An inter-league showdown between two historically dominant franchises will be the talk of the baseball world when the Boston Red Sox battle it out with the St. Louis Cardinals. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Red Sox-Cardinals prediction and pick will be made.
Entering play with a dead-even 22-22 record, the Red Sox lost three out of four games against their division rivals in the Tampa Bay Rays. During the first game of this series on Friday night, Boston fell short of expectations in a 10-6 defeat. Despite the shortcomings, Boston will attempt to get back on track with right-hander Kutter Crawford who is 2-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Do the Red Sox have what it takes to snag the second game of this series versus the Cardinals?
Meanwhile, St. Louis has already hit several bumps in the road during the 2024 regular season, with several months to go, the Cardinals have no choice but to move forward. Paired with an underwhelming 19-25 overall record, the Cardinals have no choice but to turn to RHP Miles Mikolas who is a 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA. Can the veteran hurler get back on track and help his team win back-to-back outings over the ‘Sox?
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Cardinals Odds
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+138)
Moneyline: -120
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-166)
Moneyline: -102
Over: 8 (-112)
Under: 8 (-108)
How to Watch Red Sox vs. Cardinals
Time: 7:16 ET/4:16 PT
TV: MLB.TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win
It hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies for the Red Sox to begin their regular season, but there have still been some slight glimpses of positivity that the team can take away as the campaign trudges on. After finishing last year in dead-last among the AL East, the heat is on management to get things turned in the right direction.
Having to rely on Kutter Crawford to put forth a stellar showing, the once reliever converted into a starter is beginning to perfect his craft as a member of the Boston starting pitching staff. At first glance, his minuscule earned-run average is eye-popping, but he also has tossed a quality start in five consecutive appearances. Due to his recent ability to consistently pitch long into games, the ‘Sox bullpen should be fresh if called upon in the later frames. As long as he is able to not surrender free passes and throw St. Louis' timing off, then he'll be in for another successful day at the office.
Of course, Boston's offense isn't as trustworthy as their pitching arms. While more than capable, the Red Sox are often hit or miss when stepping into the batter's box. Statistically, the Red Sox are a middle-of-the-pack offense with the 15th-most runs scored in the league. Nonetheless, if the Red Sox can remain consistent offensively throughout this inter-league showdown, then they should have a tremendous chance to take care of business.
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Similarly to Boston, it is St. Louis that is smack dab in the middle of an attempt to right their wrongs from a year ago. Last summer, the Cardinals fell flat on their faces en route to compiling a lackluster 71-91. Clearly, this is not the expectation for one of the more historically successful franchises in Major League Baseball history. Already off to a slow start, the time is ticking for the Red Birds to start being taken seriously as a contender before it is too late.
In order to replicate their last performance on the diamond, the offense will once again need to lead the way. Indeed, scoring double-digit runs for the second-straight outing might be a tough thing to accomplish, but stringing together productive at-bats could be just what they need. In the opening game of this series, St. Louis terrorized Boston's pitching for a whopping 14 hits. Shockingly, the usual star power behind first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt and third-baseman Nolan Arenado have gotten off to a sluggish start. Despite Arenado leading the club with 22 RBIs, it has been others that have had to step up as well. Believe it or not, St. Louis does not possess one hitter who is slashing .300 or better. If St. Louis wants to put more games in the win column such as this one, then the offense will need to continue slowly waking up.
Final Red Sox-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
Certainly, it was an anomaly that the Red Sox season-long pitching prowess was beaten down by the sticks of the Cardinals. All in all, don't expect that to be the case yet again. Expect a bounce-back performance by Boston out on the road against a struggling Miles Mikolas.
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Final Red Sox-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (+138)
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