The St. Louis Cardinals (9-16) and San Francisco Giants (11-13) finish a 4-game set at Oracle Park Thursday. First pitch is at 3:45 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cardinals vs. Giants odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Giants lead 3-0
The Cardinals dropped their 3rd game in a row when they fell 7-3 Wednesday. St. Louis got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to 1B Paul Goldschmidt belting solo home runs in the 1st and 3rd innings but it fell asleep at the wheel and failed to plate another run until the 9th inning.
The Cardinals left 21 men on base in the game, and the bullpen allowed 5 runs in 4 innings of work. The Cards are 3-7 over the last 10 games and made the curious decision to send down OF Jordan Walker despite that his .274 batting average is the highest of their regular outfielders. If there’s a panic button in April, it might be time to press it.
The Giants have won 5 in a row and are doing it with damage. They are 17th in baseball with a .243 BA but hit the 4th-most homers with 1.56 per game. They also strike out the most frequently with 10.68 whiffs per game. San Francisco has scored at least 4 runs in 7 of its last 8 games and sits just 2 games back in a tight NL West.
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Cardinals at Giants projected starters
RHP Miles Mikolas vs. RHP Logan Webb
Mikolas (0-1, 7.46 ERA) makes his 6th start this season. He has a 1.90 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 8.2 K/9 in 25 1/3 IP.
- Last start vs. Seattle Mariners Friday: 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB and 4 K
- Last start at Giants on May 5 last season: 5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 3 BB and 3 K
Webb (1-4, 4.40 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 1.14 WHIP, 1.2 BB/9 and 10.6 K/9 in 30 2/3 IP.
- Coming off the best start of the season on Saturday vs. New York Mets: 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB and 8 K
- Last 3 starts vs. St. Louis: 2-0, 3.60 ERA, 10 K in 15 IP
Cardinals at Giants odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:05 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cardinals +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Giants -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals +1.5 (-165) | Giants -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Cardinals at Giants picks and predictions
Prediction
Giants 6, Cardinals 2
Moneyline
The Giants complete the sweep Thursday behind arguably their best pitcher. Webb has been hurt by a .333 BABIP and is coming off his best start. He’ll stymie the already frustrated Cardinals hitters.
On the other end, Mikolas hasn’t been right all year. He has been pitching batting practice as he has allowed a league-leading 41 hits.
I like the Giants enough to PASS on the ML and look to the spread.
Run line/Against the spread
Nine of the Giants’ 11 wins were by multiple runs. They are 12-12 on the RL and 7-6 ATS at home. Conversely, the Cards are 10-15 on the RL and 5-7 ATS on the road.
When the Giants get it done, they get it done by multiple runs.
Take the GIANTS -1.5 (+140).
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Over/Under
The Over cashed for us Wednesday with the wind blowing out but that won’t be a big factor Thursday. It’s 67 degrees with a light, 3-mph breeze to right-center field. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in San Francisco, and it’s going to be harder to hit out of the park Thursday.
Take the UNDER 8.5 (-105).
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