MLB Betting Guide for Monday 7/24/23: Diamondbacks and Cardinals Are Primed for Some Offense
Baseball has got you covered if you want a large inventory of options to bet.
From moneylines to run totals to first-five-inning wagers, we have plenty of ways to bet the long, arduous MLB schedule nearly every day. Daily outlooks can be vastly different due to starting pitchers, and a wealth of advanced stats can let us know an individual pitcher, a bullpen, or a team is due for positive -- or negative -- regression.
With that said, which MLB betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook are most appealing today?
Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise. Please check here to make sure you're seeing the most updated information.
St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Over 9.5 (-122)
With less-than-stellar pitchers on the mound, tonight's St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks should feature plenty of scoring.
The Cardinals are set to have Adam Wainwright return from the injured list and take on one of the best offenses in the league. Through 51.2 innings pitched for Wainwright this season, things haven't been pretty for the veteran. He's carrying a 7.66 ERA, 5.80 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), and has a career-low 11.0% strikeout rate.
The matchup against the Diamondbacks isn't the ideal landing spot for Wainwright, given the power they have in their lineup. The Diamondbacks come in with a 106 wRC (9th-best), .181 ISO (7th), and 33.9% hard-contact rate (10th) versus right-handed pitchers this season.
On the other side, it's much of the same for Arizona's righty, Ryne Nelson. His 4.82 ERA, 5.02 SIERA, 1.35 HR/9, and 16.1% strikeout rate this season are nothing to write home about.
For the Cardinals, while their win-loss record is rather lackluster, their hitting metrics are surprisingly strong. They are rocking a 112 wRC+ (6th), 35.3% hard-contact rate, (3rd), and .176 ISO (8th) versus right-handers.
These are two great offenses going head-to-head, along with some below-average pitchers on the bump, pointing us to over 9.5 tonight.
Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians
Under 8.5 (-105)
When it comes to scoring runs, the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Guardians are among the worst in the league.
Both teams sit in the bottom five of the league for the fewest runs scored this season, and there's nothing suggesting we are going to see an offensive outburst tonight.
Cleveland will have Logan Allen on the hill tonight, a pitcher who brings a solid level of consistency despite it being his first year in the MLB. He has 13 starts under his belt this season and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of those outings.
This gives him a 3.21 ERA, which is slightly outperforming his 4.29 xERA and 4.15 SIERA.
While this could signal he is due for a bit of regression, I doubt it will come via the hands -- or bats -- of the Royals. They are sporting an 88 wRC+ (25th), .139 ISO (25th), .302 wOBA (22nd), and 24.4% strikeout rate (8th) versus lefties this season. They are one of the worst offenses in the league and lack power across the board.
The Guardians will take on Ryan Yarbrough, who has lackluster numbers with a 5.21 ERA, 4.72 xERA, and 5.02 SIERA. However, the Guardians are also among the weakest offenses in the league versus southpaws. They come in with an 88 wRC+ (27th), .297 wOBA (27th), and .138 ISO (26th), making this a matchup of two teams struggling to put runs on the board.
