The Oakland Athletics (33-85) and St. Louis Cardinals (52-66) open a 3-game set at Busch Stadium Monday. First pitch is at 7:45 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Athletics vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting since 2019 when Athletics won 4-0
The A’s were swept by the Washington Nationals over the weekend, and they have dropped 5 of the last 6. They are 8-22 over the last 30 games and have the worst record in baseball.
The Cards had a rare day off Sunday and enter this one 5-5 over the last 10 games. They sit 12 1/2 games out in the NL Central and 9 1/2 out of a Wild-Card spot. So they aren’t totally out of it, but the playoffs are pretty unlikely.
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Athletics at Cardinals projected starters
LHP JP Sears vs. RHP Miles Mikolas
Sears (2-9, 4.23 ERA) makes his 24th start. He has a 1.12 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9 and 8.4 K/9 in 125 2/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 4 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 K Tuesday in 6-1 loss against the Texas Rangers
- Home/road splits: 2-5, 3.82 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 in 13 road starts vs. 0-4, 4.75 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.0 K/9 in 10 home starts
Mikolas (6-8, 4.20 ERA) makes his 26th start. He has a 1.28 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and 6.3 K/9 in 141 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 7 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 5 K Tuesday in 4-2 loss against Tampa Bay Rays
- Home/road splits: 2-4, 4.78 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.3 K/9 in 12 starts vs. 4-4, 3.72 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 5.5 K/9 in 13 road starts
Athletics at Cardinals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:04 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Athletics +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Cardinals -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Athletics +1.5 (-115) | Cardinals -1.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Athletics at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 4, Athletics 2
Moneyline
There is no way you should ever bet -210 on anything to do with the Cardinals. They have been wildly inconsistent and underperformed all season and can’t be trusted on a nightly basis.
PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
The A’s are 27-32 on the RL on the road, which is pretty good considering their overall record. The problem I have is they have scored 2 runs or fewer in 7 of 10 games. On the flip side, the Cards are just 25-33 on the RL at home.
Head to the Win/Total section and take the CARDINALS AND UNDER 9.5 (+160). That will provide a better margin for error at solid plus-money.
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Over/Under
The Athletics are 5-5 O/U over the last 10, and the Cardinals are 4-6. There is very little head-to-head data to roll with here, but at this point we know what these teams are. St. Louis doesn’t play lefties particularly well at 13-16. Oakland is just 13-27 in interleague play. The Under has cashed at this same total in Mikolas’ last 2 starts.
LEAN UNDER 8.5 (+100).
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