At 7:15 PM ET, the Rays and Cardinals square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies.
The Cardinals are currently on a two-game winning streak and are 59-56 overall, while the Rays have lost two straight and are 57-56. Tampa Bay is the slight money line underdog (+108), and the over/under line is currently at 8 runs. Kyle Gibson is starting for the Cardinals, and the Rays are sending Shane Baz to the mound.
Rays Seek to Avoid Sweep Against Cardinals as Shane Baz Takes the Mound
The Tampa Bay Rays are 4th in the AL East and trail the Orioles by 10 games. They are 57-56 overall and have gone 16-21 in divisional games. The Rays have lost two straight games and are looking to avoid a sweep today vs. the Cardinals. Tampa Bay is 27-29 as the underdog and 30-27 as the favorite. They have a series record of 20-12-4 and have won two straight series on the road.
Shane Baz is making his 3rd start of the season for the Rays, and he is 0-0. In his last outing, he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. The Rays are 57-56 vs. the run line this season, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game. They are 33-21 vs. the run line on the road and 24-35 at home. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs, and the under has hit in five straight games for the Rays. Tampa Bay is 27th in scoring at 3.9 runs per game, and their batting average of .234 is below average. Yandy Díaz is hitting .274 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.
Cardinals Aim to Close Gap in NL Central as They Host the Rays
The St. Louis Cardinals are 59-56 overall and are six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They are 31-26 at home and 28-30 on the road. The Cardinals are currently on a two-game winning streak and have gone 17-19 in divisional games. St. Louis is 2nd in the NL Central. Kyle Gibson has a 4.04 ERA through 21 starts and is 7-4. He has a 5.01 ERA at home compared to 3.53 on the road. The Cardinals offense is 23rd in scoring at 4.1 runs per game.
St. Louis is hosting the Rays today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The Cardinals have gone 31-28 as the favorite and 28-28 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 18-16-3, and they have won two straight series. The Cardinals offense has been led by Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Gorman. Winn is hitting .286 with three homers over his last 10 games. Nolan Arenado, Iván Herrera, and Masyn Winn are all on hitting streaks. St. Louis has gone 37-19 on the run line as an underdog.
Cardinals Poised for Victory: Money Line Bet at -127 Offers Great Value
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the Cardinals on the money line at -127. With this payout, we see this as a great value pick, as we have the Cardinals winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Kyle Gibson finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for sixth among all starters today. As for Shane Baz, we have him finishing with five K’s, which is ninth among starters.
