This week’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball has a good one lined up when National League contenders the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals conclude a three-game set. The teams met just a week ago in the Bay Area splitting a four-game series with each club getting a 1-run victory and a blowout win.
The Giants won the final two games of that series and ran their winning streak to five by sweeping Colorado ahead of this series. The streak gave SF a wash over a 10-game span since they dropped five in a row preceding their streak. Getting some regulars back in the lineup helped on the offensive side with the Giants outscoring opponents 41-18 during their winning streak cashing the OVER four times.
Giants vs Cardinals Date and Time
This NL contest takes place on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 7:08 p.m. ET Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game will air live on ESPN with betting options for every game on the 2022 MLB schedule available at BookMaker.eu.
Giants vs Cardinals Odds
San Francisco Giants (Check Back Later)
St. Louis Cardinals (Check Back Later)
Total (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
Playing with a makeshift lineup due to COVID and other injuries, the Giants suffered through a five-game losing streak just a few weeks ago. With guys like Lamonte Wade, Brandon Belt, Mike Yastrzemski and Evan Longoria back in the mix the Giants proved to be as lethal as they were during their 107-win last season winning their next five outings while averaging over eight runs. During their five-game skid they scored a total of 10 runs, so it shows you how much those players mean to the club.
Despite that little skid the Giants own one of the top offenses in MLB entering this series averaging 5.0 runs with a .246 team batting average. They cashed the OVER in all three games with Colorado and played over the total in nine of 12 games ahead of this series. With every team in the NL West above .500 entering the weekend and beating up on each other all season, winning games outside the division becomes more important.
This Cardinals group seems to have a different look than ones we’ve seen recently. They lost two of three at home to the Orioles in advance of this series giving them a 1-4 record in a five-game run that started with consecutive losses in San Francisco. The Cards fell to 17-14 and if things play out over the season the way they’ve been going the Cards will have to win the NL Central to reach the playoffs. If that is going to happen the Cards better start playing better at Busch.
Traditionally a team that has played well at home, that hasn’t been the case so far. And losing twice to the O’s shows the magic isn’t there … yet. The Cards are 8-7 at Busch also losing a series to Pittsburgh and splitting four games with Arizona, not the top teams in the league, but they are improving. Still, that’s not what you want to see from a club that’s looking to make noise during the postseason.
Probable Pitchers
A day off Thursday and an injury that put Anthony DeSclafani on the shelf have disrupted the rotation. Gabe Kapler shuffled his rotation on the just-completed homestand putting Carlos Rodon (4-1, 1.80 ERA) in line to start Sunday. It’s been a great start for the lefty, who dealt with injuries and inconsistency over the first six years of his career with the White Sox. But there’s never been a question about his stuff, and he’s making Giants management look like geniuses for signing him in the offseason. He’s been so effective he could easily be 6-0. Rodon has allowed two runs or less in all six starts with his only loss two starts ago when he held the Dodgers to three hits over 6.0 innings. In that game and in his first outing the Giants scored only one run.
Rodon yielded a season-high six hits in his last start, but he fanned 12 over 6.0 frames and got some support from his mates in an 8-5 win over Colorado. He has yet to give up a home run and allows a league low 5.1 hits per 9/innings with a 0.91 WHIP and MLB best 53 strikeouts.
The Cards have yet to announce a starter, however there’s a strong chance veteran Adam Wainwright (3-3, 3.18 ERA) gets the nod. Wano was put on the COVID list shortly blanking the Royals on one hit over 7.0 innings in a 10-0 win on May 4. He’s been sharp in his three wins allowing 11 hits and one run in 18.2 innings. He’s also been rattled in his other three starts, all losses, giving up at least three runs each time with a 6.46 ERA.
Wainwright has been lights out over his career at Busch Stadium winning 100 games. And his career ERA of 2.83 is over a run lower than what he’s compiled on the road. And Wano has surrendered just two homers with none in his last three outings.
Giants vs Cardinals Predictions
Two solid hurlers who make opponents work for everything and don’t give up the long ball has me leaning to the UNDER. And if you want proof that the teams are evenly matched take a look at the recent series. The teams split four games with each scoring 20 runs. It’s always a good idea to back the home team in such a case.
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals and UNDER
