Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Can The Cardinals Bats Get Going Early?
Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Can The Cardinals Bats Get Going Early?
The St. Louis Cardinals travel from Chicago to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series from Tropicana Field. This interleague matchup pits the 32-23 Cardinals, who sit .5 games behind in the NL Central, against the 31-23 Rays, who are 8 games behind in the tough AL East. The Cardinals are coming off a series win against the Cubs, while the Rays had a tough time against the White Sox, dropping two or three in that series. Can the Rays bounce back against the Cardinals?
Let's dive into my prediction, pick, and the odds for the Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals game.
Rays vs Cardinals Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: June 7, 2022
- Game Time: 7:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: BSMW, BSSE, BSS, MLB.TV, MLB Extra Innings
Click Here for Rays vs Cardinals Odds
Rays vs Cardinals Line Movement
Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
At first glance, this would appear like an easy win for the Rays. They are starting Jeffrey Springs, who has one of the lowest ERAs in the league, and the Rays are 18-13 at home. However, a few details have me backing the Cardinals in the first half of tonight's contest.
A few days ago, I did an article on the Cardinals and used their success against left-handed pitching as a reason to back them on the first five lines against the Cubs' Justin Steele. They ended up tied after five innings, so we pushed, but today presents a new opportunity with the Cardinals as underdogs. If it's tied again after five today, we win this time.
The Cardinal's success against lefty pitching can't be disregarded. Jeffrey Springs started the year in the bullpen but has since been added to the rotation. His numbers are still impressive as a starter, but they were even better out of the bullpen. Batters were hitting .121 with a .316 OPS against Springs out of the bullpen.
As a starter, batters are hitting .208 with a .631 OPS. Batters have doubled the OPS off Springs since joining the rotation. Also, Springs is met with the challenge of facing his most difficult lineup today. The Cardinals are already the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league, but they are also second in the league with a .276 average off left-handed pitching. This Cardinals lineup could give Springs some issues we haven't seen him deal with yet this season.
As for the Cardinals, they will send out Dakota Hudson, who has been impressive in his own right. Hudson is 4-2 with a 2.96 ERA and is coming off a seven-inning outing against the Padres with one earned run. Today, he faces a dangerous lineup in the Rays, but the Rays have some injuries to their line still and will be without Brandon Lowe and Wander Franco, two of their best offensive players.
This line is too good for me to pass up. The Cardinals are 16-12 covering the +.5 first-half run line on the road, and the Rays are 15-16 covering the -.5 first-half run line at home. Given the Cardinal's numbers against lefties and Hudson's reliability, I am confident taking this line, given that a tie after five innings gives us the win still. Take the Cardinals on the first-half run line tonight.
Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Pick
2U Play: Cardinals F5 +.5 @ -110 (Bet $110 to win $100)
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.