After getting steamrolled by the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals will try and salvage a game in the finale of the three-game series.
The Rays will try and get their first series sweep since the beginning of May when they took three straight from the Oakland Athletics.
Can the Rays sweep or will the Cardinals get their first victory in four games? Find out what we think with our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Cardinals vs. Rays on June 9.
Cardinals vs Rays odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Rays opened at -120 and quickly shot up to as high as -189, though BetMGM still had the Tampa moneyline at -164 at the time of writing. The Cardinals line moved as well, but in the opposite direction, going from +100 to +153 at WynnBET. The total has stayed at 7.0 with the Over -108 at BetRivers and the Under -110 at several sportsbooks.
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.
Cardinals vs Rays predictions
Picks made on 6/9/2022 at 3:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cardinals vs Rays game info
• Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
• Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022
• First pitch: 1:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Sun
Cardinals vs Rays betting preview
Starting pitchers
Miles Mikolas (4-3, 3.02 ERA): The Cardinals veteran has seen his ERA steadily go up since the beginning of the season. In April, he had a 1.53 ERA, but by the end of May, it rose to 2.67. In his first outing of June, the 33-year-old right-hander allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings against the Chicago Cubs. While he got the victory, his ERA went to 3.02. This is concerning because the Cardinals are relying on Mikolas to be the No. 2 starter behind Adam Wainwright, at least until the rotation gets healthy.
Shane McClanahan (6-2, 2.10 ERA): It appears that the 25-year-old lefty has found his grove two months into the season. McClanahan has won five of his last six games and whittled his ERA from 3.06 to 2.10, which is sixth-best in the major leagues. In those six games, McClanahan has allowed just six runs on 27 hits. He has struck out 47 batters while walking only five.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cardinals: Corey Dickerson OF (Out), Jordan Hicks P (Out), Alex Reyes P (Out), Dylan Carlson OF (Out), Drew VerHagen P (Out).
Rays: J.P Feyereisen P (Out), Wander Franco SS (Out), Brandon Lowe 2B (Out), Phoenix Sanders P (Out), Chris Mazza P (Out), Nick Anderson P (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 1-6 in the last seven meetings with the Rays, including 1-5 in Tampa Bay. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Rays
Cardinals vs Rays 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
The Tampa Bay Rays have dominated the St. Louis Cardinals by winning two in a row, and six of the last seven. In the two games in the current homestand, the Rays have outscored the Cardinals 15-5.
Now the Cardinals have the uphill battle of facing Rays ace Shane McClanahan, who has been getting more dominant with each start. In the lefty’s last outing, he picked up his fifth win in six starts, limiting the Chicago White Sox to two runs on six hits through six innings.
The Cardinals are fourth in the majors in batting average and runs scored. However, they are lacking in the power department. They are 16th in dingers and rank 15th in slugging percentage (.395).
St. Louis is hitting better against lefties, sporting a .274 average compared to a .249 against right-handed pitching. But McClanahan isn't just any lefty. He owns the best strikeout rate among qualified starters (36%) and is fifth in the American League in hits per nine innings.
The trends are also leaning towards the Rays. The Cardinals are 1-7 in their last eight against a team with a winning record. They are also 0-5 in their last five as a road underdog.
The odds for this game are brutal if you want to back the Rays. With the moneyline at -164 for the Rays, it may be tempting to roll with the -1.5 run line at +135. But with Tampa's own struggling offense — 23rd in batting average (.234) and on-base percentage (.299) — I’d rather keep the 1.5 runs and take the moneyline despite the much shorter odds.
Prediction: Rays moneyline (-164 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
This is a situation where McClanahan comes to the rescue for Under bettors. Mikolas has been trending downward and might give up two or three or (gasp) four runs, but McClanahan has been money his last six starts.
Since allowing three earned runs to the Minnesota Twins — albeit while striking out 11 — over five innings on April 30, the lefty has been outstanding. In 37 1-3 innings, he's allowed just six earned runs (1.45 ERA) on 27 hits while walking five and striking out 47. He's pitched at least six innings in five straight starts and has silenced some solid lineups, including the New York Yankees.
So even if the hit parade gives Mikolas fits — and that's hardly a guarantee considering Tampa's anemic offensive attack on most nights — McClanahan can reasonably be trusted to shut the door, especially if young slugger Nolan Gorman sits again like he has vs. lefties since his promotion to the majors.
The trends favor both the Cardinals and Rays on the Under, as it's 4-1 in the Rays' last five home games against a team with a winning record, and is 8-3 in the Rays last 11.
The Under is also 8-1 in the Cardinals' last nine interleague road games against a team with a winning record.
Prediction: Under 7 (-110 at BetRivers)
Best bet
Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is third in MLB with 72 hits and, as a result, owns the fifth-best batting average at .341.
Goldschmidt’s on-base percentage is also third in the league at .421 and while the 34-year-old just recently had a 25-game hitting streak snapped, he's gotten at least one hit in each of the four games since.
He is facing Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan, who isn’t known for allowing home runs, surrendering just eight in 64 1-3 innings. But McClanahan does give up hits, especially lately, as he's allowed 13 hits in his last12 innings.
That bodes well for Goldschmidt, whose already impressive offensive numbers get even better when squaring off against a southpaw. He's slashing an absurd .488/.569/.884 vs. left-handers this season. More than half of his hits in these situations have gone for extra bases.
Look for Goldschmidt to get a couple of hits — or even one extra-base hit — on Thursday.
Pick: Paul Goldschmidt Over 1.5 total bases (+125)
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