The MLB season continues when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the St Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium in the second of a three-game series.
The Dodgers have had an excellent season so far and come into this game with a record of 65-48, while the Cardinals are in sketchy form and have a season record of 57-57 at the time of writing.
We’ll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free MLB betting picks as we try to earn you some extra cash while you take in all the action on the field.
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The Dodgers had a dream start to their 2025 season after winning nine of their opening ten games of the season, including the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. Despite then losing their next three, they went on another run of seven wins in ten games to justify their position as pre-season favorites.
But LA went on a difficult run during May which saw their credentials questioned as they lost nine of 15, which included a four-game losing streak against local rivals the LA Angels and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
June also started poorly as they lost seven of their first 12 games of the month, but they finally found some rhythm once again and went on a five-game winning run, including three in a row against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers then ended June with a fantastic run of winning nine of their last ten as they moved into July. But once again, their run was halted aggressively, losing seven in a row with just 17 runs scored in those games.
Los Angeles were able to win two in a row before the All-Star Game break, but lost four of their next five following their return to action. They’re in another tricky period of form currently having failed to win more than two games in a row since that break, and come into this mini-series following a win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Cardinals started the season in fantastic form as they opened the season with three consecutive wins over the Minnesota Twins, but things quickly went left in the following weeks. St Louis lost eight of their next 11 games, and then despite a small run of three wins in four, they then lost five in a row including four straight against the New York Mets.
May was by far the best month of the season for St Louis, and despite starting it with two losses, the team went on a run of 12 wins in 13 games, including a run of nine in a row. Back-to-back defeats against the Detroit Tigers halted momentum temporarily, but the team bounced back to end the month with six wins in their final eight.
But June saw them revert to type and they opened the month with 10 losses in 14 games. Team manager Oliver Marmol was forced to address things and it worked perfectly, as the Cardinals clicked into gear with five consecutive victories, before winning five of their final eight. July was a horror show again, with the team failing to win back-to-back games all month and ending with a record of 8-16.
The team come into this game following two defeats to the San Diego Padres but claimed victory in the first meeting between these teams on Monday, and will be hoping to go on a run now.
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The Dodgers are the favorites for success in this game once again, and it should come as absolutely no surprise considering their performances this season.
Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow has had a good run of performances so far this season but his record stands at just 1-1 for the 2025 season, with a 3-0 win over the Rays in his last outing.
The batting is where this game will be won, and the Dodgers are by far the best batting roster in the MLB. Shohei Ohtani is flying this season with 38 home runs scored, alongside a .274 avg and 73 RBI.
He’s joined by the in-form Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, who have more than enough firepower to give any team problems, which makes it very difficult for the Cardinals to compete.
When you take a look at St Louis’ best batter Wilson Contreras‘ stats (15 home runs, 63 RBI and .256 avg), it shows the difference in quality and explains the odds.
There is great value in taking the Dodgers to claim victory at -187 at home, and it would be quite the surprise if this wasn’t a winning bet at the end of the game.