Cardinals, Pirates National League Best Bets for August 9

There are multiple games today beginning this evening on the National League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find both games from the National League and some of our best bets on the FanDuel Sportsbook.St. Louis Cardinals (-172) vs. Colorado Rockies (+144) Total: 11 (O -120, U -102)

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to visit the Colorado Rockies to begin a three-game series tonight from Coors Field. The Cards enter the series after taking down the New York Yankees and sweeping them over the weekend, while the Rockies dropped two-of-three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The visitors are one of the hotter teams in baseball and have won seven straight games while owning a 9-1 record over their past ten games, compared to the Rockies sitting at 3-7 over that same stretch. The Rockies will be in tough with how well the Cards have been playing. They won’t have an easy opening matchup with the most consistent arm in the Cardinals rotation set to headline the opener. 

Pitching hasn’t been a strength for the Cards this season, but there are still some quality arms in their rotation, one of them taking the bump tonight. All-Star righthander Miles Mikolas will take on Ryan Feltner of the Rockies. Mikolas has an 8-8 record with a 2.92 ERA and 106 strikeouts, while Feltner is 1-3 with a 5.75 ERA and 38 punchouts. After a poor start out of the All-Star break, Mikolas has redeemed himself over his last two and found his form again, which should spell trouble for the Rockies. With the way the Red Birds can hit home runs and the inexperience of the Rockies’ righthander tonight, don’t be surprised if St. Louis has a big offensive performance. 

There’s not much value in the Cardinals on the moneyline at -172, but with the way things are trending for them, considering the run line has merit. Even that price isn’t very appetizing at -120, but with tSt. Louis’s edge on the mound it’s a number that’s hard to pass up. 

Best Bet: Cardinals run line (-120)

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks will continue a four-game series tonight from Chase Field. The D-Backs opened up the series last night with a 3-0 shutout of the Pirates and will look to build off that performance in Game 2. Neither team has been consistent this season, but there’s still potential for this to be a matchup where many runs are scored. That might seem hard to believe after last night’s low-scoring affair, but runs shouldn’t be at a premium with the pitching matchup on tap tonight. The D-Backs have been the better of the two teams this year, but both sides have a 4-6 record over their past ten games. Both teams are looking to implement younger players, which makes this a matchup that should be looked at tonight. 

Game 1 saw a pitching duel, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with tonight’s matchup. The Pirates will send righthander Zach Thompson to the mound, while the Diamondbacks will counter with lefthander Tommy Henry. Thompson has a 3-8 record with a 5.18 ERA and 60 strikeouts, while Henry is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA and three strikeouts. Experience sides with Thompson in this matchup, which could be a deciding factor. Neither side inspires a ton of confidence, but when there’s reasonable value with a team, you have to target them.

The Pirates have been far from a consistent team this season, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking towards the value they present on the road. Pittsburgh holds odds of +132 on the moneyline, and with the Pirates liking having an edge on the mound, that’s a price that should be considered on the National League side of things. 

Best Bet: Pirates moneyline (+132)