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St. Louis Cardinals (19-25) welcome the Boston Red Sox (22-23) to Busch Stadium Saturday for the 2nd game of their 3-game series. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Red Sox vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cardinals lead 1-0
The Red Sox have lost 3 in a row and dropped the first game of the series 10-6 Friday. They closed as a -101 moneyline underdog. Boston is 3-7 straight up over its last 10 games. The Red Sox have performed well on the road and are 12-10 in away games.
The Cardinals have won 4 of their last 5 games. St. Louis is 3-2 against the spread (ATS) over its last 5 and is 21-23 ATS on the season. St. Louis has been the 3rd-worst home team in the MLB with a 7-11 straight-up record. This recent string of wins have come following a 7-game losing streak.
Red Sox at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Kutter Crawford vs. RHP Miles Mikolas
Crawford (2-2, 2.24 ERA) makes his 10th start. He has a 1.11 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9 through 52 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 6 K in 5-3 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Monday
- 2024 home splits: 1-2, 2.73 ERA (29 2/3 IP, 9 ER), 25 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 28 K in 5 starts
- Career vs. Cardinals: 0-1, 9.00 ERA (4 IP, 4 ER), 0.79 WHIP, 9.2 K/9 in 1 start
Mikolas (3.5, 6.19 ERA) makes his 10th start. He has a 1.48 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and 6.6 K/9 through 48 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K in 4-3 road win over the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday
- 2024 home splits: 0-2, 7.63 ERA (15 1/3 IP, 13 ER), 24 H, 4 HR, 2 BB, 11 K in 3 starts
- Career vs. Red Sox: 1-0, 1.50 ERA (6 IP, 1 ER), 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 K/9 in 1 start
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Red Sox at Cardinals odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Red Sox -124 (bet $124 to win $100) | Cardinals +106 (bet $100 to win $106)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Red Sox -1.5 (+130) | Cardinals +1.5 (-156)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Red Sox at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Red Sox 5, Cardinals 3
Moneyline
BET RED SOX (-124).
Mikolas has been in a major slump as of late. He has had 3 or more ER in 5 of his last 6 starts, and the opposite can be said of Crawford, who has had 2 or fewer in 3 of his last 5.
The pitching advantage will go to Boston, and the Cardinals lack of home success is also concerning. They have lost 5 of their last 6 at home and are just 7-11 following a win, which they are here.
Considering those trends, back RED SOX (-124).
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
The Red Sox are too risky here as a run-line favorite and have failed to cover 5 straight games. The Cardinals have struggled too much at home and are too expensive as a run-line underdog.
Avoid this play.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 8.5 (-108).
Despite a high-scoring first game, both teams have trended towards the Under this season. Boston is 16-26-3 O/U and has gone Under in 6 of its last 8 games. It has gone Under in Crawford’s last 3 starts.
The Cardinals are 19-23-2 O/U on the season and are 2-7 O/U in Mikolas’ 9 starts. St. Louis is 7-11 O/U at home this season. Considering those trends, take the UNDER 8.5 (-108).
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