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Dodgers vs. Cardinals Prediction and Pick for Thursday July 14 (Goldschmidt can Carry Cardinals to an Upset Win)

By Josh Yourish

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46)
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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We have the rubber match at Busch Stadium tonight between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals; concluding their penultimate series prior to the All-Star break.

The Dodgers now have a commanding lead on the rest of the NL West at 57-30 and look to win their fourth straight series. St. Louis is just two games back of Milwaukee in the NL Central with a record of 48-43. 

Tyler Anderson is 9-1 and makes his 15th start of the year for L.A. St. Louis counters with Dakota Hudson (6-5), getting the ball for the 18th time. 

Odds are available at WynnBET Sportsbook. 

Dodgers vs. Cardinals Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line

  • Dodgers -1.5 (+110)
  • Cardinals +1.5 (-130)

Moneyline

  • Dodgers -148
  • Cardinals +138

Total

  • 9.0 (Over -115 / Under -105)

Dodgers vs. Cardinals Prediction and Pick

The Dodgers are 12-4 in Tyler Anderson starts this season. The left-hander has been very impressive on the mound for L.A. with a 3.15 ERA and 77 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 91.1 innings pitched. He is typically a pitcher to back in any scenario, but there are a few reasons why this outing may not go as planned. 

Reason No. 1 is Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy has destroyed left-handed pitching this season. I don’t often reference batting average because I feel there are a lot better stats to describe a player's effectiveness at the plate. However, Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .450 against lefties. The next best in all of MLB is Luis Robert a .383. That is a ridiculous difference between first and second, 63 points. That is the same as the difference between Robert in second and Albert Pujols in 35th. 

Goldy also has a 1.358 OPS against left-handers, yet only four of his 19 home runs have come off of lefties, which could mean number 20 is coming tonight. The only sign of concern is a .548 batting average on balls in play which potentially points to regression, but not until he carries the Cardinals tonight. 

Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-130)

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