The St. Louis Cardinals will try to stay hot and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers

Tuesday when they visit them again as large road underdogs at the sportsbooks.The Cardinals won the series opener 5-3 on Monday to earn their third straight victory against the Dodgers and 11th in 13 games overall after losing six of the previous seven meetings Alex Cobb Jersey , according to the OddsShark MLB Database.MLB betting line: The Dodgers opened as -155 favorites (wager $155 to win $100); the total is at eight runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 4.0-0.6, Dodgers (MLB picks on every game)Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news. Why the Cardinals can pay on the MLB linesSt. Louis is playing as well as any team in baseball right now and has passed Los Angeles in the National League standings. If the postseason started today, the Dodgers would not be in the playoff field, and the Cardinals would like to keep it that way since they are in direct competition with them for one of the two wild-card spots.Rookie pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon (0-0, 2.04 ERA) will make his second career start, and he was nearly perfect in his first back on July 23 against the Cincinnati Reds. In that road game at Cincinnati, the 26-year-old threw seven hitless innings en route to a 2-1 win, walking three and striking out three on 116 total pitches. So the potential is there. Why the Dodgers can pay on the MLB linesLos Angeles got great news before Monday's game when it was announced that closer Kenley Jansen is back from an irregular heartbeat with no restrictions. The Dodgers struggled without Jansen Wade Boggs Jersey , going 4-7 in the 11 games he missed and falling out of first place in the NL West.Despite losing the series opener, they also have to be happy with how Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-0, 1.77 ERA) pitched after returning from a groin injury. The 31-year-old threw six scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants last Wednesday, scattering three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He had not pitched since May 2. Smart betting pickEven though the price is a bit high on Los Angeles in this spot, the right team is favored with a much more experienced starting pitcher on the mound. The Dodgers simply cannot afford to lose here, so look for them to bounce back with a big victory Tuesday. MLB betting trendsThe total has gone under in four of St. Louis' last six games.The total has gone under in 15 of Los Angeles' last 23 games.The total has gone under in four of Los Angeles' last five games when playing St. Louis. All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Still chasing Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, the Philadelphia Phillies are headed to spring training with high hopes and a revamped lineup.Expectations would increase if they finally land their superstar.The Phillies had been eyeing this offseason for a few years, knowing they’d have the money and payroll flexibility to spend big bucks to get big-time players. They made their pitch to Machado when he visited Philadelphia in December and tried to sell Harper on coming here in a meeting in Las Vegas last month.While the baseball world waits for both players to make decisions, teams are moving on and getting ready for the season.The Phillies made a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from Miami on Thursday and already improved their roster without adding one of the two prized free agents. Shortstop Jean Segura was acquired from Seattle in December while 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and proven closer David Robertson signed in free agency.Under first-year manager Gabe Kapler, the Phillies were a surprise contender for much of 2018 until falling apart the final two months. They led their division with the second-best record in the National League one week into August before going 16-33 over the final 49 games to finish with a losing record for the sixth straight year.Here are some things to know about the Phillies as they start camp:NEW-LOOK LINEUP: Segura (.304 average Wilson Ramos Jersey , 10 homers, 63 RBIs, 20 steals) and Realmuto (.277, 21, 74) bolster the top of the order and McCutchen. (.255, 20, 65) gives Kapler flexibility because he can bat anywhere. The Phillies had the worst average (.234) and were third in strikeouts (1,520) last season so they should be much better. If other hitters improve, the lineup could be formidable. Slugger Rhys Hoskins still has more upside. Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez and Aaron Altherr are coming off down seasons. Nick Williams and Scott Kingery have plenty of room for improvement. Maikel Franco was the only starter who produced better numbers from the previous season.ACED UP: Aaron Nola had a breakout season, finishing third in NL Cy Young Award voting. Jake Arrieta was disappointing after signing in mid-March. Nick Pivetta http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , Zach Eflin and Vince Velasquez showed promise. The starting rotation has potential but lacks a lefty. Dallas Keuchel is still in play for the Phillies if they want to add a former Cy Young award winner who, like Arrieta, may have had his best seasons already.BULLPEN STRENGTH: Robertson improves a talented group that features hard-throwing righty Seranthony Dominguez, who emerged as the closer in his rookie season. Righties Hector Neris, Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter plus lefties Adam Morgan, Jose Alvarez and James Pazos make this a deep unit. Robertson may be used in various roles to get big outs whether it’s in the seventh, eighth or ninth innings.SHAPE UP: Herrera had a career-high in homers (22) and RBIs (70) but had career-lows in average (.255) and on-base percentage (.310). He arrived to spring training last year out of shape and Kapler told him after the season it was unacceptable so Herrera worked with personal trainers in Miami and went to camp in January. Herrera was an All-Star in 2016 and slashed .288/.344/.430 over his first three seasons.GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Phillies had the worst defense in the majors last season but improved by adding Segura to play shortstop and moving Hoskins from left field to his natural spot at first base. Kapler plans to tweak the way he employs defensive shifts. Arrieta and Neshek were critical of some defensive alignments last season when they were on the mound and positioning players better also can help the defense.