The Toronto Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their abbreviated two-game series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night.
Monday’s series opener required extra innings, with the Cardinals winning in dramatic fashion with a grand slam off the bat of Paul Goldschmidt in the 10th frame. St. Louis has now won four in a row, while the Jays have dropped three of their last five.
Can the home side seal a two-game sweep in this spot? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Blue Jays vs Cardinals on Tuesday, May 24.
Blue Jays vs Cardinals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Blue Jays opened as -145 consensus favorites on the road, but action on the Cardinals has helped that line drop by about 10 cents at the majority of sportsbooks.
The total was unveiled at 7.5 runs, but Under bettors have driven the line down to 7.0 at multiple sites. 7.5 is still available at some books, albeit with increased vig on the Under.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Blue Jays vs Cardinals predictions
- Prediction: Cardinals ML (+130)
- Prediction: Under 7.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Goldschmidt Over 0.5 RBI (+200)
Picks made on 5/24/2022 at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Blue Jays vs Cardinals game info
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
• First pitch: 7:45 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports, Sportsnet
Blue Jays vs Cardinals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Kevin Gausman (3-3, 2.52 ERA): Kevin Gausman had his streak of five straight quality starts snapped by the Seattle Mariners last time out, as he surrendered two runs in only five innings of work last Wednesday. His three strikeout total in that game was by far his lowest of the year, but he still sports an incredible 57-3 strikeout/walk ratio on the campaign. This will be Gausman’s first-ever start at Busch Stadium.
Jordan Hicks (1-3, 4.21 ERA): It’s not been a smooth transition to a starting role for the fire-balling Jordan Hicks, who’s lasted five innings only once in eight tries. His walk rate for the season is an alarming 5.3 per nine innings. This will be his first-ever appearance against the Blue Jays.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Blue Jays: Nate Pearson SP (Out), Tim Mayza RP (Out), Tayler Saucedo RP (Out).
Cardinals: Dylan Carlson RF (Out), Alex Reyes RP (Out), Yadier Molina C (Out), Steven Matz SP (Out), Tyler O’Neill RF (Out), Jack Flaherty SP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 24-8 in their last 32 games when their opponent allows five or more runs in their previous game. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Cardinals
Blue Jays vs Cardinals picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
At first glance, Toronto seems like a solid road favorite with Kevin Gausman on the mound. But when you dig into the matchup, it’s clear that St. Louis is the better bet.
Despite punching out only three Mariners batters last Wednesday, Gausman is still ninth in the majors in strikeouts (57). However, the Cardinals are capable of counteracting Gausman’s strength, as they’re the best team in the majors by strikeouts per game (7.44). The Redbirds boast three active players in the Top 50 in lowest strikeout rate, namely Nolan Arenado (15.3%), Harrison Bader (15.1%), and Tommy Edman (14.7%).
Arenado has been in a slump (.214 average last seven days), but the latter two have given their team a boost in recent days. Edman is batting .303 over the last week, while Bader is at .308 in the same span. The pair has also stolen three bases apiece.
Jordan Hicks will want to keep the walks down in this start for St. Louis, but he’s been a bit unlucky to author a 4.86 ERA in May. His WHIP in that span is a respectable 1.200. Facing Toronto could be a tonic for Hicks based on the trends, as the Blue Jays are 1-5 in their last six games against teams with winning records, and 1-7 in their last eight road games. That’s thanks in no small part to their underachieving offense, which is 26th in the majors in runs per game (3.57).
Trend bettors should also note that the Cardinals are 12-5 in their last 17 interleague games, and 30-13 in their last 43 games following a win.
Prediction: Cardinals moneyline (+130 at Caesars)
Over/Under analysis
The St. Louis bullpen should play a major role in keeping this game beneath the total on Tuesday night.
Hicks is unlikely to pitch past the fifth inning, meaning manager Oliver Marmol will need a bridge to get to the intimidating trio of Genesis Cabrera, Ryan Helsley, and Giovanny Gallegos. He figures to use Andre Pallante or Drew VerHagen, either of which would seem to be a solid choice.
Pallante recorded one out on Monday, good for his eighth straight scoreless appearance. VerHagen has been called upon for length out of the bullpen, and his last four appearances (6 1-3 innings) have been clean.
Cabrera, Helsley, and Gallegos all worked a scoreless inning on Monday, with the Blue Jays failing to scratch out even one hit. Helsley has been particularly impressive in 2022, notching 13 scoreless appearances in a row. He’s struck out 26 batters while walking only two. Gallegos would have a 0.64 ERA this season if you took away the games in which he pitched against the Mets, as two of them ended very badly for him.
The Blue Jays’ sleepy lineup has tallied three runs or fewer in six straight contests, so it’s no wonder the Under is 8-1-1 in their last 10 overall. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been a rock for Toronto this year, but even he is slumping at the plate right now, tallying only two hits in his last 20 at-bats. Teoscar Hernandez — an All-Star in 2021 — has been flailing in May, producing a .091 average.
Prediction: Under 7.5 (-110 at Caesars)
Best bet
Paul Goldschmidt is one of the hottest hitters in baseball at the moment, and he’s available at a great price to get yet another RBI in this spot.
Goldschmidt was the hero on Monday thanks to his 10th-inning grand slam. That hit brought his RBI total up to 23 for May. He’s punishing pitchers at the plate this month, authoring a .392 average to go with six four-baggers.
“Goldy” has had success in limited tries against Gausman, going 2-for-4 with a tater. He’s also a combined 9-for-19 (.474) against relievers Yimi Garcia, David Phelps, and Trevor Richards.
As we discussed above, Goldschmidt is far from the only Redbird batsman seeing the ball well lately. It will be difficult to pitch around him, and he should come through in the clutch on Tuesday night.
Pick: Paul Goldschmidt Over 0.5 RBI (+200 at Unibet)
