St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Picks, Predictions, Odds

The St. Louis Cardinals (14-10) will take on the San Francisco Giants (14-9) Thursday for game-one of a four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 9:45 PM ET at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California and can be viewed on MLB Network.  

Score Prediction

Giants 4, Cardinals 2

Best Bets 

• Giants ML (-130)

Updated on 04/20/2024

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St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Predictions

The Cardinals enter this matchup after a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals. St Louis took two of three games in the series, including a 10-0 victory on Wednesday. The Cardinals offense had just 10 hits and two runs throughout the first two games, but had their bats working on Wednesday with eight hits and 10 runs. St. Louis’s bullpen played well during the series, shutting the Royals out in two of the three games. Right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas is expected to start Thursday. Mikolas is 1-1 in five games this season with an ERA of 1.52 and has allowed 21 hits, five earned runs, and struck out 25 batters in 29.2 innings.  

San Francisco enters this matchup having lost four of their last five games prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Dodgers. The offensive production has been solid over that stretch with 20 runs scored, but the bullpen has struggled, giving up 32 runs. The right-hander Logan Webb Is scheduled to take the mound on Thursday. Webb is 3-1 in five games this season with an ERA of 3.26 and has given up 33 hits, 11 earned runs, and struck out 20 batters in 30.1 innings of work.  

I like the Giants in game one of this series. No disrespect to the Cardinals, but they have only played two series against teams with above .500 records this season (Mets and Brewers). They struggled a bit in both of those series, going 2-2 against the Brewers and 1-2 against the Mets.  San Francisco is in a bit of a slump, but I like them to get back on track at home. Backing the Giants moneyline here.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Odds

• Cardinals +110
• Giants -130
• Cardinals +1.5 (-190)
• Giants -1.5 (+155)
• Over 7 (-120)
• Under 7 (+100)

MLB Odds | World Series Odds | Expert Picks

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Resources

• Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022
• Matchup: NL Central vs. NL West
• Stadium: Oracle Park
• Location: San Francisco, California
• TV-Time: MLBN - 9:45 p.m. ET

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Analysis

The Cardinals are second in the NL Central and have gone 14-10 SU, 13-11 ATS, and have an O/U record of 12-11-1. The total has gone over in six of St. Louis’ last eight games. Going against this trend, the total has gone under in six of their last eight games on the road. The Cardinals have had decent success on the road this season with a SU record of 7-5.  

St. Louis’ offense has been a bit slow as of late, scoring two runs or less in four of their last six games. As a team the Cardinals have a batting average of .234 (14th), on base percentage of .311 (16th), slugging percentage of .358 (19th), and have scored 101 runs (16th). The third baseman Nolan Arenado has had an excellent season thus far with a batting average of .360 (31-86), seven home runs, and 23 RBIs. Second baseman Tommy Edman is also hitting the ball well with a batting average of .308 (24-78), three home runs, and 11 RBIs.  

The Cardinals bullpen has held opponents to two runs or less in three of their last five games. As a team they are allowing opponents a batting average of .233 (17th), have an ERA of 3.20 (6th), and have given up 77 runs (4th). The right-hander Miles Mikolas is expected to start Thursday. Mikolas is 1-1 in five games this season with an ERA of 1.52 and has allowed 21 hits, five earned runs, and struck out 25 batters in 29.2 innings. Mikolas last pitched against the Giants in 2019 and gave up six hits, five runs, and struck out six batters in 4.0 innings of work.  

San Francisco Giants Betting Analysis

Prior to Wednesday night's game, the Giants are third in NL West and have gone 14-9 SU, 12-11 ATS, and have an O/U record of 10-12-1. The total has gone over in four of the Giants last six games. Following this trend, the total has gone over in four of their last five home games. San Francisco has been in a bit of a slump, losing four of their last five games.  

San Francisco’s offense has scored four or more runs in eight of their last 10 games. As a team the Giants have a batting average of .235 (12th), on base percentage of .313 (15th), slugging percentage of .373 (16th), and have scored 110 runs (4th). The shortstop Thairo Estrada has done a nice job bringing in runs with a batting average of .247 (21-85), two home runs, and 14 RBIs. Left fielder Joc Pederson is also having a nice season with a batting average of .346 (18-52), six home runs, and 10 RBIs.  

The Giant’s bullpen is playing great this season, but has given up 10 runs or more in two of their last four. As a team they are allowing opponents a batting average of .240 (21st), have an ERA of 3.07 (3rd), and have given up 78 runs (4th). Right-handed pitcher Logan Webb Is scheduled to take the mound on Thursday. Webb is 3-1 in five games this season with an ERA of 3.26 and has given up 33 hits, 11 earned runs, and struck out 20 batters in 30.1 innings of work. In his one game against St. Louis last season, Webb gave up five hits, one run, and struck out two batters in 4.0 innings

Key Players to Watch

• STL: Paul Goldschmidt - 1B (Last Game: 0-2, R, 3 BB)
• STL: Nolan Arenado - 3B (Last Game: 2-5, HR, R, 5 RBI)
• SFO: Brandon Crawford - SS (Last Game: TBD)
• SFO: Joc Pederson - DH (Last Game: TBD)

Probable Pitchers

• STL: Miles Mikolas - RHP (1-1, 1.52 ERA, 25 K, 0.84 WHIP)
• SFO: Logan Webb - RHP (3-1, 3.26 ERA, 20 K, 1.29 WHIP)

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Conclusion

I like San Francisco at home in this matchup. Logan Webb has had a nice season and should be able to keep the Cardinal’s bats at bay. St. Louis has won three of their last four, but I don’t expect that trend to continue as they head out west. The Giants have lost four of their last five, but should be able to turn things around at home. Backing San Francisco ML.  

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