MLB Picks: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright hasn't issued a walk in 22 innings this season, which is important to note when making your MLB picks Thursday, as he prepares to take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Sports bettors will find that the Cardinals are -110 road favorites in the pro baseball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total sits at 7.5 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this National League matchup from a betting perspective, while offering up a pick along the way.

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have alternated wins and losses over their last four games, as they look to bounce back from a 5-0 setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates as -113 road favorites Wednesday.

Over the last two-plus seasons, the Cardinals are 13-9 after suffering a shutout loss, with the OVER going 11-10-1 in that situation.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies scored just four combined runs in suffering a three-game road sweep against the Cincinnati Reds, which included a 11-2 setback as +121 underdogs Wednesday.

Sports bettors will find that the Phillies are 3-8 in Cole Hamels' last 11 starts versus teams with a winning record. 

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the St. Louis Cardinals in the first five innings Thursday night, as starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has compiled a 0.90 ERA in his last 20 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.

MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -108 First Five Innings

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