Both the Braves and Cards put up a ton of runs in their first series, and with this pitching matchup, I don't see why this wouldn't continue. Charlie Morton had a 5.72 ERA on the road last season, and I'm not too sure what to expect from Jake Woodford. Either of these teams are capable of hitting eight by themselves. While I hope the Cards score the bulk of the runs, I can see the Braves offense contributing a few as well. Consider a small play on the over.

The Cardinals went 2-1 against the Jays, but they still put up nine runs in that loss. Atlanta's Charlie Morton was not very good on the road last season, where he went 3-5 and posted a 5.72 ERA. One of those Morton starts was in St. Louis, and the Cards scored four runs off him in five innings. Jake Woodford was primarily in the bullpen last season, but he still posted a 0.86 ERA in 21 IP at home. I like the home underdog tonight.

Charlie Morton is 39 and declining, and this is an extremely tough matchup. St. Louis scored 22 runs in three games versus quality Blue Jays' pitching; on Sunday, the Redbirds had 14 batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. Nolan Gorman has changed his approach, to great effect, and players like Alec Burleson are coming through, too. Converted reliever Jake Woodford, starting for St. Louis due to Adam Wainwright's groin injury, posted a 2.23 ERA last season and seized the rotation spot with a strong spring. Back the home dog.

SportslineAI is predicting a 4.8 - 3.8 game totaling to a 8.6 run total. With very little data to work off of this season this is a tough pick. However, the Atlanta Braves averaged 5 runs a game in their first series against Washington Nationals, while the St.Louis Cardinals averaged 7.3 runs a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The model expects runs out of these two teams. Watch Early Edge in 5 today at 4 pm ET for more picks.

I love this opportunity. There's a good chance St. Louis wins outright -- it's happening in 57% of my simulations -- but it should be a tight game either way. The Cardinals are covering in 71% of the sims. The St. Louis lineup has looked great so far, and should be able to hit Charlie Morton around a bit.