Two struggling midwestern squads will look to make ends meet by adding a victory to the win column as the St. Louis Cardinals face off with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Lets check out our MLB odds series where our Cardinals-Royals prediction and pick will be revealed.

In the running for possibly having the most disappointing season out of any major league team in 2023, the 51-66 Cardinals are well on their way to missing out on postseason play for the first time since 2018. On paper, this is a talented crew, but they have failed to gel as an overall team. After being out-slugged by a score of 12-8 in game one versus the Royals, can starter Steven Matz try to help the ‘Cards get back on track with his 3-7 record and 3.91 ERA?

One of the worst teams in baseball, the Royals are certainly feeling good about themselves after the disposing of the Cardinals which resulted in 12 runs off of a whopping 16 hits. Regardless of the fact that KC enters this one with an extremely sluggish 38-80 record, this is a team that obviously plays the game with tremendous fight and grit which will serve them well later down the road. On the mound in this one will be Royals southpaw Cole Ragans who is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

Here are the Cardinals-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Royals Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+105)

Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-126)

Over: 9.5 (+100)

Under: 9.5 (-122)

How To Watch Cardinals vs. Royals

TV: Bally Sports Midwest/MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 7:15 ET/4:15 PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

Ever since America's national pastime came back into the fold during Opening Day, there has always felt like something has been off with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023. You can point to the far-below-average pitching numbers that have equaled out to a lofty 4.56 ERA and a .272 batting average against or even some misfortunate hitting that has taken a step back from last year's squad. Simply put, this summer for the ‘Cards has been plagued and tormented by heaps of dysfunction and distress.

Even in the 12-8 loss to the Royals that would be extremely uncharacteristic in years past, the Cardinals spend way too much time in the field as they quickly faced a 9-0 deficit in the first two opening frames of the ballgame. Unquestionably, this cannot be repeated if St. Louis wants any shot of covering the Saturday afternoon spread.

Entering the day as -1.5 run favorites despite laying an egg on Friday, St. Louis' brightest stars will have to show up in a big way to eliminate any confidence that the Royals may have after the game one KC victory. Alas, even throughout a rough year for the Cardinals faithful, it is important to remember that St. Louis holds a 74-49 record against Kansas City dating back to 1997 when bite teams started squaring off every season in inter-league play. Could this stat alone bode well for St. Louis's chances only a few hours from now?

Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread

In what seems like an eternity ago when the Royals were consistently fighting for World Series titles from a three-year span in the mid-2010s that eventually led to the KC's first championship in over 3o years back in 2015. Regardless, only catcher Salvador Perez remains as the only starting players from that 2015 squad that is still residing in Kansas City, and boy has he not skipped a beat. In fact, Perez was the main focal point of the Royals prolific offense on Friday as he went a flawless 4-4 from the dish including a towering home run and four RBIs to boot. At the ripe age of 33, Perez is having a strong statistical season with a .250 batting average, 18 home runs, and 49 RBIs as one of the Royals top hitters.

In addition, if there was one thing that stood out about the Royals performance on Friday, it was the fact that they excelled when it came to their rookie Maikel Garcia who has thrived in the leadoff spot. Since taking over the top of the lineup on July 1st, Garcia has slashed his way to a .304 batting average in 35 games played to give Royals fans some sort of hope in the seasons to come. With the trio of Perez, Witt Jr, and Garcia, Kansas City not only has an excellent chance to cover the spread in today's ballgame, but they'll also have a great chance to be competitive in the future if they can build the roster around them properly.

Final Cardinals-Royals Prediction & Pick

This interleave Missouri rivalry is not for those that are faint of the heart! While playoff implications are at an all-time low between these two squads with their combined record of 89-146, you can always bet on this annual clashing to be entertaining. Alas, side with the Cardinals to bounce back in this one thanks to Steven Matz who has a 3-0 record with a 1.65 ERA over his last six outings.

Final Cardinals-Royals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+105)