Cardinals vs Dodgers NL Wild Card Game Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Los Angeles Dodgers are -220 home favorites over the St Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card Game on Wednesday, October 6
- LA won four of seven regular-season meetings, including two of three at Dodger Stadium
- St Louis has won 14 of 23 playoff meetings and four of five postseason series against LA
Two of the hottest teams in baseball will clash in a one-game showdown to see who lives to play again. The Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56, 58-23 home) will play host to the St Louis Cardinals (90-72, 45-36 away) in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game.
The Dodgers finished 17-3 over their final 20 games. The Cardinals closed out the regular season 17-3, as well. St Louis posted a 17-game winning streak in September, the longest in the NL since 1935. LA rolls into the postseason off seven successive victories.
Oddsmakers are going with the defending World Series champion Dodgers as the -220 favorites to eliminate the Cardinals. LA is 5-1 in its last six games at Dodger Stadium against St Louis.
Cardinals vs Dodgers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Louis Cardinals | +180 | +1.5 (-120) | O 7.5 (-115) |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -220 | -1.5 (+100) | U 7.5 (-105) |
Odds as of October 3rd at DraftKings.
First pitch in Chavez Ravine is set for 8:10pm ET. TBS is carrying the broadcast. The weather forecast is calling for clouds, 8 mph wind, and a temperature of 82 degrees.
Wainwright vs Scherzer
| 17-7 | Record | 15-4 |
| 3.05 | ERA | 2.46 |
| 3.84 | xERA | 2.89 |
| 1.05 | WHIP | 0.86 |
| 3.48 | SO/W Ratio | 11.13 |
Two of the most experienced postseason pitchers in MLB will toe the rubber in this one-game showdown. Right-hander Max Scherzer will be making his 23rd postseason appearance and 19th start but his first with the Dodgers.
Scherzer is 7-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in the playoffs. He’s pitched Game 7 of the World Series. Scherzer has won his last three postseason decisions and is unbeaten in his last nine playoff appearances.
.@Max_Scherzer made this kid’s week. 💙
Via: https://t.co/wYof7V2Sxm pic.twitter.com/TAHyFxY0Nm
— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2021
In 2019, Scherzer got the start for the Washington Nationals against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Game. Although he didn’t figure in the decision, Washington won 4-3.
Scherzer also faced the Cardinals that year in Game 2 of the NLCS. He worked seven innings of shutout, one-hit ball, striking out 11 in 3-1 Nationals victory.
Wainwright was the opposing pitcher for St Louis in that game. He worked into the eighth inning, also striking out 11 but was tagged for all three Washington runs and took the loss.
The @Cardinals announced that Adam Wainwright will be back next season, which means one more year of Yadi and Waino. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/9fSn13V9yP
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2021
The St. Louis right-hander has started three postseason games against the Dodgers. Wainwright took the loss in Game 3 of the 2013 NLCS against LA. That’s the only time he factored into the decision. He’s 0-1 with a 4.19 ERA when facing the Dodgers in the playoffs.
Wainwright has appeared in 28 postseason games, including 15 starts and five World Series appearances. He’s 4-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Dodgers Batters | Batting Average vs Wainwright | Cardinals Batters | Batting Average vs Scherzer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Barnes | .500 | Nolan Arenado | .200 |
| Matt Beaty | .000 | Harrison Bader | .200 |
| Cody Bellinger | .125 | Dylan Carlson | .000 |
| Mookie Betts | .500 | Matt Carpenter | .250 |
| Gavin Lux | .000 | Paul DeJong | .308 |
| Max Muncy | .286 | Tommy Edman | .444 |
| AJ Pollock | .375 | Paul Goldschmidt | .156 |
| Albert Pujols | .100 | Andrew Knizner | .000 |
| Corey Seager | .286 | Yadier Molina | .059 |
| Will Smith | .000 | Lars Nootbaar | .000 |
| Chris Taylor | .167 | Tyler O’Neill | .000 |
| Justin Turner | .333 | Jose Rondon | .000 |
| Trea Turner | .357 | Edmundo Sosa | .333 |
Both Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts (2-for-4) and catcher Austin Barnes (1-for-2) are .500 hitters when facing Wainwright. Outfielder AJ Pollock is 3-for-8 (.375) and second baseman Trea Turner is 5-for-14 (.357). Third baseman Justin Turner is 3-for-9 (.333).
Get up, baby! Get up! Tommy Edman hits a leadoff homer in Game 162.
TV: Bally Sports Midwest
Stream: Bally Sports app#STLCards pic.twitter.com/M4ZPvHaApm— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) October 3, 2021
Cardinals 2B Tommy Edman is a lifetime .444 (4-for-9) hitter against Scherzer. Shortstop Paul DeJong is 4-for-13 (.308) with three RBI. Infielder Edmundo Sosa is 1-for-3 (.333).
Cardinals vs Dodgers Pick
St Louis has won four of five playoff series and 14 of 23 postseason games when facing LA. The Dodgers took this season’s series 4-3, winning two of three from the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.
LA is the first reigning World Series champion to play in the following season’s Wild Card Game. The Dodgers tied a franchise record with 106 wins but couldn’t win the NL West. They are the first 100-win team to play a Wild Card game.
Max Muncy exits the game holding his left arm after a collision at first base. pic.twitter.com/PQAN3wftL1
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) October 3, 2021
The Dodgers had seven players hit 20 home runs this season (Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Max Muncy and Will Smith). For St. Louis, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill each clouted 30 homers. Muncy (elbow injury) may not play Wednesday.
As great as Wainwright has pitched for the Cards this season, betting against Scherzer in a win-or-go-home scenario is just foolhardy.
Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-220)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
