Join us for an epic matchup between the birds and the fish! The St. Louis Cardinals will look to win their fifth out of their last six games when they go head-to-head with the Miami Marlins in the Sunshine State. Check out our MLB odds series, where our Cardinals-Marlins prediction and pick will be unveiled for all to see.

 

Looking to sweep the Marlins in their home park, the Cardinals are coming off a 2-0 shutout and now have improved their record to a very healthy 7-3 to start the season. On the rubber for Thursday's series finale will be the human flamethrower himself in reliever Jordan Hicks, who is making his first start after four innings of scoreless ball pitched to begin the 2022 season.

The Marlins will counter with righty Pablo Lopez, whose tiny 0.87 ERA through two outings has been impressive enough to give hope to a Miami group that desperately needs it. The Marlins have a record of 4-7 thus far, including a 3-3 mark at home.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cardinals-Marlins odds.

MLB odds: Cardinals-Marlins Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-184)

Miami Marlins: -1.5 (+152)

Over: 7.5 (-115)

Under: 7.5 (-105)

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Why the Cardinals Could Cover the Spread

After batting a collective .244 last year, the Cardinals have stormed out of the gate with a knack for the long ball and getting on base. Compiling a .323 on-base percentage and a .421 slugging percentage, good for the ninth- and sixth-best numbers in the league, respectively, the Cardinals have what it takes to make you pay at the most opportunistic of times. While the offense has been a middle-of-the-pack squad in runners crossing the plate, St. Louis seems to come up with the most timely of hits when they are needed the most.

This was the case in Wednesday's 2-0 victory, as who else other than third baseman Nolan Arenado belted a two-run soaring home run in the top of the ninth that put the Cardinals up for good. Arenado has been one of the the most efficient and feared hitters in baseball so far during the 2022 campaign, as the four-time Silver Slugger winner is smashing .368 with five homers and 14 runs batted in.

After nine consecutive wins versus the Marlins, St. Louis will be seeking to send that number into the double digits with another contest of solid pitching. In fact, Miami has only scored seven runs during the Cards' recent dominance of their NL foe.

Enter Jordan Hicks, who will be making his first start in his career after making appearances out of the St. Louis bullpen. Hicks is notable for throwing extremely hard, as the 25-year-old hurler holds the record for fastest pitch ever thrown in MLB history at 105 MPH. Hicks may indeed be the difference in this game, as the St. Louis bullpen may be taxed in this one since the fiery pitcher has really only been used in shorter, late-inning outings.

If Hicks can give the Cardinals a few frames of shutout baseball, they should have no issue covering the spread.

Why the Marlins Could Cover the Spread

Moving on to Miami, and the Marlins are trying to get the monkey off their backs when it comes to squaring up with St. Louis on the diamond. Ever since the Marlins clinched a playoff berth in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, it has been a free fall ever since for a club that has struggled to find consistency at the plate and on the mound. While Miami certainly has the pieces to win against whoever they are matched up with, multiple players will need to step up in order to avoid getting blanked again and possibly cover the spread versus St. Louis.

Miami has seemingly been in a funk for the majority of the year thus far. Catcher Jacob Stallings, first baseman Jesus Aguilar, shortstop Miguel Rojas, right fielder Avisail Garcia, and even left fielder Jorge Soler are all hitting under the Mendoza Line to start off the season. This is troublesome to say the least, as the main core's lack of production has led to only 40 runs being scored, which is 22nd in the majors.

With the Marlins' drought in the hitting category, it will most likely be up to the pitching unit in order for them to swim and not sink. Miami has the right man for the job starting on Thursday, as Pablo Lopez has looked the part of a solid starter so far. The righty kept hitters guessing and off-balance in both appearances to start off 2021, doing an outstanding job of throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count.

Final Cardinals-Marlins Prediction & Pick

Why stop at nine straight wins? Ten sounds much better if you're a part of the Cardinals faithful, and it shouldn't be expected that the Marlins should change the tide anytime soon. Believe it or not, but the Cardinals are somehow underdogs as well. St. Louis gets after Miami early and often in this one.

Final Cardinals-Marlins Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-184)