off 5-2 Tuesday in 10 innings
The skidding Marlins have suffered 5 consecutive losses out of the All-Star break and have slipped to 3rd place in the NL East, 10 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. Miami is 23-26 on the road this season.
The Cardinals have racked up 4 straight wins since losing their initial game out of the All-Star break. The win streak ties a season-high, accomplished 2 other times before. St. Louis hasn’t won 5 or more games in a row since an 8-game win streak from Aug. 14-22 last season.
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Marlins at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Sandy Alcantara vs. RHP Dakota Hudson
Alcantara (3-8, 4.64 ERA) makes his 20th start. He has a 1.26 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9 in 120 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 8 H (2 HR), 1 BB, 5 K in a 5-2 road loss vs. the Baltimore Orioles Friday
- 2023 road splits: 2-4, 4.80 ERA (60 IP, 32 ER – 9 HR), .272 opponent batting average (OBA) in 10 starts
Hudson (1-0, 1.80 ERA) makes his 1st start and 5th appearance. He has a 1.20 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 6.3 K/9 in 10 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 2 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K in an 8-7 road win in 10 innings vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on Oct. 4, 2022
- 2023 home splits: 0-0, 4.50 ERA (4 IP, 2 ER – 1 HR), .267 OBA in 2 relief appearances
Marlins at Cardinals odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:53 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Marlins +116 (bet $100 to win $116) | Cardinals -136 (bet $136 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Marlins +1.5 (-184) | Cardinals -1.5 (+152)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Marlins at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 5, Marlins 3
Moneyline
The CARDINALS (-136) are worth a look again on Hump Day as they look to complete the sweep.
Hudson is making his 1st start of the season, so there is plenty of risk. However, Alcantara has been horrific this season after his 2022 Cy Young campaign. He has surrendered 9 homers in just 60 IP across 10 road outings, and teams are hitting .272 against him in away games. That’s not good for the prospects of a Miami victory.
Run line/Against the spread
The CARDINALS -1.5 (+155) are worth a look on the run line. St. Louis has won 4 in a row, and 6 of the past 7 games. More importantly, the Cards are 6-1 in the past 7 games on the run line as favorites.
The Marlins have not only dropped 5 straight games out of the break, but they have lost 3 of them by 2 or more runs, including both games in this series.
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Over/Under
UNDER 8.5 (-110) is the lean, but play it lightly.
The Under cashed in Tuesday’s game, and it has hit in 2 of the previous 3 head-to-head meetings.
However, you will be going against the trends a bit, as the Over has cashed in 4 of the past 5 for St. Louis and is 9-3-1 in the past 13 for Miami.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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