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The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card game on Wednesday, October 6th at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers failed to capture the best record in the NL and overtake the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West. The Cardinals have been one of the hottest teams in MLB over the past month and will be dangerous in a one-game format. Let’s take a look at the opening odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Dodgers vs. Cardinals odds
Run line: STL +1.5 (-115), LAD -1.5 (-105)
Over/Under: 7.5
Moneyline: STL +185, LAD -225
Tuesday update — The LAD-STL lines have shifted slightly. The Dodgers were plus-money on the run line but that has changed. The ML has moved a bit as well in favor of LA. We’ve got another day and a half before this game, so we’ll keep an eye on the lines and what movement goes down before Wednesday.
Monday update — The run line has moved slightly and there was a point where the Dodgers went up to -225 on the moneyline, which is back down to -220. LA is now +100 on the run line at -1.5, which suggest the public is thinking this game could be closer than it appears. Max Muncy is unlikely to play, which hurts the Dodgers lineup.
We already know the Cards are sending out veteran Adam Wainwright to pitch against LA. The Dodgers haven’t announced who will start the WC game but chances are it will be Max Scherzer based off when the game is taking place. Walker Buehler pitched 5 innings on Sunday to wrap up the season. Scherzer would be next in line in the rotation, though Clayton Kershaw could also be considered. He would be pitching on basically five days rest, which would leave Scherzer available to start the first game of the ALDS vs. the Giants.
No matter who pitches, we’re going to get an excellent matchup. Wainwright, Scherzer and Kershaw have all helped their respective teams win the World Series — the Cards in 2006, Nationals in 2019, and Dodgers last season.
Despite the pitching matchup being pretty heavy, we could see more offense than this line suggests. The Dodgers’ lineup is absolutely stacked with Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Max Muncy and Will Smith. All seven of those Dodgers had 20+ HRs this season. The Cards have a few studs of their own in Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill. All three have hit 30+ homers this year.