MLB Odds: Cardinals vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick – 9/24/2022

The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Check out our MLB odds series for our Cardinals Dodgers prediction and pick.

Jordan Montgomery takes the ball for the Cardinals, while Clayton Kershaw gets the call for the Dodgers.

Jordan Montgomery has been fantastic as a starting pitcher since he came over to St. Louis from the New York Yankees. Montgomery did not dominate in his most recent outing this past Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, but he still gave his team a chance to win. Montgomery’s loss on Sunday to the Reds was part of the Cardinals’ massive power outage, in which they got shut out in three straight games and didn’t score a run in a fourth game until the 11th inning on Sept. 17 versus Cincinnati. Montgomery knows that if he continues to pitch at a high level, the laws of averages are bound to even out, and the Cardinals are more likely to win than not. Montgomery has used a four-seam fastball a lot more since joining the Cardinals. The St. Louis organization saw something in Montgomery which could maximize the use of more fastballs while de-emphasizing sinkers and cutters. The change in his mixture of pitches has made Montgomery a lot better since he came to the National League.

Clayton Kershaw just keeps rolling along. His primary focus is on staying healthy for the playoffs, but in the meantime, he keeps pitching well. He handled the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier in the week. He doesn’t throw as hard as he once did, but he still locates pitches and changes speeds. He does this as well as anyone in the game. He establishes a rhythm and a pattern, and he gets hitters off balance. Kershaw is preparing for yet another postseason run. The Dodgers know they will need him since this rotation lacks Max Scherzer and Walker Buehler, in marked contrast to 2021.

Here are the Cardinals-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Dodgers Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-137)

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+114)

Over: 7.5 (-108)

Under: 7.5 (-112)

Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread

The Dodgers have already passed the 100-win mark and are obviously the better team in this or nearly every other comparison you could make with other teams around Major League Baseball, but they do not have the urgency which often fuels teams this time of year. The Dodgers were absolutely crushed by the Cardinals on Friday night. They came very close to losing a five-game home-field series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth before scoring two runs to win. The team has played a lot of baseball without many days off. It has already clinched the division and is about to seal the top seed in the National League playoffs. The Dodgers’ focus right now is on being healthy for October more than anything else. The Cardinals can step into this situation and win.

Why The Dodgers Could Cover the Spread

The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw pitching. Start there. They also got embarrassed on Friday. No matter what the team, playing a terrible game one day should lead to a motivated and strong performance the next day. This is a good bounce-back spot for the Dodgers.

Final Cardinals-Dodgers Prediction & Pick

This is a stay-away game, first and foremost, but if you insist on a pick, the Cardinals are riding high after the Albert Pujols 700-homer milestone on Friday. Jordan Montgomery is pitching really well.

Final Cardinals-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5