The St. Louis Cardinals have been trying to get going throughout the season as they are fifth in the NL Central with a 50-65 record. Southpaw Matthew Liberatore gets the start here and did not factor into the decision against the Minnesota Twins in his previous start. Liberatore pitched 5.2 innings and gave up five runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been struggling lately and are dealing with injuries but are still second in the AL East with a 69-47 record so far. Right-hander Zack Littell is on the mound and coming off a victory over the Detroit Tigers as he pitched six shutout innings and allowed three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Match Details
Fixture: St. Louis Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Rays
Date & Time: Thursday, August 10, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Venue Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
Cardinals vs. Rays Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +1.5 (-130) | +154 | Over 9.5 (+100) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -1.5 (+110) | -185 | Under 9.5 (-120) |
Odds Subject to Change**
Cardinals vs. Rays Key Stats
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have been an excellent offensive team throughout the season. They are sixth in the majors with a .761 OPS while scoring 4.63 runs per game. In their 57 road games, they are eighth with a .247/.323/.422 team slash line and scoring 4.33 runs per game. Third baseman Nolan Arenado is hitting very well and has a .841 OPS with 24 homers, 81 RBIs, and 53 runs scored.
Matthew Liberatore has been struggling on the bump this year. He is sitting at 1-4 with a 6.93 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP across 37.2 innings of work. Hitters are having good swings against his stuff as they have a .304 batting average against so far. He never faced the Rays in his young career so this should be an interesting test against new hitters.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have also been one of the best offenses this year. Tampa Bay is sitting at fourth in MLB with a .774 OPS while averaging 5.18 runs per game up to this point. They have been hitting at home well so far. In their 58 home games, they have posted a .779 OPS while averaging 5.22 runs thus far. First baseman Yandy Diaz has been crushing it at the plate. He is slashing .318/.399/.507 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs and 68 runs scored.
Zack Littell has been doing well in his role on the mound so far this season when looking at his stats. He is currently 2-2 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP over 35.2 innings. He has been staying ahead in the count lately as he has one walk to 17 strikeouts in his previous 21.1 innings. Little faced the Cardinals three times out of the bullpen last year as a member of the San Francisco Giants and he was 0-1 in four innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with zero walks and four strikeouts.
Cardinals vs. Rays Prediction
When looking at the pitching staff during the month of August, these teams are extremely similar as the Cardinals are 11th with a 3.80 team ERA while the Rays are 13th with a 3.98 team ERA thus far. The bullpens throughout the season have not shown too much difference as St. Louis is pitching to a 4.42 bullpen ERA while Tampa Bay has a 3.91 reliever ERA. Take the Cardinals getting a run and a half here as they are going to be able to hit Littell here.
