Cardinals vs Rangers Prediction and Best Bets (6/7)

The Texas Rangers got a bit of bad news yesterday, but things continue to keep rolling for the AL West leaders on the field. Tonight, they will go for their sixth straight win and a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals at Globe Life Field in Arlington (8:05 pm ET, ESPN+).

Since their most recent series loss, which came against he Atlanta Braves in the middle of last month, the Rangers (40-20, 21-8 home) have won 14 of 17 games. And after sweeping the Seattle Mariners this past weekend, they are looking to conclude a two-series homestand with a perfect 6-0 mark before heading off to visit the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend.

The Cardinals (25-37, 13-21 away) are at the opposite end of the spectrum, having lost five straight games and ten of their last 14 overall since taking three out of four against the Los Angeles Dodgers last month.

Can St. Louis salvage something from this series before heading home? Read on for our prediction and best bets for today’s Cardinals vs Rangers game.

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Before we offer up our prediction and picks for this matchup, let’s take a look at the odds and today’s Cardinals vs Rangers pitching matchup.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Texas Rangers Odds

Moneyline

• St. Louis Cardinals +120
• Texas Rangers -142

Over/Under

• Over 9 (-110)
• Under 9 (-110)

Run Line

• St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-162)
• Texas Rangers -1.5 (+134)

Pitching Matchup for Cardinals vs Rangers

• St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (12 starts, 3-4, 4.55 ERA)
• Texas Rangers: RHP Jon Gray (11 starts, 6-1, 2.51 ERA)

Will Gray’s Scorching Stretch Continue Against St. Louis?

While big-money offseason acquisition Jacob deGrom won’t be pitching for the Rangers again in 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, the Rangers appear to be in good shape on the mound.

Another offseason acquisition, Nathan Eovaldi is in the AL Cy Young conversation thanks to his 8-2 record and 2.24 ERA, while Martin Perez has followed last year’s All-Star campaign with a 6-1 start this season.

Like Perez, Gray is also 6-1, and he is eighth in the majors in ERA and 14th in WHIP (1.04). And he enters tonight’s matchup with the Cardinals on a stellar run of stinginess.

After giving up four runs in 5.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 2, Gray’s ERA stood at 4.40 after his first six 2023 starts.

But in winning each of his last five starts, he has allowed just three runs, 18 hits, and six walks, while striking out 32 in 34 innings.

Last time out, he allowed just two hits and a walk and struck out five in seven shutout innings in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Mariners.

None of this bodes well for the Cardinals, who have not fared all that well at the plate as of late. Over their last dozen games, they have been held to three or fewer runs ten times. When scoring three or fewer runs this season, St. Louis is 6-23, with 16 of those losses coming by multiple runs.

There are a few positives for the Cardinals, however.

Over the course of the season, Flaherty has gotten good run support for the most part. The bats have put up five or more runs in seven of his 12 starts, including four of his seven road starts. And the Cardinals have a winning record both on the road (4-3) and overall (7-5) in Flaherty’s starts.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Texas Rangers Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction for Cardinals vs Rangers: Rangers to win

Best Bets for Cardinals vs Rangers: Rangers ML & Rangers team total over 4.5 runs

Flaherty has pitched well in three of his last four starts, but I think he will run into some trouble tonight against the hottest team in baseball.

The Rangers are at their best at home offensively, hitting .297 and averaging seven runs per game at Globe Life Field. They have scored five or more runs in 19 of 29 home games, including eight of the last ten. Look for another productive plate performance tonight as they wrap up a perfect homestand.

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