The Houston Astros take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of a three-game series on Thursday, June 29. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium. JP France (2-3, 3.54 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros, and Adam Wainwright (3-2, 6.56 ERA) will pitch for the Cardinals.
The Astros are -120 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Cards coming in at +100. The total is set at 9.5.
Astros-Cardinals picks: Thursday, June 29
Injury report
Astros
Out: LF/DH Yordan Alvarez (oblique)
Cardinals
Day to day: SP Jack Flaherty (hip), 3B Nolan Arenado (back)
Out: CP Ryan Helsley (forearm), INF Jose Ferman (quad)
Starting pitchers
JP France vs. Adam Wainwright
France hasn’t been completely lost in his past few starts, but he hasn’t been outstanding, either. He has pitched between six and 6.2 innings in each of his past three starts, and has let up two to three earned runs in each of those outings. In that time frame, he conceded 19 hits and recorded 13 strikeouts.
Wainwright struggled against the Cubs in his latest outing, allowing seven earned runs in just three innings before getting pulled. Before that, he allowed the Mets three earned runs in 6.1 innings and recorded three strikeouts.
Over/Under pick
The totals for the first two games of the series were 6 and 17. For the final game, I like the over. The Astros’ batting lineup was on a roll last night, and if they can carry that momentum into today, they will make quick work of a struggling Wainwright and run up the score.
Pick: Over 9.5
Moneyline pick
The Astros beat the Cards in a high-scoring matchup last night. For the series finale, I have to go with the Astros because of this pitching matchup. Wainwright has not impressed this season, and is coming off a tough performance against the Cubs. France has been far more consistent in keeping runners off base and should be able to lock this one down for Houston.
Pick: Astros -120