The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road to take on the Tampa Bay Rays for the second game of a three game set Wednesday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Cardinals-Rays prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Rays won a close one in the first game of this series. Tampa Bay only won 4-2, but they out-hit the Cardinals 12-5. Yandy Diaz had a four-hit night to lead the way. Randy Arozarena had the other multi-hit game for the Rays. In all, eight different players had a hit for the Rays on the night. Their one long ball came off the bat of Isaac Paredes. Zach Eflin continued to dominate at Tropicana Field as he earned the no-decision. Eflin finished with seven innings pitched, one run allowed on four hits, and eight strikeouts. Pete Fairbanks gave up a ninth inning home run, but he was able to notch his 15th save of the season.
The Cardinals had five hits from five different players. Four of their five hits went for extra bases, as well. Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras went yard for the only two runs of the night for St. Louis. Miles Mikolas was very solid, but he suffered the loss. He went seven innings, allowed eight hits, two runs, and struck out five. Andre Pallante gave up two runs on four hits in 1/3 of an inning.
Dakota Hudson will get the start for the Cardinals. Jalen Beeks will be the opener for the Rays.
Here are the Cardinals-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Rays Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-156)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+130)
Over: 9 (-115)
Under: 9 (-105)
How To Watch Cardinals vs. Rays
TV: Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Sun
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
Hudson is making his third start of the season for the Cardinals. He was not bad out of the bullpen, but he has yet to really prove himself as a starter. However, he is coming off a very good performance against the Minnesota Twins. He went seven innings, allowed just three runs on two hits, and struck out seven. Now, the Twins are not the best hitting team, but an outing like that can give a pitcher the confidence he needs to set him up for future starts. If Hudson can have a similar start as he did against the Twins, the Cardinals will cover the spread.
The Rays were one of the better hitting teams for the first couple months of the season. However, they have fallen off. Since the All-Star break, the Rays are batting .242, slugging .415, and they are averaging just over 4.0 runs a game. With the Rays struggling to hit and score runs, the Hudson should be able have his second good start in a row Wednesday night.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
Jalen Beeks is commonly used as an opener for the Rays. With that said, he needs to shut down the Cardinals for the first couple innings before handing the ball to the long relief guy. Beeks has been good in his seven times being the opener. He has a just three runs allowed, 15 strikeouts, and opponents are batting .189 off him. He should be able to shut down the Cardinals for two or three innings, and hand the ball over with the Rays in a good position to win the game.
With Yonny Chirinos gone, it is unclear who the Rays will be handing the ball to. Whoever it is needs to go four or five innings, though. The person they bring in will have a good matchup as the Cardinals struggle at the plate, but they need to be at their best still. If the long relief pitcher can hold the Cardinals to just two or less runs, the Rays will cover the spread.
Final Cardinals-Rays Prediction & Pick
The Rays pitching situation is uncertain at best. With so many injuries, I am not totally sure who the Rays will be handing the ball to for the long-term. You can only use so many openers, because that is an easy way to tire out the bullpen. For this game, though, I think the opener works to perfection. Hudson has not proved himself to me yet, so I do not have full trust in him to pitch well. I will take the Rays to cover the spread.
Final Cardinals-Rays Prediction & Pick: Rays -1.5 (+130), Under 9 (-105)