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MLB Picks: Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals

Written May 4, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

phillies-cardinals-preview-050409 The Phillies are really an amazing team. If you have watched them, or even followed them so far this year, you would know that Jimmy Rollins has been dreadful, Cole Hamels, before he got hurt, got knocked around hard, and the only starter through the first month of the season with more than two wins is 47 year old relic Jamie Moyer. With that said, the Phillies are 12-10 and have the best two player combo in the league. Chase Utley is on an early MVP run as he is hitting .342 from the plate with eight home runs and 21 RBIs. His partner in crime, Ryan Howard, is hitting .280 with four homers and 15 RBIs. Two other players that have made major impacts are Raul Ibanez, who is on fire hitting .360 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs, along with Shane Victorino, who has a .287 batting average with three home runs and 16 RBIs. The hitting is not the problem for this team, it is the pitching. Tonight Joe Blanton takes the mound and he has been just awful. Through four starts he is 0-2 with a 8.41 ERA. To be honest, when I saw him pitch this year he has looked far worse than those numbers. Last year Blanton had one start against the Cardinals. He went seven innings allowing only one run on four hits and picked up the win. Could this be the game where he picks up his first win of the season? Maybe. Monday’s MLB odds have been posted and the Cardinals are -132 over the Phillies.

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-8 on the young season. They have the best player in baseball on their team in Albert Pujols. He has opened with a .356 batting average along with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. This year should be different for him though as he has legitimate help. Ryan Ludwick is a future star. He has six home runs and 21 RBIs to date. This is not just another player to put on a team that has Pujols. Ludwick is a great player. Ryan Ankiel and Chris Duncan are also nice contributors to this team and Ankiel seems to make highlight reels in the field every other day. The pitching has been good as well. Tonight’s starter is Kyle Lohse, the ex-Phillies pitcher is 3-0 through his first five starts with a 1.97 ERA. Lohse would love nothing more then to stick it to his old team. Last season he did just that going 2-0 in both of his starts against Philly with a 3.38 ERA. While Albert Pujols will always be the key factor for this team, they will need another contributor to step up. I see Kahlil Greene as the guy that needs to do so. The production at the bottom of this lineup is non existent. He could change that.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: The Phillies are 12-5 in their last 17 meetings against The Cardinals. St. Louis is 7-1 in their last eight games following a loss. They are also 9-3 in their last 12 games as a favorite. I think The Cards lay an egg tonight. It is too early in the season to worry about standings and who has how many wins and losses. This line tonight is based primarily on that due to the fact it has no other basis. The Phillies are a better team. They have better hitting and a better bullpen. Now, Joe Blanton has been beyond pathetic, but he did pitch very well last season against the Cardinals. I see Lohse being over confident and getting hit while Blanton will also give up some runs but be much better then usual. I like both of these tonight as strong plays. Make sure to check my Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets Preview article as my BEST BET OF THE DAY.

Betting Line: St. Louis Cardinals -132/Philadelphia Phillies +122 & OVER 9 Runs

Jordan’s Picks: Philadelphia Phillies +122 & OVER 9 Runs

A 1-2 night back on Saturday is not what we were hoping for.. However we hit our UNDERDOG SPECIAL with the Royals +134 so the damage was very minimal. The Reds were a loser as their comeback in the ninth fell short and the UNDER 8.5 runs was washed away with the Kansas City’s come from behind victory (which we were thrilled to swap). Our profit margins remain sky high as tonight we will add to that win column. I hope everybody had a nice relaxing weekend. Its Monday, time to go to work. Lets go make that money.

Documented MLB Record:

37-18 OVERALL

15-5 BEST BET

If you are looking to cash in by betting on baseball this season, be sure to check out the MLB picks from some of our other expert handicappers.

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