The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most enigmatic teams in the league this season. They start the day 54-54, looking to go over .500 for the first time this season. It is hard to believe. But they are still in the thick of the NL East race, and the latest MLB betting odds have the Braves at a respectable +270 to win the NL East.
Kudos to the Braves for choosing to makes moves and stay in the race. I cannot recall the last time a team lost its definitive best player, as the Braves did with the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr., and decided to do that.
I don’t know what is going on in St. Louis, as the Cardinals have slipped under .500 with the loss to the Braves last night. Did they really think acquisitions of veteran lefties J.A. Happ and Jon Lester would put them over the top?
Normally a team that leads the way with smart moves, they look like they are kind of losing its way.
MLB Betting Matchup: Atlanta Braves (54-54) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (53-54), ESPN, 8:15 PM ET
Probable Pitchers:
- Atlanta Braves: Touki Toussaint (1-2, 4.76 ERA)
- St. Louis Cardinals: Wade LeBlanc (0-2, 4.17 ERA)
Braves vs. Cardinals Betting Odds
- Moneyline: Atlanta -130, St. Louis +105
- Total: OVER 9 (-120), UNDER 9 (+100)
- Run Line: Atlanta -1.5 (+126), St. Louis +1.5 (-151)
Odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Thursday, August 4, at 9:02 am ET. For MLB betting odds for today’s other matchups, check out our MLB odds.
Braves vs Cardinals Betting Consensus
- Moneyline: Atlanta 75%, St. Louis 25%
- Total: Over 0%, Under 100%
- Run Line: Atlanta 25%, St. Louis 75%
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Outlook
Great Race Brewing in NL East
GM Alex Anthopoulos has totally retooled this team and it appears to be working. Outfielder Jorge Soler was lost in Kansas City, but he has homered in the last two games, both Atlanta victories. OF Adam Duvall homered yesterday too, making AA look like a genius. On offense, the Braves have more than enough to compete the rest of the way.
The pitching side of things is a little less certain. They added to the bullpen, but the rotation is not looking formidable unless Max Fried finds his form and Ian Anderson comes back strong from injury later this month. Lucky for Atlanta no team is running away from anyone in the division.
St. Louis Stuck in a Rut
The chances of St. Louis making a push to catch Milwaukee are pretty slim. That was probably true a month ago too though. This team just hasn’t figured out how to hit this season and is averaging less than 4 runs per game. This team looks like it is getting old fast too. I love 3B Nolan Arenado, but I am not sure he is in a better situation.
St. Louis has one of the oldest pitching rotations in the game right now. Adam Wainwright might be having a turn back the clock season, but Lester and Happ are well past their “best before” dates. I know they are only a game under .500 today, but this has the looks of a team that could fall of a cliff.
Touki Toussaint Home vs. Away
- Home: 1-1, 7.20 ERA, 10 IP, 10 Ks, 4 BBs
- Away: 0-1, 1.29 ERA, 7 IP, 10 Ks, 0 BBs
Wade LeBlanc Home vs. Away
- Home: 0-1, 4.15 ERA, 21.2, 13 Ks, 5 BBs
- Away: 0-1, 4.19 ERA, 19.1 IP, 14 Ks, 8 BBs
Neither of these pitchers was in these teams' plans at the beginning of the season, especially LeBlanc who is just filler at this point of his career. Toussaint has shown some ability to pitch well, but his lack of consistency is why other arms in the Braves system have zoomed past him over the last few seasons. There is not much to go on with these arms.
Braves vs. Cardinals Best Bet: Braves ML – Riding the hot team here. There is definitely more upside with Toussaint than LeBlanc and Atlanta has all the momentum right now. If this turns into a slugfest Atlanta can win that way too. Gotta get some fades in on St. Louis before the market on them craters.
MLB Betting Matchups: Thursday, August 5
MLB Betting Matchup: New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins, MLB Network, 12:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- New York Mets: Rich Hill (6-4, 4.10 ERA)
- Miami Marlins: Braxton Garrett (1-1, 4.37 ERA)
New York Mets vs Miami Marlins August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers, MLB Network, 1:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Boston Red Sox: Martin Perez (7-7, 4.56 ERA)
- Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal (6-10, 4.53 ERA)
Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers, Bally Sports Southwest, 2:05 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Los Angeles Angels: Dylan Bundy (1-8, 6.66 ERA)
- Texas Rangers: Spencer Howard (0-2, 5.72 ERA)
Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Chicago Cubs vs Colorado Rockies, ATT Sportsnet Rocky Mountain, 3:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Chicago Cubs: Jake Arrieta (5-10, 6.20 ERA)
- Colorado Rockies: Antonio Senzatela (2-8, 4.58 ERA)
Chicago Cubs vs Colorado Rockies August 4 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: San Francisco Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks, Bally Sports Arizona, 3:40 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- San Francisco Giants: Alex Wood (9-3, 3.83 ERA)
- Arizona Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (7-8, 4.38 ERA)
MLB Betting Matchup: Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 4:05 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Nola (7-6, 4.30 ERA)
- Washington Nationals: Joe Ross (5-9, 4.00 ERA)
MLB Betting Matchup: Seattle Mariners vs New York Yankees, YES, 7:05 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Seattle Mariners: Tyler Anderson (5-8, 4.39 ERA)
- New York Yankees: Nestor Cortes (0-0, 1.93 ERA)
Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Cleveland Indians vs Toronto Blue Jays, Sportsnet, 7:07 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Cleveland Indians: Triston Mackenzie (1-4, 6.11 ERA)
- Toronto Blue Jays: Ross Striping (4-6, 4.75 ERA)
Cleveland Indians vs Toronto Blue Jays August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds, Bally Sports Ohio, 7:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Will Crowe (3-5, 5.40 ERA)
- Cincinnati Reds: Sonny Gray (3-6, 4.26 ERA)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros, AT& Sportsnet Southwest, 8:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Minnesota Twins: Griffin Jax (1-1, 6.41 ERA)
- Houston Astros: Framber Valdez (7-2, 3.01 ERA)
Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
MLB Betting Matchup: Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox, NBC Sports Chicago, 8:10 PM ET
Probable Pitchers
- Kansas City Royals: Daniel Lynch (1-3, 6.95 ERA)
- Chicago White Sox: Dallas Keuchel (7-4, 4.51 ERA)
Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox August 5 MLB Betting Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
