St. Louis Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Rays Preview
At 7:15 PM ET, the Rays and Cardinals will square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the Cardinals are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -127. The money line odds for a Rays win are at +108, and they are 4th in the AL East, while the Cardinals are 2nd in the NL Central.
The over/under line for Thursday’s matchup is currently at 8 runs, and the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies. Shane Baz is starting for the Rays, and he is facing off against Kyle Gibson. Gibson and the Cardinals are currently on a two-game winning streak.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Rays in their last five road games. They have also gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Cardinals have gone 1-4 (SU) and 0-5 in their previous five home contests.
- The Cardinals have a straight-up record of 4-6 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 1-9 record vs. the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Rays have a straight-up record of 6-4 and a 9-1 record vs. the runline.
St. Louis picked up a 5-2 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a 1-0 lead after the first inning and scored the game’s final run in the 4th. As for the Rays, they scored their only two runs in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Cardinals were favored at -119 on the money line.
Erick Fedde got the win for the Cardinals, going five innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued two walks. As for the Rays, Taj Bradley got the start and took the loss, giving up five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.
At the plate, the Cardinals were led by Alec Burleson, Nolan Arenado, Masyn Winn, and Willson Contreras, as they were the only four Cardinals hitters to have more than one hit. Burleson and Arenado each drove in two runs. Josh Lowe had a two-hit game for the Rays.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
The Rays are 57-56 overall this season, and they are looking to snap a two-game losing streak today on the road vs. the Cardinals. In the AL East, they are in 4th place and trail the Orioles by 10 games. Against other AL East teams, they are 16-21 this year.
So far, the Rays have been good as the underdog, putting up an 27-29 record. As for their record at home, they are 30-29 compared to 27-27 on the road. Tampa Bay has an overall series record of 20-12-4 and has won two straight series on the road.
The Rays are 33-21 against the run line on the road this season, but they have failed to cover in their last game. Their average run margin on the road is -0.4, and they have a run line record of 57-56 overall. They are 22-35 against the run line as the favorite and 35-21 as the underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals with an over/under line of 8 runs. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.3 runs per game, and their over/under record is 52-56. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 13-16-1. Overall, 42 of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, which accounts for 37.2% of their games this season. Their current under streak is at 5 games.
Shane Baz is on the mound for the Rays today against the Cardinals. This will be his 4th start of the season and he has yet to pick up a decision in any of his outings. Baz’s last start was on the road against the Astros, where he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 5.
Yandy Diaz has been one of the few bright spots in the Rays lineup this season, as he is batting .274 and is 2nd on the team with 50 RBIs. He also has 10 homers, which is 4th on the team. Over his last 10 games, he has gone 11/38 with two homers. Brandon Lowe has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 12/38 in his last 10 games.
As a team, the Rays are 27th in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. This is due to their lineup’s lack of power, as they are just 21st in home runs and have a team slugging percentage of .374 (23rd). Collectively, the Rays are batting .234, which is just 18th in the league.
St. Louis is hosting the Rays today with an overall record of 59-56, which has them 2nd in the NL Central. They are six games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Cardinals have gone 17-19 in divisional games this year.
The Cardinals have won two straight games, and this comes after dropping four in a row. At home, the Cardinals are 31-26 this year and 28-30 on the road. So far, they have been favored in 59 games, going 31-28, and 28-28 as the underdog.
St. Louis has been a solid run line bet this season, going 57-58 overall. They’ve been a little better on the road than at home, going 29-29 against the run line away from Busch Stadium. The Cardinals have been a better bet when they’re the underdog, going 37-19 against the run line in those games. They’ve also been a better bet when they win, as their average run differential in those games is +2.7.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been involved in games with high-scoring potential this season, as their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game. Their over/under record is 55-57, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 8-11-1. The over/under line for today’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays is set at 8 runs, and the Cardinals have hit the under in their last four games.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Rays at home. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 7-4 with an ERA of 4.04. Opposing batters are hitting .242 off Gibson this year, and he has a WHIP of 1.31. Gibson’s last outing came against the Cubs, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had turned in three straight outings in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer. Gibson has made nine quality starts this year and is averaging 8.15 strikeouts per nine innings.
St. Louis has a couple of hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, as Masyn Winn has gone 10/33 in his last eight games, and Nolan Arenado has also been hot, batting .355 over that stretch. Arenado is also on a five-game hitting streak heading into today’s game. For the season, Arenado is batting .260 with a team-leading 66 RBIs, and his 17 homers are 2nd on the team, behind both Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman, who have 19 homers apiece.
Overall, the Cardinals offense has been a bit below average this season, as they are averaging 4.1 runs per game (23rd in the league). They are also just 16th in home runs and have a team slugging percentage of .386, which is 17th in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 9th in the league.
Our predictions for this game have the Cardinals picking up a 5-4 win over the Rays, and with the Cardinals’ money line sitting at -127, this is the bet we recommend making.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Kyle Gibson finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for sixth among today’s starters. As for Shane Baz, we have him finishing with five K’s, which has him ninth among today’s starters.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Tips
- Take the Cardinals on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Rays (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Lynn | Out | Knee |
| Steven Matz | Out | Back |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
| Michael Siani | Out | Oblique |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Richard Lovelady | Out | Forearm |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Richie Palacios | Out | Knee |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
| Ryan Pepiot | Out | Knee |
