St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Best Bet: Can Tony Gonsolin Help the Dodgers Bounce Back?
Are the Dodgers dropped an extremely high-scoring affair last night and their series opener against the Cardinals? Can they bounce back tonight behind a strong performance from Tony Gonsolin? Let’s break it down.
Joey Ruiz - May 19, 2023, 5:13 PM EDT
5 minSt. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Best Bet: Can Tony Gonsolin Help the Dodgers Bounce Back?
The St. Louis Cardinals got off to a very tumultuous start to 2023, as they were probably the most disappointing team throughout the first 35 games of the season. Over the last two weeks, the Cardinals have somewhat righted the ship as they are 9-2 in their last 11 games, and this is largely due to their offense waking up in a big way.
Cardinals vs. Dodgers Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Friday, May 19, 2023
- Game Time: 7:45 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction
Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Willson Contreras, and Paul Goldschmidt have been hitting homers at an insane rate over the last two weeks, and the Cardinals were able to put up 16 runs in the first game of this series. This was even more surprising as the Los Angeles Dodgers had their ace, Julio Urias, starting in game one, but the Cardinals did not seem to mind as they lit him up.
Tonight the Dodgers will roll out another one of their top starters in Tony Gonsolin, who is off to another fantastic start to the season as he enters this contest with a 1.42 ERA. Gonsolin has also faced some stiff competition this year as well so his numbers have not been inflated against weaker teams. Gonsolin has faced the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates, who all appear to be playoff teams or at least playoff contenders.
He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 11 innings and has also struck out 12 during that time while allowing a combined six walks/hits, so he has been very efficient and effective at keeping runners off the bases. This will be key tonight against a Cardinals offense that is very hot at the moment.
On the other side for the Cardinals will be Steven Matz, who is off to a tough start in 2023. Matz has gotten hit extremely hard, as he has allowed 51 hits, 16 walks, and five homers in 41 innings this season. His 1.61 WHIP to this point would be the second-highest of his career if it were to continue, so he has had to navigate around a lot of traffic on the basepaths, and things will not get easier for him against a Dodgers lineup that is finally healthy.
Will Smith is back in the lineup to add much-needed power and plate discipline to go along with the stars of Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. James Outman, JD Martinez, and Vargas also add power and run production to a lineup that draws a lot of walks. I simply do not see Steven Matz being able to hold down this lineup for a consistent 5-7 innings considering how he has looked to this point and how well the Dodgers have hit him in the past. With that being said, I am rolling with Dodgers F5 ML at -119 and Dodgers Full Game ML at -115 for 1U each as my most confident MLB Plays of the Day.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Picks
- 1U Dodgers F5 ML -119 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
- 1U Dodgers Full Game ML -115 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
MLB Odds
