St. Louis Cardinals (57-56) vs Tampa Bay Rays (57-54)
Game Info: Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 7:45 pm (Busch Stadium)
The Line: Betting Odds: St. Louis Cardinals -120 / Tampa Bay Rays +100 — Over/Under: 7.5
The Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals meet Wednesday in MLB action from Busch Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Tampa Bay Rays vs. St. Louis Cardinals prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Tampa Bay Rays will start Taj Bradley here and Bradley is 6-5 with a 2.71 ERA and 103 strikeouts this season. This will be Bradley’s first career start against the Cardinals. The St. Louis Cardinals will start Erick Fedde here and Fedde is 7-5 with a 3.34 ERA and 112 strikeouts this season. This will be Fedde’s second career start against the Rays.
Tampa Bay Rays Recap
The Tampa Bay Rays come into this one looking to bounce back after starting the series with a 4-3 loss in Tuesday’s series opener. The loss put the Rays behind the 8-ball early as Tampa Bay tries to add another series win after knocking off the Astros, Marlins and Reds over the last week and a half.
Rays Looking To Pull Off Playoff Push
Entering Tuesday’s matchup, Yandy Diaz has 114 hits with 23 doubles while Jose Caballero has a team-high 28 stolen bases. Richie Palacios also has 19 stolen bases while Jose Siri has 14 home runs, 37 RBIs and a team-high 120 strikeouts. Brandon Lowe also has chipped in 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a pair of triples as well this season.
Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win
- The Rays have won seven of their last eight games as underdogs after playing the previous day.
- The Cardinals have lost each of their last seven Wednesday games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Rays have covered the run line in each of their last 10 night games following a loss.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games as favorites after playing the previous day.
St. Louis Cardinals Recap
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to pull off another victory after their series-opening triumph on Tuesday. The win helped the Cardinals bounce back from their one-off makeup loss to the Mets on Monday which followed their series loss to the Cubs this past weekend.
Cardinals Trying To Crash NL Central Race
Going into Tuesday’s action, Nolan Arenado has 106 hits along with 15 doubles and 48 RBIs while Brendan Donovan has a team-high 109 hits and 52 RBIs with 22 doubles. Nolan Gorman has a team-high 19 home runs along with 50 RBIs in addition to 13 doubles while Masyn Winn has a .279 batting average and 9 stolen bases. Paul Goldschmidt also has 133 K’s while Gorman has a team-high 141 strikeouts as well this season. Alec Burleson also has 19 home runs and a team-high 64 RBIs as well this year.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Cardinals have won each of their last six night games against AL East opponents.
- The Rays have lost five of their last six road games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in five of their last six night games against AL East opponents.
- The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five Wednesday games.
Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
I’m on the under here. I don’t trust either offense realistically, and the starting options here are solid. Bradley’s been outstanding for much of the year and still boasts a sub-3.00 ERA, while the Cardinals are struggling at the plate, especially with runners in scoring position. On the other side, Erick Fedde didn’t have the ideal debut for the Cards, but we know he has solid stuff as he was one of the better pitchers for much of the year on a White Sox team that’s yet to hit the 30-win mark this year. All in all, I think a low-scoring duel is brewing. Give me the under.