Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 6/29/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Busch Stadium is where the St. Louis Cardinals (33-45) will compete against the Houston Astros (42-37) on Thursday. The pitchers taking the mound are J.P. France and Adam Wainwright.

As a team, the Houston Astros are notching 4.5 runs per game, which has them sitting at 16th in the league. They have accounted for 353 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .315. The Astros have tallied 132 doubles as a unit and have hit 91 balls out of the park. They have tallied 337 runs batted in and 653 base knocks so far this season, while their batting average is at .245. Houston has a slugging rate of .401 and have been called out on strikes 627 times, while taking a walk on 247 occasions.

Get all of our MLB Picks

The Astros have a team ERA of 3.58 for the year (1st in baseball), and their staff has struck out 737 hitters. Astros pitchers have given up 85 home runs and also 314 runs in total (3rd in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 248 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 3.93 as a team so far this season. Houston has allowed 639 base hits (8.1 per 9 innings) and 281 earned runs. Their K/BB ratio is 2.97 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.25.

Astros bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 45 times in addition to having 70 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have racked up 40 holds on the campaign (18th in baseball). The Astros relief pitchers have compiled a save rate of 62.5% and has stepped onto the mound in 73 save situations. They have accumulated 20 saves on the season and have blown 12 of 32 save chances. The relievers have inherited 69 runners for the year and 30.4% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The Astros have dispatched 243 relief pitchers to the hill this year.

The Astros have converted 68.9% of balls in play into outs out of 6,363 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 18th in the majors. The Houston Astros have amassed 2,121 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 678 assists and 37 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .987 which puts them in 8th in MLB, and they have twisted 71 double plays.

France (2-3 record in his career) holds a FIP of 4.94 while he has gone up against 224 hitters during his time in the major leagues. He has surrendered 49 base knocks (8.3 hits per nine innings) and has 18 walks. His ERA is 3.54 (21 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.256. France has thrown 53 innings and has tallied 42 strikeouts so far in his MLB career.

St. Louis has accounted for 106 home runs this season as well as 346 runs batted in. They have recorded 126 two-baggers, while getting a free base 268 times as well as putting up 358 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals hold a team OBP of .325 and a batting average of .250 so far this year. The Cardinals hold a team slugging % of .423 and they are earning 4.59 runs per outing (11th in MLB). They have been called out on strikes on 649 instances (21st in baseball) and have earned a total of 666 base hits.

The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.438 with a FIP of 4.14 as a squad this season. They come in at 27th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 729. The St. Louis pitching staff have yielded 372 runs over the course of the season while holding an ERA of 4.39 (335 earned runs relinquished). Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.30 (636 strikeouts against 259 free passes). They have conceded 77 homers and they surrender 4.87 runs per 9 innings (24th in MLB).

Sitting with 74 save situations, the Cardinals have accumulated 39 holds and 15 blown saves. St. Louis has had relievers take the mound in 35 save chances and they have come away with 20 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the mound 90 times in high leverage situations in addition to 87 occasions with runners on. St. Louis relievers have an inherited score percentage of 27.0% out of 141 inherited base runners. They sit at 23rd in MLB with a save percentage of 57.1%, and they have sent 234 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond on the season.

In 6,183 innings played, the Cardinals have earned a efficiency on defense of 66.4% (30th in MLB). The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 70 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .989 (4th in baseball). The Cardinals have racked up 731 assists, 32 errors and are sitting with 2,061 putouts for the season.

Wainwright (198-119 record in his career) has a 3.44 earned run average while allowing 8.6 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.06 and he has faced 10,852 opposing batters so far in his MLB career. He has allowed 998 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.226 and a FIP of 3.5. So far in his pro baseball career, Wainwright has surrendered 2,497 hits while accumulating 2,171 strikeouts in 2,614 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here