St. Louis Cardinals at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays will start a three-game series on Tuesday. It’s been a lost season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Coming off losing two out of three at home to the Colorado Rockies, the Cardinals have the second-worst record in all of the National League. St. Louis starts this series with a 49-64 record. The Cardinals are 24-31 when playing on the road this season.
For the Tampa Bay Rays, they come into the game in second place in the American League East. The Rays also have the second-best record in the American League. The Rays are 68-46 on the season and have been really good at home. Tampa Bay has won 37 of 56 games at home this season. The Rays are coming off a win on Sunday.
The Rays are the favorites in this game. Tampa Bay is listed at -180, while the Cardinals are at +150. The total for this game is listed at eight runs.
Tuesday’s Pitching Affair
Miles Mikolas will take the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals. Mikolas last pitched on August 1st and allowed six hits and two earned runs over seven innings. The Cardinals lost the game 3-2 to the Minnesota Twins. Mikolas is 6-7 on the season, with a 4.29 earned run average. He is coming off a suspension for hitting Cubs batter Ian Happ in a game against the Cubs.
29-year-old Zach Eflin will get the nod for the Rays. The Orlando native seems to be putting things together for Tampa Bay this season. Eflin has made 136 career starts and has over 670 strikeouts in his career. He is coming off a six-inning affair, where he held the Yankees to no runs back on August 1st. On the season, he is 12-6 with a 3.46 earned run average.
Rays Score – Rays Win
If the Tampa Bay Rays hit, they typically win. While that sounds obvious – it’s the truth. In the Rays’ last 11 losses, they have scored a combined 30 runs. In the Rays’ last 11 wins, they have scored 67 runs. Tampa Bay is 4th in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored with 593. The Rays have a team batting average of .255 on the season.
In the win on Sunday, Yandy Diaz hit a home run and scored three wins to win the series against Detroit. Diaz is the top hitter for the Rays, with a .315 batting average. Randy Arozarena will get a chance to play his former team in this game. The slugging outfielder is hitting .253 on the season, with 18 home runs and 65 runs batted in.
Lost Season in St. Louis
The 2023 season has been an absolute nightmare for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were shut-out in their loss to the Rockies on Sunday. The lone run allowed by St. Louis pitching came on a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals won just 3 out of their 13 games at home during the home stand. St. Louis cannot put things together for more than a couple of games at a time.
The Cardinals slugger Nolan Arenado is the top hitter on the squad. The third baseman is hitting .282 on the season and leads the team with 79 runs batted in. Second baseman Nolan Gorman leads the team with 24 home runs.
St. Louis Finds a Way
Despite the lost season, the Cardinals have shown they can still find a way every so often. This is one of those. Arenado and Goldschmidt combine for some offense, and the Cardinals beat the Rays on Tuesday. This seems like a good underdog bet. Take the St. Louis Cardinals +150 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
