The St. Louis Cardinals continued their recent surge last night with a win over the Houston Astros, behind a strong start by Jordan Montgomery.
Tonight, the Cards will look to keep it going and wrap up the series win over the struggling ‘Stros (7:45 pm ET, MLB Network).
In last night’s 4-2 win, Montgomery outdueled Framber Valdez as he allowed two runs in 6.2 innings. It was the sixth win in eight games for St. Louis (33-45, 15-22 home), while it was the eighth loss in 11 games for Houston (42-37, 20-18 road).
Who will take the win tonight at Busch Stadium? Read on for our Astros vs Cardinals prediction and best bets, but first, let’s take a look at the odds and pitching matchup.
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Odds are via Bovada as of Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at 12:10 p
m ET.
Moneyline
- Houston Astros -103
- St. Louis Cardinals -117
Over/Under
- Over 8.5 (-115)
- Under 8.5 (-105)
Run Line
- Houston Astros +1.5 (-195)
- St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+165)
Pitching Matchup for Astros vs Cardinals
- Houston Astros: RHP Cristian Javier (15 starts, 7-1, 3.25 ERA)
- St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (16 starts, 4-5, 4.23 ERA)
Will Javier Help Houston Halt Horrible Run?
Houston has a chance to make up some ground in the AL West this weekend when they visit the division-leading Texas Rangers, but it would be ideal to not deepen their hole before then.
Last night’s loss, combined with the Rangers’ win over the Detroit Tigers, dropped them to six games behind Texas in the AL West.
To at least keep the deficit at six games, the Astros will need a better night at the plate and on the mound than they had last night.
Valdez picked a bad time to have one of his poorer starts of the season, as Montgomery and two relievers surrendered only two runs, seven hits, and one walk.
Javier should uphold his end of the deal. He had a rough outing last time out against the New York Mets, allowing four runs, four hits, and five walks in 2.1 innings last Wednesday, but he should be better against the Cardinals.
When he has allowed three or more runs this season, Javier has compiled a 2-0 record and a 1.50 ERA in the starts that followed. More importantly, the Astros have three wins and an extra-inning loss in the four starts, which is highly encouraging for their chances tonight.
So is the fact that the Cardinals have lost all four games that Mikolas has started this month, matching the number of losses they had in his first 12 starts this season.
Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction and Best Bets
Prediction for Astros vs Cardinals: Astros to win
Best Bets for Astros vs Cardinals: Astros ML & Astros/Cardinals over 8.5
While I think Javier will bounce back well from his last start and help Houston (20-16 this season in games following a loss) take care of business tonight in St. Louis, I am backing the over here. There have been nine or more runs in six of his seven road starts and 12 of his 15 overall starts this season, while there have been nine or more runs in five of Mikolas’s seven home starts and eight of his 16 overall starts this season.
