Two of the hottest teams in baseball will match up in a win-or-go-home scenario on Wednesday in the 2021 MLB playoffs. The 2021 National League Wild Card matchup is on the agenda, with the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers. The winner will advance to take on the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS. The Dodgers finished with baseball’s second-best record, while the Cardinals needed a late run to reach the postseason.
First pitch is at 8:10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. Caesars Sportsbook lists Los Angeles as the -219 favorite (risk $219 to win $100) on the money line, while the over-under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is 7.5 in the latest Cardinals vs. Dodgers odds. Before making any Dodgers vs. Cardinals picks, you need to see what SportsLine’s Larry Hartstein has to say.
Hartstein, SportsLine’s senior analyst and an Early Edge podcast regular, is a blistering 84-57 in his last 141 MLB picks, returning more than $1,300. He is also 40-20 in his last 60 MLB picks overall.
In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 34-18 record on his last 52 picks involving Los Angeles, returning more than $1,600. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has dialed in on Dodgers vs. Cardinals and just released his coveted 2021 NL Wild Card Game picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see Hartstein’s picks. Here are the MLB odds and betting lines for Cardinals vs. Dodgers:
- Cardinals vs. Dodgers money line: Los Angeles -219, St. Louis +199
- Cardinals vs. Dodgers over-under: 7.5 runs
- Cardinals vs. Dodgers run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-105)
- STL: The Cardinals are 45-36 on the road in 2021
- LAD: The Dodgers are 58-23 at home this season
Featured Game | Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Why you should back the Cardinals
The Cardinals finished the season on a tear, winning 19 of the last 22 games to clinch a spot in this contest. They are a top-five team in the NL in batting average (.244) and strikeout avoidance, with St. Louis also stealing 89 bases to rank No. 3 in the league. Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill and Nolan Arenado lead the offense with more than 30 home runs each, and Adam Wainwright gets the nod on the mound in this must-win scenario.
Wainwright lands in the top 10 of the National League in ERA (3.05), hits allowed (7.3 per 9 innings), walks allowed per nine innings (2.18) and innings pitched (260.1), with high-end experience in big games. St. Louis also deploys an above-average bullpen, with a season-long ERA of 3.97 and a top-five mark in the NL in wins above replacement in 2021.
Why you should back the Dodgers
The Dodgers are a complete team and that is reflected in their statistical profile. Los Angeles finished with 106 wins, second-most in baseball, and the Dodgers have the best home record in the league at 58-23. The Dodgers finished on a high note, winning 18 of the last 21 games, and that includes an active seven-game winning streak. Los Angeles has the largest run differential in baseball, out-scoring opponents by 269 runs, and the Dodgers finished No. 1 in runs allowed at only 561.
The Dodgers also led the National League in runs scored with 830, and they set the pace with top-three marks in walks (613), on-base percentage (.330), OPS (.759) and home runs (237). On the run prevention side, Los Angeles will send an elite starter to the mound in Max Scherzer and, for the season, the Dodgers were No. 2 in baseball in both ERA (3.01) and opponent batting average (.207).
How to make Cardinals vs. Dodgers picks
Hartstein is leaning over on the total and has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the money line. He’s sharing that pick only at SportsLine.
So who wins Dodgers vs. Cardinals in the 2021 NL Wild Card Game? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the money line a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the money line to jump on, all from the MLB expert who’s 34-18 record on his last 52 picks involving Los Angeles, and find out.
