MLB best bets for Wed., 7/13: Three ways to play Dodgers vs. Cardinals 

When it comes to the National League, few have been more dominant than the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have won an NL-best 11 World Series, the Dodgers have appeared in an NL-best 21 World Series. We can't forget about the Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers for both teams: Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Lou Brock, Tommy Lasorda, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Tony La Russa, Vin Scully, Jack Buck, Clayton Kershaw and Albert Pujols. The list goes on and on. 

Not to mention both clubs have been quite good this year. Los Angeles has the best record in the NL at 56-30 while St. Louis is currently the third Wild Card Seed at 48-42. That's what makes this series so special. These teams are good year in and year out. Let's stop dwelling about the tradition amongst these teams and just focus on Wednesday's game. It should be a good one. Especially with NL Cy Young candidate Tony Gonsolin pitching for Los Angeles and the ageless wonder Adam Wainwright going for St. Louis.

Moneyline: Los Angeles (-154)/St. Louis (+130)

St. Louis hung on for a 7-6 win on Tuesday night, but I'm not so sure they can do it again on Wednesday. Especially with Gonsolin going for the Dodgers. Gonsolin has come out of nowhere and is in the hunt for the NL Cy Young. Gonsolin is a league-best 11-0 in 16 starts, and leads all of baseball in WHIP (0.80), opponents’ batting average (.157), ERA (1.62) and BABIP (.183). The Dodgers are 8-0 in Gonsolin's last eight starts and 14-2 when he starts. Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals are certainly more than capable of winning on Wednesday, but the numbers clearly speak for themselves. Los Angeles is close to impossible to beat when Gonsolin is pitching. Hop on the train and ride the Dodgers all the way on the moneyline. 

Spread: Los Angeles -1.5 (+114)/St. Louis +1.5 (-137)

This is a much tougher bet than the moneyline, but taking Los Angeles -1.5 is well worth it. The Dodgers have yet to lose a series in July and the Cardinals have yet to win a series in July. St. Louis' offense has been better as of late -- six runs on Monday, seven runs on Tuesday -- but I don't see that same success continuing against Gonsolin. The Dodgers are far from full strength -- still no Blake Treinen, Walker Buehler or Chris Taylor -- but they have more than enough to win short-term and long-term. The Cardinals' bullpen pitched north of seven innings on Tuesday, which leaves them a little thin on relief arms for Wednesday. That's a big advantage for the Dodgers. This game should be close for a while, but expect Los Angeles to pull away and cover -1.5 when it’s all said and done.

Over/Under: Over 8 (-106)/Under 8 (-114)

Similar to the spread, this is a toss-up, but taking the under is less risky than taking the over. Not to sound redundant again, but with Gonsolin pitching, few offenses have had a whole lot of success against him. Los Angeles is more than capable of putting up runs, and St. Louis is swinging the bats better as of late, but the Cardinals have still struggled offensively this month. As of Wednesday, the Cardinals have scored the fifth fewest runs this month and have been shutout already three times in July. There's a good possibility it could happen a fourth time on Wednesday. Wainwright has been pretty consistent all season so far, but he's been rock solid in his career against the Dodgers. In 17 games vs. the Dodgers, the 40-year-old has a 2.66 ERA. Not bad. Take the under in this one.