Cardinals, Padres National League Best Bets for September 9

Multiple games are beginning this evening on the National League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find our best NL bets on FanDuel Sportsbook.St. Louis Cardinals (-205) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (+172) Total: 8 (O -118, U -104)

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are set to collide for a three-game weekend series tonight from PNC Park. The Cardinals enter this matchup after splitting a four-game series with the Washington Nationals, while the Pirates dropped two-of-three games to the NL East-leading New York Mets. St. Louis currently leads the NL Central by eight games over the Milwaukee Brewers and has posted a 7-3 record over their past ten games, while the Pirates have continued to struggle down the stretch and are 3-7 over that same sample size. The Cardinals have dominated the season series, winning eight-of-ten matchups against the Pirates. With the Cardinals wanting to continue trimming down their magic number to clinch the NL Central, it’s hard to look toward the Pirates in this matchup, especially when St. Louis is such a large favorite on the moneyline at -205. 

Pitching should again favor the Cardinals, which has been one of the weaker points of the Pirates. The Cardinals will send righthander Miles Mikolas to the bump, while the Pirates will counter with Roansy Contreras. The Cards righty owns an 11-10 record, paired with a 3.32 ERA and 127 strikeouts, while Contreras is 4-4 with a 3.41 ERA and 70 punchouts. The last time Mikolas faced the Pirates, he came one batter short of pitching a no-hitter.

With their success over the Pirates and Mikolas on the mound, it’s hard not to side with the Cardinals in this matchup. As we mentioned above, there’s no value here with the Cardinals on the moneyline, but they’ve been scoring in bunches against the Pirates, which should make you feel comfortable with their run line price of -126. 

Best Bet: Cardinals run line (-126)

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will kick off a three-game series tonight from Petco Park. The Dodgers enter this matchup after winning three-of-four games against the San Francisco Giants, while the Padres won two-of-three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. These clubs met last weekend, which saw the Dodgers win two-of-three games over the Padres. Both teams are set to enter this matchup with identical 6-4 records over their past ten games. The Dodgers still boast an astronomical 19-game lead in the NL West over the Padres, while San Diego has control of the second Wild Card position in the National League and has been playing much better baseball of late. 

With both offenses bringing a lot to the table, it will be interesting to see how the pitchers in this matchup will manage the games. The visiting Dodgers are expected to send Dustin May to the bump, while the Padres will be countering with Mike Clevinger. May hasn’t pitched a ton this season but holds a 1-2 record, paired with a 3.94 ERA and 18 strikeouts, while Clevinger is 5-6 with a 3.96 ERA and 77 punchouts. Neither of these starting pitchers had good starts their last time in this same matchup, which saw May pitch five innings and allow six earned runs, while Clevinger didn’t make it past the fourth and allowed five earned runs.

Tonight’s total is set at 8.5, and that number feels a little low with what both offenses are capable of. Last weekend, these teams eclipsed tonight’s total in two-of-three games, and there’s value in them doing so tonight at -114. 

Best Bet: Over 8.5 (-114)