The St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox will open a rare interleague series at Fenway Park on Friday evening. Two veteran starters will collide as Adam Wainwright faces off against Michael Wacha.
Who will win the first game between these two teams since 2017? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Cardinals vs Red Sox on Friday, June 17.
Cardinals vs Red Sox odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Red Sox opened as narrow consensus favorites of -108, and have been bet up to about -115 at most sportsbooks. The initial total was 9.5, but the books have all been forced to move the line up to at least 10.0 with action flooding in on the Over.
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 Red Sox predictions
Picks made on 6/17/2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cardinals vs Red Sox game info
• Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• Date: Friday, June 17, 2022
• First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
• TV: NESN
Cardinals vs Red Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Adam Wainwright (5-4, 2.84 ERA): Adam Wainwright goes for his eighth quality start in nine chances at Fenway Park on Friday night. He’s lasted seven frames in each of his first two starts this month, pitching to a 3.21 ERA
Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.33 ERA): Michael Wacha is searching for consistency in what’s been a better-than-expected season from him. The well-traveled Iowa native tossed a complete-game shutout against the Angels on June 6, before being chased by the Mariners after 4 2/3 innings in his following start where he allowed three earned runs.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cardinals: Corey Dickerson LF (Out), Jordan Hicks RP (Out).
Red Sox: Matt Barnes RP (Out), Enrique Hernandez CF (Out), Garrett Whitlock RP (Out), Christian Arroyo 2B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 25-10-1 in the Cardinals’ last 36 interleague road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs Red Sox. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Red Sox
Cardinals vs Red Sox 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 red-hot Red Sox have won 20 of their last 28 overall, and they should chalk up another “W” when they host the Cardinals on Friday night. Boston is ninth in baseball in runs per game (4.73) this year, and Rafael Devers has been at the heart of their attack. His bat has stayed hot in June as he sports a .271 average to go with five homers and 14 RBI.
J.D. Martinez (1.015 OPS in June) and Xander Bogaerts (.999 OPS) have been giving opposing pitchers fits as well this month. Adam Wainwright has been solid but not spectacular over his last four starts, pitching to a 2.77 ERA and a 1.307 WHIP. It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll come into a hitter-friendly Fenway Park and keep putting up zeroes on the scoreboard.
Knocking Wainwright out early will be imperative for the Red Sox, so they can get to the vulnerable back portion of the St. Louis bullpen. The Cardinals have been a subpar road offense this year, recording a .699 OPS, 16th in the majors. Nolan Arenado has a modest .700 OPS over 115 at-bats as the visitor this season.
Michael Wacha’s performance has been hard to predict this year, but bettors should anticipate manager Alex Cora will have his starter on a tight leash here. Boston can fall back on a bullpen that’s authored a 1.99 ERA this month, good for fifth in the majors.
Trend bettors should note that the Cardinals are 3-11 in their last 14 interleague road games against teams with winning records, while the Red Sox are 100-41 in their last 141 interleague home games against right-handed starters.
Prediction: Red Sox moneyline (-112 at FanDuel)
Over/Under analysis
Oddsmakers have posted a very high total for Friday’s series opener but Under bettors should not be put off. The Cardinals could find scratching anything out against Wacha difficult, as he’s produced a 0.86 ERA at home this year.
Cora has managed his bullpen well over the last few days, meaning high-leverage men Jake Diekman (team-high 10 holds), John Schreiber (eight holds), and Austin Davis (four scoreless appearances in June) are all available.
Wainwright has been pitching like the crafty veteran he's been known for, finding ways of going deep into games while not performing perfectly and allowing the occasional run. Oliver Marmol should not have to reach too deep into his bullpen beyond Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera, and Ryan Helsley.
Gallegos is fresh off his ninth save of the season, Cabrera has three holds in four June appearances, and Helsley has still allowed only one earned run over 21 appearances. We’re not calling for a 2-1 pitcher’s duel here, but even a 5-4 Red Sox win would still enable Under bettors to cash.
There’s more than enough leeway here.
Prediction: Under 10.5 (-110 at Caesars)
Best bet
It might seem counterintuitive to what we’ve described above, but Wacha is unlikely to register four strikeouts at Fenway Park on Friday night. He has tallied three or fewer strikeouts in four of his last five starts, with his complete-game effort where he reached six punchouts being the exception.
He was hardly a strikeout maestro with the Cardinals, where he’s spent the majority of his 10-year career recording just 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The Redbirds batters are very disciplined, tallying the fifth-fewest strikeouts in baseball this season.
Wacha will need to rely on guile rather than “stuff” to get his outs in this one.
Pick: Wacha Under 3.5 Ks (-133 at Caesars)
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