Cardinals Win Total Prediction
Will the St. Louis Cardinals get back to contending for the NL Central title this season, or will they take a step back?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Cardinals over/under for wins in 2017 has been set at 84.5. The over carries a money line of -135 while the under is set at +105. Their odds to win the 2017 World Series are listed at 20/1 currently, while their odds to win the NLCS are at 12/1.
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The Cardinals are coming off an 86-76 record in 2016, which placed them 17.5 games out of the NL Central race. It marked the first time in six seasons that St. Louis didn’t make the postseason and was their lowest win total since 2010. However, St. Louis has won at least 85 games for nine consecutive seasons. Mike Matheny is back as manager for St. Louis. He is entering his sixth season as skipper. He carries a 461-349 record with the team.
St. Louis didn’t have trouble scoring runs last season, as they put up 779 in 2016. The Cardinals ranked fourth in the majors in terms of runs scored. The team did it with balance as Stephen Piscotty had 85 RBI to lead the team then eight others had anywhere from 54-68 runs batted in. Matt Holliday had 20 HR with 62 RBI last season, but he signed on with the Yankees in the offseason. The Cardinals did add Dexter Fowler in the offseason. He is coming off a .276 average with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 2016. One area the Cardinals didn’t help themselves was base running. They had just 35 stolen bases as a team in 2016.
The Cardinals’ pitching staff allowed 712 runs last season. Carlos Martinez was the ace in 2016, going 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA and 174 strikeouts. He is back to lead the group this year. Adam Wainwright is still around and led the team in innings pitched last season, but he had just a 4.62 ERA a year ago with a 13-9 record. In the bullpen Seung-Hwan Oh had a 1.92 ERA with 19 saves and 103 strikeouts in 79.2 innings of work. The team signed Brett Cecil in the offseason. Cecil had a 3.93 ERA in 2016 in just 54 appearances with the Blue Jays.
St. Louis has a lot of options in the lineup to produce some runs, but I don’t feel great about their pitching staff this season. Martinez is a nice arm but Wainwright is on the decline and there aren’t a lot of options to step up. Oh is a nice bullpen arm, but I am not sure Cecil is going to be a great addition in middle relief. The Cardinals definitely won’t be able to stack up with the Cubs and this could be a continuation in the decline of one of the mainstays in the NL.
2017 MLB SEASON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS UNDER 84.5