Sunday Night Baseball gets underway with an anticipated pitching duel between Carlos Rodon and the San Francisco Giants (20-13) and the ageless Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals (18-15).
Sunday’s meeting will be the decider of the three-game series after the Giants took Game 1 by a score of 8-2 and the Cardinals came away victorious 4-0 in Game 2.
Will the Giants build upon one of the best records in the National League, or will the Cardinals play spoiler at home?
Check out our MLB picks and predictions for the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, May 15 to find out.
Giants vs Cardinals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Cardinals opened as +124 underdogs at home, and the line has moved against them. The Cardinals currently reside between +123 and +140 depending on the book. The total opened at 7 across all books and has not seen any movement as of yet.
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.
Giants vs Cardinals predictions
Picks made on 5/15/2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Giants vs Cardinals game info
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Sunday, May 15, 2022
• First pitch: 7:08 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Giants vs Cardinals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Carlos Rodon (4-1, 1.80 ERA): The left-hander has been one of the game’s best pitchers dating back to the start of last season. A hyped arm coming out of the minor leagues who got off to a solid start in his first three seasons (2015-2017), Rodon regressed significantly in 2019 and 2020 and looked like a failed prospect. Not so fast! He broke out in a big way in 2021, going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA with an impressive 12.55 K/9 ratio. His numbers have been even better thus far in 2022 and he seems to be fitting in nicely in San Francisco.
Adam Wainwright (3-3, 3.18 ERA): The veteran has continued to pitch at a high level despite his advanced age of 40. His ERA is right in the same range it has been for each of the last two seasons after an impressive 3.15 ERA in 2020 and a 3.05 ERA in 2021. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, sitting with a 7.41 K/9 ratio. One thing to monitor is his walk rate, which at 3.44 per 9 innings is one free pass above his career average of 2.44.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Giants: Tommy La Stella 2B (Out), Steven Duggar CF (Out), Jake McGee RP (Out).
Cardinals: Alex Reyes RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 13-6-1 in the Giants’ last 20 Sunday games. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Cardinals
Giants 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
The Giants are currently a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the NL West standings, but they’ve been one of the best teams in the National League once again this season.
Carlos Rodon is continuing his production from a breakout season a year ago en route to a 1.80 ERA. After posting an absurd 12.55 K/9 ratio a year ago, he’s actually improved upon that number with 13.63 strikeouts per nine to begin 2022. His peripherals are all strong, including a microscopic 1.21 FIP that is a strong indicator of future success.
Adam Wainwright has been impressive with a 3.18 ERA in his age 40 season, but his numbers aren’t that of his pitching counterpart on Sunday Night Baseball. Rodon has been one of the best pitchers in the majors, and he gives the Giants a leg up in this starting pitcher duel.
The Giants’ lineup has been one of the most productive units in the MLB. They rank third in runs per game at 5.0 thanks primarily to a strong propensity for getting on base. San Francisco is tied for first in on-base percentage at .329.
The Cardinals rank below the Giants in nearly every offensive category. Their lineup is more “middle-of-the-road”, ranking 11th with 4.41 runs per game,
The Giants have the better starting pitcher on the mound Sunday and also have the better lineup. We’re inclined to back the road team if playing a moneyline side for Sunday Night Baseball.
Prediction: Giants moneyline (-143 at Unibet)
Over/Under analysis
We’re playing the Under in this matchup between two quality starting pitchers.
It’s difficult to overstate how impressive Carlos Rodon has been dating back to last season, but his 1.80 ERA and 1.21 FIP speak for themselves.
The Cardinals have a middling lineup that ranks 14th in both wOBA and wRC+. They have been pretty good against left-handed pitching, however, ranking fifth with a .256 batting average against southpaws.
Wainwright’s peripherals are solid, sitting with a 3.60 xERA and 3.39 FIP. Both numbers are above his 3.18 ERA. That being said, his peripherals are normally higher than his actual ERA so some slight regression isn’t necessarily incoming.
Both teams possess a solid bullpen. The Giants have a 3.46 ERA in relief and the Cardinals have been even better, ranking fifth in the league with a 3.17 bullpen ERA.
This game will feature one terrific starting pitcher, one good starting pitcher, and two good bullpens. We like the Under in this matchup.
Prediction: Under 7 (+105 at Caesars)
Best bet
We’re backing the Under as our best bet for Sunday Night Baseball.
Rodon has been one of the sport's brightest stars on the pitching mound, and we’re not going to be betting on regression until there are any signs.
Wainwright has been an ageless wonder and continues to provide quality innings for the Cardinals. Both teams possess a high-quality bullpen.
Under 7 can be had for a good price across most books.
Pick: Under 7 (+105 at Caesars)
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