Cardinals vs Phillies Odds, Lines, and Spread (April 16)
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The Philadelphia Phillies are -136 favorites over the St. Louis Cardinals in their MLB game on Friday, April 16th
- Zach Eflin takes the mound for Philadelphia
- The Cards will counter with Carlos Martinez
Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies are slumping and treading water at the same time. Each club is 6-6 on the season.
St. Louis has lost four of its last five games. Philadelphia has lost five of its last six.
As they open a three-game weekend set on Friday, it’s the hometown Phillies who are pegged as the -136 favorites. Philly is 5-1 straight up at home this season. Meanwhile, St. Louis is a solid 4-2 SU on the road.
First pitch for Friday’s game is slated for 7:05 pm ET at Citizens Bank Park.
Cardinals vs Phillies Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | +127 | +1.5 (-169) | O 8.5 (-112) |
| Philadelphia Phillies | -139 | -1.5 (+142) | U 8.5 (-105) |
Odds as of April 15th.
The forecast is for rain, 14 mph wind and a temperature of 50 degrees. The game is being broadcast by Bally Sports Midwest and NBCSP+.
Phillies Swing and Miss
The Phillies began the 2021 season with a 5-1 homestand. As they return to home base Friday, they do so limping back from a 1-5 road trip in which they evidently forgot to pack their bats.
me on april 1: finally the phillies are back. this is all i have ever wanted. i am going to watch every game. i love them
me 13 days later: pic.twitter.com/uQWMB4xoPT
— baseballin' (@inthephanattic) April 15, 2021
The Phillies scored 16 runs over the past six games. Philly batters struck out 14 times in two of the past three games. Andrew McCutchen (2-for-19), Rhys Hoskins (2-for-22) and Bryce Harper (4-for-20), the top three batters in the order, were a combined 8-for-61 (.131) during the road swing.
Cardinals Shuffle Roster
Before heading to Philadelphia, the Cardinals opted to change up their outfield. Lane Thomas was returned to the club’s alternate training site. In two starts, Thomas made a pair of errors and showed an .833 fielding percentage.
We have selected the contract of OF Scott Hurst from the Alternate Training Site and optioned OF Lane Thomas to the Alternate Site.
To make room on the 40-man, Dakota Hudson has been transferred to the 60-day IL. pic.twitter.com/5tkqLnbpUD
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 15, 2021
Rookie Scott Hurst was recalled from there. When he sees his first action, Hurst will be making his MLB debut.
Eflin Showing improvement
Eflin’s scheduled Thursday start against the New York Mets was rained out. In two starts, he’s yet to figure in a decision while posting a 3.46 ERA.
Phillies weekend starters vs. Cardinals
Friday: Zach Eflin
Saturday: Matt Moore
Sunday: Aaron NolaNola gets an extra day.
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) April 15, 2021
Eflin has struck out 10 in 13 innings while walking just two batters. He’s gone at least six innings in each of his starts, both of which came against the Atlanta Braves.
Cardinals Career Stats vs Eflin
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan Arenado | 11 | 0 | 1 | .182 |
| Dylan Carson | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Matt Carpenter | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Paul DeJong | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Austin Dean | 9 | 1 | 3 | .444 |
| Tommy Edman | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| Scott Hurst | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Andrew Knizner | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Yadier Molina | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| John Nogowski | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Edmundo Sosa | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Justin Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Eflin’s lone career regular-season appearance against the Cardinals came in a start on May 19, 2018. He worked 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and didn’t figure in the decision in a 7-6 Phillies victory.
Martinez Displaying Competence
Early in the season, Martinez rates as the most reliable St. Louis starter. The reason why he does, though, is a sure sign of the sad state of affairs within the ranks of Cardinals staff.
Whenever Carlos Martinez starts a game, I make a mark in the loss column. I use a pencil in hopes of being surprised, however, my eraser is still intact. #STLCards #STLFly
— DominicThomas (@Dominic_Thomas9) April 10, 2021
The righthander is the only St. Louis starter to work five innings in both of his appearances during the 2021 campaign. That being said, Martinez is still 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA.
Phillies Career Stats vs Martinez
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Bohm | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Didi Gregorius | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Bryce Harper | 7 | 2 | 4 | .266 |
| Rhys Hoskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Matt Joyce | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| Andrew Knapp | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 23 | 0 | 1 | .130 |
| Brad Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Mickey Moniak | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Roman Quinn | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| JT Realmuto | 5 | 0 | 2 | .500 |
| Jean Segura | 8 | 0 | 1 | .375 |
| Ronald Torreyes | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
In fact, over the past two seasons, Martinez is 0-5 with an 8.70 ERA and a 1.866 WHIP. His last victory was posted on Sept. 1st 2019, a 4-3 win in relief over the Cincinnati Reds when Martinez was working as the Cardinals closer.
In his career, Martinez is 3-1 against the Phillies with a 2.70 ERA.
Pick: St. Louis Cardinals (+116)
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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.
