Cardinals vs Rays Odds, Lines and Spread (June 9)
- The Rays are -165 home favorites over the Cardinals on Thursday
- Miles Mikolas (4-3, 3.02) will start for St. Louis against left-hander Shane McClanahan (6-2, 2.10)
- A look at the Cardinals vs Rays odds and picks are below
The Tampa Bay Rays will try to sweep a three-game series from the visiting St. Louis Cardinals at 1:10 pm ET Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
The Rays (33-23, 20-13 home) have beaten the Cardinals (32-25, 16-14 road) in consecutive games, including 11-3 on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay has also won five of its last seven games.
Cardinals vs Rays Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | +140 | +1.5 (-155) | Over 7 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -165 | -1.5 (+125) | Under 7 (-110) |
Odds as of June 8th at BetMGM.
The Rays are -165 favorites for a 62.26% expected win probability. Both teams have solid World Series odds with the Rays listed at +2200 and the Cardinals at +3000.
St Louis vs Tampa Bay Probable Pitchers
Miles Mikolas (4-3, 3.02) is scheduled to pitch for the Cardinals against left-hander Shane McClanahan (6-2, 2.10). Both will be working on five days of rest.
Mikolas vs McClanahan
| 4-3 | Record | 6-2 |
| 3.02 | ERA | 2.10 |
| 3.63 | xERA | 2.42 |
| 1.14 | WHIP | 0.92 |
| 3.40 | SO/W | 7.42 |
Mikolas is coming off a win over the Cubs in Chicago last Friday in a rather shaky performance. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings while striking out four and walking three.
He is capable of better.
Miles Mikolas is putting on a masterpiece today. pic.twitter.com/tXLB4oguDp
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2022
Mikolas’ only career start against the Rays came in 2014 when he was pitching for the Texas Rangers, and it was a disaster. Tampa Bay rocked him for 10 runs in six innings in Arlington.
The road hasn’t been a problem for Mikolas this season as he has a 3-1 record and a 2.54 ERA in five starts. However, he is 1-3 with a 5.20 ERA in five starts during the day.
The Rays’ Manuel Margot is just 1 for 7 versus Mikolas.
McClanahan also beat a Chicago team last Friday, downing the White Sox in St. Petersburg when he gave up two runs and six hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks.
That continued an outstanding stretch for McClanahan, who is 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his last six starts and has +650 American League Cy Young odds.
Shane McClanahan, Dirty 82mph Curveball. 😨 pic.twitter.com/WZSgYXsip7
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 3, 2022
McClanahan, who has never faced the Cardinals, is 5-2 at The Trop this season with a 2.35 ERA in eight starts. In day games, he has a 2-1 record and 1.84 ERA in five starts.
Cardinals vs Rays Betting Outlook
Randy Arozarena led the Rays in their rout of the Cardinals, his old team, on Thursday with three hits and four RBIs.
Arozarena had an RBI double in the first inning and a two-run single in the seventh. The Cardinals traded him to the Rays during the 2019-20 offseason and he won the American League Rookie of the Year award last year.
Randy's doing that thing where he rakes
Time for you to do your thing and vote
⭐️ https://t.co/4BFAmuEsAy ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/73o98MKtmm
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 9, 2022
Vidal Brujan drove in three runs for the Rays. Ji-Man Choi and Harold Ramirez added two RBIs each.
Veteran catcher Yadier Molina provided the Cardinals’ highlight by pitching a scoreless eighth inning that included a strikeout of Isaac Paredes.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is expected to play Thursday after sitting out Wednesday with soreness in his right knee. He was injured Tuesday when hit by a pitch.
We are all in awe of Nolan Arenado. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/j6XFjS8q3w
— MLB (@MLB) June 8, 2022
The Rays have won nine of their last 12 games against the Cardinals dating to 2008.
STL vs TB Last 10 Games
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/8/22 | Rays | Cardinals | TB, 11-3 |
| 6/7/22 | Rays | Cardinals | TB, 4-2 |
| 8/27/17 | Cardinals | Rays | TB, 3-2 |
| 8/26/17 | Cardinals | Rays | STL, 6-4 |
| 8/25/17 | Cardinals | Rays | TB, 7-3 |
| 7/23/14 | Cardinals | Rays | TB, 3-0 |
| 7/22/14 | Cardinals | Rays | TB, 7-2 |
| 6/11/14 | Rays | Cardinals | TB, 6-3 |
| 6/10/14 | Rays | Cardinals | STL, 1-0 |
| 7/3/11 | Rays | Cardinals | TB, 8-3 |
Cardinals vs Rays Prediction
Mikolas hasn’t pitched so well his last few times after a great start to the season. Meanwhile, some scouts insist McClanahan might be the best pitcher in the major leagues.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Rays are an MLB-best 21-6 in interleague games since the start of last season, including 12-1 at home.
Pick: Rays ML (-165)
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John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
