Giants vs. Cardinals prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The San Francisco Giants are on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of their three-game road series Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. So let's check out our MLB odds series, which includes our Giants-Cardinals prediction and pick.
San Francisco (33-32) just blew out the Chicago Cubs 13-3 in the last game of their homestand after losing the first two games of the series. The Giants need to hope they can continue with their hot bats coming into game 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals because prior to that scoring outburst, they scored just 2 runs in their previous 2 games.
St. Louis (27-39) has been a disappointment this season sitting at dead last in the NL Central and 8 GB of the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates. They certainly have the offense to win games but it's their lack of pitching depth that has been hindering them so far this season. It is up to the Cardinals' pitching staff to hold off the Giants' bats if they want an ounce of a chance of getting back on track.
MLB Odds: Giants-Cardinals Odds
San Francisco Giants: -130
St. Louis Cardinals: +110
Over: 8 (-115)
Under: 8 (-105)
How To Watch Giants vs. Cardinals
TV: Bally Sports Midwest and NBC Sports Bay Area
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:45 PM ET/4:45 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Will Win
The Giants' struggling offense may come alive in this series against the Cardinals, especially after their 13-run outburst in their most recent outing. The Cardinals' pitching staff surrendered 16 runs in their last 3 games which puts the Giants in prime position on Monday night.
With lefty Matthew Liberatore (1-2 6.00 ERA) on the mound for the Cardinals, the Giants should be able to get off to a lead early. Liberatore has been dreadful so far this season coming off back-to-back outings where he has given up 4 earned runs on combined 12 hits in just 9 innings pitched.
He doesn't induce a ton of swings and misses, just 7.8% of his strikes are swinging strikes and he gives up a ton of hard contact with a walk rate of 4.8 BB/9. Liberatore also has had a rough time against right-handed bats giving up .318 with only 9 strikeouts on the season. With the Giants full of right-handed bats that are collectively hitting .258 against lefties they should keep those hot bats going into tonight's matchup.
Why The Cardinals Will Win
The Cardinals just haven't been living up to their preseason projections and will need to make some major changes if they want to turn this season around. Their offense has been keeping them in games meanwhile, their pitching is what has been losing it for them. As we saw the Cardinals put up 14 runs in their series against Cincinnati, they need more of that offense coming into their series against the Giants.
On the mound for the Giants is Logan Webb (4-6 3.09 ERA) who despite being solid this season hasn't been able to result in a ton of wins for the ballclub. He has been in some trouble in each of his last two outings giving up 7 earned runs on 12 hits with 2 home runs and only 9 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. If Webb has reached his season peak, he could really fall off against a high-powering Cardinals offense. Seeing as Webb is much worse on the road (2-3 4.03 ERA) this is the time for the Cardinals to take full advantage.
Final Giants-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
This going to be a battle of will between these two struggling teams. The Giants will have the upper hand in terms of starting pitching but if the Giants can't give Webb enough run support it may just be another wasted effort on his part. Ultimately, I fully expect Webb to keep the Cardinals' offense in check while the Giants just do enough for Webb to get his 5th win of the season.
Final Giants-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: San Francisco Giants (-130), Under 8 (-105)
