The San Francisco Giants will host the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series set to begin on Monday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cardinals-Giants prediction and pick.
St. Louis fell to 41-44 on the season with two straight losses against the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. The Cardinals have lost three of their last four games and now sit 10 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. San Francisco, on the other hand, has won three straight games to improve its record to 53-30. The Giants hold a half-game lead over the surging Los Angeles Dodgers for now and will need to continue this hot streak that they're currently on.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Cardinals-Giants odds.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Giants Odds
St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-114)
San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-106)
Over 7.5 Runs (-116)
Under 7.5 Runs (-104)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals have really fallen off after their red-hot start to the 2021 season. Their recent struggles are mostly because of their lack of production at the plate. If it wasn't for third baseman Nolan Arenado, this club would likely be in a much worse spot than they are today. The stat king for St. Louis has hit 16 long balls and driven in 52 RBI this far.
St. Louis is now scoring just 3.93 runs per game, which is the third-worst mark in the majors this season. The lone bright spot, besides Arenado, has been their lack of strikeouts, but this club really needs to improve their power numbers if they want to enter postseason contention. They haven't been very good on the road with an 18-26 record and just 3.98 runs scored per game.
The Cardinals will turn to left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim for the series opener. Kim has been solid for St. Louis this season with a 2-5 record and 3.79 ERA through 13 starts. He has gone through his share of struggles recently, though, with a 4.64 ERA over his last 33 innings of work. The southpaw will be looking to turn things around and build on his last start that saw him throw five innings of one-run ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Giants have seen their comfortable lead evaporate as they now lead the Dodgers by just a half-game in the NL West standings. It's not necessarily their faults as the Dodgers have been surging of late, though. The Giants won three straight games over the weekend and will look to take that momentum into this home series with the struggling Cardinals. San Francisco has been tremendous at home with a 26-11 record to date.
The Giants have been a well-oiled machine this season, as they're within the top 10 in the league in both offense and defense this season. Their +1.28 run differential is one of the best in baseball. They average over five runs per game at home and have a +1.14 run differential at Oracle Park. San Francisco has done damage against left-handed pitching with a 15-9 record against southpaw starters.
San Francisco will turn to right-hander Kevin Gausman for the series opener. The Giants ace is having a phenomenal season with a 8-2 record and 1.68 ERA through 16 starts. His strikeout numbers are incredible, as the hard-throwing right-hander has struck out 116 batters through 101 2/3 innings of work. Gausman will look to continue his Cy Young-caliber production against a lineup that has really struggled.
Final Cardinals-Giants Prediction & Pick
The Giants are in first place but have the Dodgers right on their tail. This team hasn't backed down to any challenges this season, and I expect them to take care of business in this series. They will enter this game with extreme confidence behind their ace, Kevin Gausman. The Giants will be aggressive at the plate against a left-hander at home, which has been a pleasant sight for Giants hitters through the first three months of the season.
FINAL PICK: San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-106)
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