The St. Louis Cardinals are a legacy MLB franchise with branding that still attracts fans and gamblers. But the Redbirds are facing the possibility of missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season after four consecutive postseason campaigns. St. Louis got off to a terrible baseball betting odds start in 2024 but did recover as the All-Star break approached. Still, gamblers have legitimate concerns about the Cardinal lineup and its inability to produce runs and power consistently. On the mound, St. Louis remains an enigma. Most important of all, St. Louis is turning a nice profit for gamblers.
2024 St. Louis Cardinals
2024 St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Break Overview
At the beginning of the All-Star break, the St. Louis Cardinals had a record of 48-44 and were 2nd in the National League Central Division. Offensively, St. Louis ranked 22nd for runs scored, 15th for batting average, 19th for OPS, 25th for home runs, and 19th for stolen bases. While defensively, St. Louis ranked 15th for earned run average, 15th for WHIP, 18th for strikeouts, 17th for quality starts, 10th for fewest errors, and 6th for bullpen ERA. St. Louis was +284 on the moneyline and -458 on the run line.
2024 Cardinals Manager
Since 2022, Oliver Marmol has been the manager of the Cardinals. His career offshore betting record is 164-160, with a Central Division title in 2022.
2024 St. Louis Key Players
RHP Sonny Gray is the Cardinals’ number-one starter. In 2023, gray was 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. So far this season, Gray has a 9-5 record, a 3.30 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. 1B Paul Goldschmidt produced 89 runs, 31 doubles, 25 home runs, and 80 RBI with a .268 average and .810 OPS. So far this season, he has 46 runs, 13 home runs, and 36 RBI.
Also, Closer Ryan Helsley has been a top MLB odds asset with 31 saves and a 2.41 ERA.
After going 93-69 and winning the National League Central in 2022, the St. Louis Cardinals fell to 71-91 in 2023. The Cardinals fired Mike Shildt after the 2021 season. Although Shildt never had a losing record and produced three playoff campaigns in his final three seasons. Shildt’s replacement, Oliver Marmol, was the man who presided over the collapse. Marmol will be feeling serious heat in 2024. hence, there is no certainty that the Cardinals will pull out of their fall.
Last season, the Cardinals were one of the worst values on the board. St. Louis is known as a perennial playoff contender so a bad season means catastrophe for gamblers backing them. So far, the Cardinals are getting a moderate amount of future market action, with gamblers expecting such a normally respected franchise to come back with a vengeance. St. Louis was perking up as the All-Star break approached.
Pitching was an unmitigated disaster for the Cardinals and their offseason focus. Consider that pitching failed the Cardinals in 2023, as the team’s arms allowed the seventh-most runs and recorded the second-fewest strikeouts in the Majors. St. Louis set out to overhaul that group this offseason. Gamblers are asking if the Cardinals did enough to fortify in that area.