The San Francisco Giants (34-32) visit the St. Louis Cardinals (27-40) for the second of their three-game series. First pitch commences Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. ET. The Giants jumped out to a 1-0 series lead thanks to their 4-3 win in last night's opener. Below we continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Cardinals prediction, pick, and how to watch.

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

MLB Odds: Giants-Cardinals Odds

San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+160)

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-194)

Over: 8.5 (-120)

Under: 8.5 (-102)

How To Watch Giants vs. Cardinals

TV: NBCS-Bay Area, Bally Sports

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 7:45 p.m. ET/ 4:45 p.m. PT

*See how to watch Giants-Cardinals LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (Third in the NL West)

Run Line Record: 32-34 (49%)

Over Record: 29-35-2 (45%)

While much of the attention out west has been centered on the Dodgers-Diamondbacks battle for first, the Giants have quietly hung around. While they're seven games back in the division, San Francisco is firmly in the playoff picture with the sixth-best record in the National League. Although they dropped 2/3 to the Cubs last weekend, they kicked off this series with a huge 4-3 win yesterday. While they won't have the luxury of Logan Webb pitching again tonight, Alex Cobb has been a fine No. 2 starter and thus they stand a strong chance of covering despite being road favorites.

Righty Alex Cobb (5-2) makes his 14th start of the season for the Giants. The 35-year-old is having a strong second season in San Francisco thanks to his 3.01 ERA. While his 1.35 WHIP could be better, he does an excellent job limiting walks – sitting in the 81st percentile in walk rate. Cobb's ERA may be strong, but his expected ERA is down at 4.07 largely thanks to the high amount of hard contact he allows. Cobb's 44% Hard Hit Rate allowed is his highest mark since 2020 and sits in the 23rd percentile league-wide. Additionally, his two worst outings of the year have come within his last three starts. While the Cardinals do boast a strong offense, they've been ice-cold in June – averaging just 3.4 runs per game.

Although the Giants have faired better as a team against lefties, both Joe Pederson (.957 OPS) and Lamonte Wade Jr. (.897 OPS) will be glad to see Jack Flaherty on the bump tonight. Peterson in particular could be in for a big night given his recent production. Over his last six games, Pederson went 10/22 – collecting 16 total bases while walking three times and sticking out four times.

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 2-8 (Fifth in the NL Central)

Run Line Record: 29-38 (43%)

Over Record: 31-34-2 (48%)

St. Louis continues to disappoint as they hold the single-worst record in the National League despite having the seventh-best run differential. They looked to be turning a corner in May before starting June just 2-8. Having lost five consecutive series coming into this set with the Giants, the Cardinals are one of the coolest teams in baseball. Still, they covered as home underdogs last night and could do so again with his well Flaherty has pitched of late.

Righty Jack Flaherty (3-4) makes his 14th start of the season for the Cardinals tonight. The 27-year-old hasn't been able to stay healthy the last few seasons but has proven to be an effective starter when available with a sub-3.35 ERA in all three seasons he's started at least 15 games. He has some work to do this year if he wants to accomplish that feat, however, as Flaherty owns a 4.15 ERA through 13 starts. His strikeout numbers are actually up compared to last year but he's struggled mightily with walks – issuing free passes at a career-high 13.2% rate. Still, Flaherty has done a good job limiting hard contact – sitting in the 84th percentile in Average Exit Velocity and the 81st percentile in Hard Hit Rate. Flaherty's really hit his stride over his last five starts – allowing just five runs across 30 innings of work.

While the St. Louis offense has struggled over their last 10 games, two factors give me confidence in their ability to bounce back tonight. For one, they hit much better at home where their .787 OPS is nearly .080 points higher than on the road. Second, they've had considerable success against righties this year compared to lefties. That starts with their cornerstones – Nolan Arenado (.794 OPS) and Paul Goldschmidt (.908 OPS). However, two of their young sluggers, too, have clobbered right-handed pitching. Both Nolan Gorman (.864 OPS) and Jordan Walker (.829 OPS) will be happy to see Cobb on the mound.

Final Giants-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

While the Giants stole the opener last night, I like this matchup for Flaherty too much to fade the home underdogs again.

Final Giants-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-194)