St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Rays Expert Pick

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Date: Thursday, August 10th, 6:40 ET
Location: Tropicana Field
TV: MLBN
Money Line: Cards +150/Ray -180
Total Line: 9

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cardinals on Thursday, August 10th at Tropicana Field. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

Cardinals vs. Rays Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

St. Louis Cardinals: 50-65 SU / OU 57-55 / Runline 57-58
Tampa Bay Rays: 69-47 SU / OU 59-53 / Runline 59-57

For the season, the Cardinals have put together a record of 50-65, including going just 4-6 over their last ten games. In the NL Central standings, they are 5th, trailing by 11.5 games. This year, they have gone 25-33 at home and 25-32 on the road with an overall series mark of 13-19-4.

• The Cardinals have covered the runline in 49.6% of their games and have an average run margin of -0.2
• The Cardinals have been favored in 55.7% of their games and have runline records of 25-33 and 32-25 at home and on the road, respectively
• The over has hit in 51% of the Cardinals’ 115 games at 57-55.

With an overall record of 69-47, the Rays are in 2nd place in the AL East, trailing by two games. Over their last ten games, they are above .500 at 6-4. On the road, the Rays have a mark of 31-27 while going 38-20 at home. Their overall series mark stands at 20-11-5.

• The Rays have covered the runline in 50.9% of their games and have an average run margin of 1.3
• The Rays have been favored in 82.8% of their games and have runline records of 30-28 and 29-29 at home and on the road, respectively
• The over has hit in 53% of the Rays’ 116 games at 59-53.

Pitching Matchup

With an overall record of 1-4, Matthew Liberatore gets the start for St. Louis. His ERA stands at 6.93 with a K/9 figure of 5.5 after making 10 appearances. Additionally, he has a FIP of 5.26 and an OBP of .381.

Matthew Liberatore is coming off an outing against the Twins in which he allowed five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work, taking the loss. The Cardinals lost the game by a score of 5-3.

Entering with a record of 2-2, Zack Littell is making his 19th appearance of the season. So far, he has an ERA of 4.04 on a batting average allowed of .284. On the road, he is 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 0-0 at home on an ERA of 12.05. For the season, teams have a slugging percentage of .426 against him.

Littell picked up the win in his most recent outing, as he gave up zero earned runs and three hits across six innings vs. the Tigers. The Rays won the game by a score of 8-0.

Cardinals vs. Rays Offense Outlook

The Cardinals have played 115 games so far this season and are currently ranked 12th in the league with an average of 4.6 runs per game. In terms of home run hitting, St. Louis is 6th, having hit the ball out of the park 159 times. Their overall batting average is .257, including .241 on the road and .263 at home.

St. Louis Cardinals Top Hitters vs. Righties

St. Louis Cardinals Top Hitters: Last Five Games

The Rays have hit an impressive 170 home runs so far this season, placing them among the top home run hitting teams in baseball (4th). These power numbers have led to an average of 5.2 runs per game and a collective batting average of .256. When playing on the road, their slugging percentage is .434 compared to .443 at home.

Tampa Bay Rays Top Bats

Tampa Bay Rays Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Free MLB Pick

The Cardinals aren’t playing very good ball over the last couple weeks and are 4-8 in their last 12 games. They’ll send 23-year-old lefty Matthew Liberatore to the mound to face a Rays team that plays good ball at home. Liberatore looks like he’s out of gas. He’s getting way too much of the strike zone and yielding way too many hits. The issue becomes compounded because he lacks command as well and gives out too many free passes.

The Rays will send interesting pitcher Zack Littell to the hill. This guy has only allowed one home run over his last 23.1 innings. He’s also only allowed one walk over that span. These numbers aren’t in-line with his minor league stats, so we’ll chalk it up to an enigma, but when you’re hot, you’re hot, so it definitely counts as a positive variable. His home run ratio is the real deal though. He gives up quit a few less dingers than the average pitcher and there’s history that proves that, so I’m weighting that fairly largely tonight, especially with Littell pitching at the Trop.

Tampa Bay bats have been hot over the past 7 days with a .295 average, .352 on base percentage and .464 slugging percentage. They’re playing decent ball and are 6-3 over their last 9 games. I’m betting the Rays to get the money tonight at -180. If you’re betting big MLB favs or big underdogs,  you need to make sure you’re betting into the best price. It’s a fact that most bettors disregard and one that will cost you. Find the best priced betting odds at BetAnySports! Many of our readers made the switch and are happily saving tons of money!