Cleveland Guardians vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 9/21/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes

The St. Louis Cardinals (77-75) welcome the Cleveland Guardians (88-65) at Busch Stadium on Saturday. The pitchers taking the mound are Matthew Boyd and Miles Mikolas.

The Guardians have tallied 233 doubles as a squad and have hit 174 balls out of the park. Cleveland has a slugging rate of .394 and have struck out 1,135 times, while being walked on 445 occasions. As a team, the Cleveland Guardians are earning 4.4 runs per outing, which has them at 14th in the league. They have accounted for 640 runs batted in as well as 1,202 base knocks this season, and their team batting average comes in at .238. They have a total of 678 runs scored and have an OBP of .308.

Get all of our Free MLB Picks

The Guardians have compiled a team ERA of 3.69 on the campaign (5th in baseball), and their staff has struck out 1,340 hitters. Guardians pitchers have given up 175 home runs and also 598 total runs (3rd in baseball). They have walked 463 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.02 as a team over the course of the season. Cleveland has conceded 1,169 base knocks (7.8 per 9 innings) and 557 earned runs. Their K/BB ratio is 2.89 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.20.

The Guardians have dispatched 561 relief pitchers to the mound so far this year. The relief pitchers have inherited 226 base runners over the course of the season with 26.5% of them ended up scoring. They have 51 saves this season and have blown 15 of their 66 save chances. The Guardians bullpen have earned a save rate of 77.3% and has stepped onto the mound in 186 save situations. The bullpen have earned 118 holds this season (1st in MLB). Guardians relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on base 161 times and also have had 193 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cleveland Guardians have 4,071 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 1,302 assists and 78 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .986 which puts them in 12th in MLB, and have earned 119 double plays. The Guardians have turned 70.9% of balls hit into play into outs in their 12,213 innings on the field, ranking them 4th in pro baseball.

Boyd has taken the ball for 903 innings and has 885 punch outs during his MLB career. His earned run average is 4.85 (487 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.313. He has allowed 895 base hits (8.9 hits per 9 innings) and has had 291 walks. Boyd (46-68 record in his career) sits with a FIP of 4.78 and he has gone up against 3,877 opposing batters in the major leagues.

St. Louis has compiled 156 HRs on the year as well as 593 RBIs. They have hit 234 two-baggers, while walking 443 times as well as notching 624 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals have compiled a team OBP of .310 in addition to a batting average of .246 so far this year. The Cardinals hold a slugging percentage of .389 and they earn 4.11 runs per contest (24th in baseball). They have been rung up on 1,236 occasions (21st in the league) and have 1,271 base hits.

The Cardinals have a team WHIP of 1.260 and have a FIP of 3.96 as a staff this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.20 (1,238 strikeouts vs 432 free passes). They rank 22nd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits conceded with 1,277. They have surrendered 164 dingers and they surrender 4.51 runs per 9 innings (18th in MLB). The St. Louis pitching staff have allowed 680 runs on the year while holding an ERA of 4.06 (612 earned runs yielded).

St. Louis bullpen pitchers have an inherited score rate of 36.6% out of their 213 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 171 times in high leverage situations and on 154 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 173 save situations, the Cardinals have 96 holds in addition to 26 blown saves. They are ranked 9th in baseball with a save rate of 66.2%, and they have sent 478 relievers onto the diamond on the year. St. Louis has called on relievers to step onto the mound in 77 save chances and they have earned 51 saves.

The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 142 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .988 (4th in the majors). The Cardinals have recorded 1,411 assists, 69 errors and have accounted for 4,068 putouts so far this year. In 12,204 innings played, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.6% (17th in baseball).

Mikolas (62-64 career record) has a 4.17 ERA while allowing 9.1 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.78 and he has gone up against 4,503 hitters so far in his MLB career. He has given up a total of 502 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.204 and a FIP of 4.1. During his pro baseball career, Mikolas has given up 1,097 base hits while he has earned 787 strikeouts in 1,084 frames.

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

Josh Schonwald'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