The MLB betting lines list the Cardinals at -180 and the Braves at +160 with an over/under of 7.5.

The St. Louis Cardinals (12-7, 5-2 home) are off to another great start at home. First basemen Albert Pujols is a big reason for that. The three-time MVP is again off to an incredible start, tied for the NL lead with 7 home runs and in third place in both slugging percentage (.662) and OPS (1.065). Second-year center fielder Colby Rasmus has been another bright spot for the Cardinals, leading the NL in OPS (1.199) and third in OBP (.439).

The Atlanta Braves, meanwhile, are limping into this game trying to avoid their longest losing streak in four years. The last time they lost seven games in a row was when they lost ten straight in June of 2006. Over the course of their six-game skid, they have failed to put up more than three runs in any game. Their 133 hits for the season are the lowest in the NL and their 70 scored runs is the third-lowest.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle standing between Atlanta and ending their losing streak is Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter (2-0, 3.60 ERA), who will start for St. Louis. The veteran ace is coming off of two consecutive double digit strikeout games. He is 9-2 with a 2.30 ERA in his last 13 home starts.

Derek Lowe (3-1, 5.24 ERA) will start for the Braves. He will be looking for his first career win at St. Louis, where he is 0-4 with a 7.52 ERA. The right hander has had the fortune of pitching in the few games where Atlanta’s offense decided to show up. The Braves have averaged 8.75 runs for the four games Lowe has started, dwarfing their season average of 3.89 runs per game.

Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals – MLB Betting Preview by MLB Baseball Previews

The MLB betting lines list the Athletics at -155 and the Indians at +135 with an over/under of 7.5.

Both teams avoided sweeps in their respective series Thursday night by picking up wins. Cleveland, after losing their first two to the Minnesota Twins, rode the strong arm of Mitch Talbot to an 8-1 victory. Oakland, losers of two straight to the New York Yankees, stopped their six-game win streak with a 4-2 victory.

Jake Westbrook (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will make the start for the Cleveland Indians. He is coming off of a decent start against the Chicago White Sox last Saturday. He pitched seven innings and allowed 2 runs and 5 hits in a no decision. The former back-to-back 15 game winner has struggled since the 2006 season and did not play at all during 2009. He has won his last five decisions over Oakland, posting a 3.24 ERA in those six starts. He hasn’t faced the A’s since 2007 and is looking for his first win in over two years.

Justin Duchscherer (1-0, 2.41 ERA) will take the mound for the Oakland A’s. He is also a former All Star who missed all of 2009. He pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings on April 12 against the Seattle Mariners, earning a win in his only decision of the season. He is coming off of a Saturday start in which he gave up 2 unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles. In 2008, he went 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA in two starts against Cleveland.

Thursday’s win snapped a three-game losing streak for Oakland. The streak allowed the Seattle Mariners to close the gap between the AL West division rivals, with the Mariners now trailing the A’s by a half game. Seattle will face the Chicago White Sox earlier in the day.

With a win Friday night, Cleveland will have a .500 record for the first time since stating the season 2-2. They are currently in third place in the AL Central and are 3.5 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins. The Twins face the Kansas City Royals earlier in the evening.

Cleveland Indians at Oakland Athletics – MLB Betting Preview by MLB Baseball Previews