Wednesday Preview: Cardinals at Dodgers Game 1

The National League Division Series playoffs begin Wednesday and there is no better matchup than the one between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two teams will open their best of five series with game one set for Wednesday night with an opening pitch at 9:37 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on TBS.

The Cardinals opened as a -140 favorite and the total checked in at 7 (under -115) at SBG Global.

Taking the mound for this series opener will be right-hander Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals and left-hander Randy Wolf of the Dodgers.

Carpenter was just named National League Comeback Player of the Year for 2009. The 2005 National League Cy Young winner had a fantastic season in which he finished 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA. Carpenter is in top form heading into the playoffs as he has allowed only one earned run in his last three appearances.

SBG Global reports that in early MLB betting the public likes the Cardinals on the road.

Wolf had a solid season in his own right for the Dodgers this year as he posted a record of 11-7 with a 3.23 earned run average. Wolf has been the model of consistency heading into the post season as in his last 10 appearances he never once allowed more than 3 earned runs.

The St. Louis Cardinals finished with a record of 91-71 and cruised to any easy first place finish in the National League Central. The Cardinals were something of a surprise team this year as the Chicago Cubs were touted during spring training as the team to beat in the Central.

The Cardinals success came from a pitching staff that was lightly regarded by the MLB betting public last March but is highly respected now. The Cardinals’ pitching staff posted a collective earned run average of 3.66, the fourth best in baseball.

Early in the season, the Dodgers fattened the wallets of LA backers by blowing away the field posting a 22-8 record. They held off a late charge from the Colorado Rockies to finish as the National League West division champions with a record of 95-67.

Much like the Cardinals, the Dodgers strength is their pitching staff, which ranked as the best in the Big Leagues with a 3.44 earned run average.

The difference in this one could be St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, who will be the best offensive player on the field. The first baseman hit 47 home runs and had 135 runs batted in for 2009.

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