Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction 5/21/25 MLB Picks

The Detroit Tigers are visiting the Saint Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, May 21st at the Busch Stadium in the third game of this series, with both teams being tied 1-1 wins. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Detroit Tigers vs Saint Louis Cardinals Prediction. We will examine:

The Saint Louis Cardinals’ recent form and player performance

The Detroit Tigers’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Saint Louis Cardinals

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Detroit Tigers

Recent betting trends in games played between the Detroit Tigers vs Saint Louis Cardinals

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Detroit Tigers vs Saint Louis Cardinals game

Saint Louis Cardinals Preview

The Saint Louis Cardinals have a 27-22 record this season and are sitting in second place in the NL Central. The Cardinals have a 16-7 home record and are 26-22 in over/under. They are coming off a 4-5 home defeat by the Tigers, and are 8-3 in their last 11 games. Over is 4-2 in their last 6 games, and they are playing the Diamondbacks and the Orioles next.

The Cardinals have a .265 batting average this season, a .336 OBP, and a .408 Slugging percentage. Saint Louis’ pitching staff has a 3.71 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Brendan Donovan leads the Cardinals with 61 hits and a team-high .330 batting average, while Wilson Contreras leads the team in RBI, with 27.

Andre Pallante (R) will take the mound for the Cardinals, and he has a 4-2 record, 4.11 ERA, and 1.33 WHIP. He has been better at home with a 3.52 ERA in three home starts, but he has given up at least two runs in eight of his nine starts this season. This will be his first career start against the Tigers.

Detroit Tigers Preview

The Detroit Tigers have a 32-17 record this season and are sitting in first place in the AL Central. The Tigers have a 15-12 road record and are 25-19 in over/under. They are coming off a 5-4 road victory over the Cardinals, and are now 6-2 in their last 8 games. Over is 7-2-2 in their last 11 games and are playing the Guardians and the Giants next.

The Tigers have a .259 batting average this season, a .330 OBP, and a .423 slugging percentage. Detroit’s pitching staff has a 3.37 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Riley Greene leads the Tigers with 53 hits, adding a team-high 12 home runs. Spencer Torkelson leads the team in RBI, with 38, while Zach McKinstry is the team’s best hitter with a .289 batting average.

Brant Hurter (L) will take the mound for the Tigers, who is a reliever, so this will be a bullpen game for the Tigers. Brant Hurter has a 1-0 record, 2.35 ERA, and 0.96 WHIP. He has been weaker on the road, with a 3.09 ERA, and this will be the first time he will face the Cardinals.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Cardinals have won each of their last eight day games at Busch Stadium following a home loss.
• The Tigers have lost each of their last four games against NL Central opponents following a win.
• The Cardinals have covered the run line in 15 of their last 16 games.
• The Tigers have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games following a win.
• The Cardinals have led after 3 innings in each of their last five day games against the Tigers at Busch Stadium.
• The Cardinals have led after 5 innings in each of their last five day games against the Tigers at Busch Stadium.

Why the Detroit Tigers will win

• The Cardinals have lost six of their last eight games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
• The Tigers have won seven of their last 10 games as underdogs against the Cardinals.
• The Tigers have covered the run line each of their last 12 Wednesday games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
• The Tigers have won the first inning in three of their last four games against opponents that held a winning record.
• The Tigers have led after 5 innings in five of their last six road day games.
• The Tigers have led after 3 innings in each of their last six road day games.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Tigers’ last five games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Each of the last five games between the Tigers and Cardinals at Busch Stadium have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Tigers’ last six games as underdogs.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cardinals’ last five home games against AL Central opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cardinals rank 2nd in the league for doubles this season (97).
• The Cardinals rank 2nd in the league for batting average this season (.265).
• The Tigers rank 30th in the league for steals this season (20).
• The Tigers rank 4th in the league for runs scored this season (262).

Detroit Tigers vs Saint Louis Cardinals Prediction

The Tigers are 8-4 in their last 12 overall meetings against the Cardinals, and are 4-3 in their last 7 meetings in Saint Louis. Over is 6-2 in their last 8 meetings.

In this Detroit Tigers vs Saint Louis Cardinals Prediction, the Cardinals are coming as -115 home favorites. The Tigers have a better overall record, a better bullpen, and a better batting average, but they will go with a bullpen game today, so I really don’t trust them to win one of the best home teams in the MLB this season.

Pallante has been shaky this season, having given up 2+ runs in 8 of his 9 starts this season, and both teams are very strong offensively, scoring 10.5 runs combined. Both previous games of this series had 15 and 9 total runs, and both teams are 11-4-2 to the over in their last 17 games combined. I expect another high-scoring affair, so take the over 8.5 runs in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Over 8.5