Giants vs Cardinals Odds: St. Louis Favored at Rickwood Field
Teams Paying Tribute to Negro Leagues on Thursday
The San Francisco Giants (36-39) and St. Louis Cardinals (36-37) are beginning a unique three-game series on Thursday. The first game will be played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the former home of baseball great Willie Mays, who died on Tuesday.
Mays began his professional career by playing centerfield for the Birmingham Black Barons. Rickwood Field is the nation’s oldest professional ballpark and MLB wanted to pay tribute to the Nego Leagues by having a game featuring Mays’ former team, the Giants, playing in his hometown. The game was scheduled long in advance, but takes on added meaning after the death of Mays. The teams will move to St. Louis for games Saturday and Sunday to complete the series. The Giants vs Cardinals odds have St. Louis -118 on Thursday with a total of 8.5-over (-120). Keaton Winn and Andre Pallante are the scheduled starters.
San Francisco is scoring some runs and ranks No. 14 in team batting average and No. 16 in home runs. The Giants are scoring 4.4 runs per game, which is pretty close to the league average. San Francisco has done a decent job getting runners home.
The biggest problem for the Giants this season has been pitching, where San Francisco ranks No. 24 in team ERA and has 14 saves and 11 blown saves on the season. The bullpen hasn’t fared any better or worse than the starters, as both need to show some improvement.
St. Louis is struggling to score with just 3.9 runs per game. The pitching has kept the Cardinals in some games, as St. Louis is No. 16 in team ERA, but have gotten a good effort from the bullpen. St. Louis has 27 saves and nine blown saves, so they’re capitalizing on their chances.
Giants vs Cardinals
Date & Time: Thursday, June 20th, 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama
Winn gets the start for the Giants and he’s had a tough season so far. The Giants are just 3-8 when he starts and he’s sporting a 6.66 ERA. He’s been even worse on the road, where the Giants are 1-5 with Winn and he carries an ERA of 9.12. Winn has actually had some decent starts this season, but when he’s been bad, he’s really bad and that takes a toll on his numbers.
Pallante has seen time as a starter and a reliever this season, but has fared a little better as a starter. He’s not going to give you a lot of innings, but has pitched five or more innings twice. The Cardinals are 2-2 when he starts and his ERA is 3.64 as a starter and 4.61 overall.
This will be a popular game for bettors making their MLB bets today. The game is nationally televised and will be an event more than a traditional game. It’s hard to tell how the players will adjust to Rickwood Field, but they play minor league games there still. So the lighting can’t be all that bad. It’s easier to trust Pallante than Winn right now if you have to bet the game.
Saturday’s Game
After a day off, the teams resume play in St. Louis on Saturday. The Giants vs Cardinals odds are likely to see St. Louis as small favorites for this game. Jordan Hicks and Miles Mikolas are the scheduled starters. Hicks has been pretty solid for the Giants, who are 8-7 when he starts. Hicks has a 2.82 ERA overall and 2.75 on the road. San Francisco is 5-2 on the road with Hicks.
Mikolas isn’t having a very good start to the year, but he’s coming around. The Cardinals are 7-8 when he starts and he has a 4.59 ERA. St. Louis is just 2-4 when he starts at home, although he had his best game at home in his last start there. Mikolas has put together some solid efforts, but his brutal start to the year still leaves his numbers a bit ugly.
The fact Hicks has better numbers than Mikolas could help keep the line reasonable, but the Cardinals are the way to go in this one. The St. Louis Cardinals scores show they’ve won five of Mikolas’ last seven starts and that should continue here.
Sunday’s Game
The Giants vs Cardinals odds should see Sonny Gray as a favorite over Logan Webb, although he won’t be a huge favorite. Both pitchers are having decent starts to the season. The Giants are just 7-9 when Webb starts, although he has a 2.99 ERA. His home numbers are better, although Webb’s last three road starts have been strong.
The Cardinals are 9-4 when Gray takes the mound and 5-2 when he starts at home. Gray has pitched better in St. Louis than on the road this season. The Cardinals are just 1-6 in totals when Gray starts at home, so the under will likely be one of the popular MLB free picks for the day. It makes sense, however, as Webb’s last three road starts have all gone under the total. Play the under here, but don’t be surprised to see the number at 7-under.
