One-off events have become a prominent part of the MLB schedule in recent years, with the St. Louis Cardinals taking on the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The neutral site is the oldest standing professional baseball stadium and aims to pay tribute to the traditions of the Negro Leagues. MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues also celebrates the life of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who died this week at age 93. Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948 as a 17-year-old and then spent 21 years with the Giants.
First pitch at Rickwood Field is scheduled for 7:15 PM ET on Thursday. The latest Cardinals vs. Giants odds have the Cardinals as -117 money line favorites (risk $117 to win $100) and San Francisco as -102 underdogs. The over/under for total points is 9. Before making any Giants vs. Cardinals picks, be sure to check out the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and entering Week 12 of the 2024 MLB season with a 129-105 record with its top-rated MLB picks dating back to last season, it has also outperformed its top-rated run-line picks by 20-8 (+809) in that span, meaning anyone who is following is seeing big gains.
Now, the model has set its sights on Giants vs. Cardinals and has locked in its predictions and MLB predictions: Visit SportsLine now to see the model’s predictions: Here are some MLB odds and betting lines for Cardinals vs. Giants:
Cardinals vs Giants Moneyline: St. Louis -117, San Francisco -102Cardinals vs Giants Over/Under: 9 runsCardinals vs Giants Runline: Cardinals -1.5 (+168)STL: Cardinals have been under in 8 of their last 10 gamesSFG: Giants are 6-1 in their last 7 games against the CardinalsCardinals vs Giants Picks: See SportsLine’s Picks
Reasons to support the Giants
The Giants have lost four of six games, including their last two series against the Cubs and Angels. On Thursday, the Giants will turn to 26-year-old right-hander Keaton Wynn, who is 3-7 with a 6.66 ERA this season. But Wynn’s last time out, his first quality start since April, was a June 15 loss to the Angels, in which he gave up three runs over six innings and struck out six batters in a draw.
Outfielder Heliot Ramos was the Giants’ best hitting player in 2024, batting .310/.388/.545 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 38 games. Ramos has played in three MLB Futures Games as a prospect and has played in 34 games over the past two seasons, but this will be his first time playing in a regular major league game. Find out which team you should pick here.
Reasons to support the Cardinals
Meanwhile, the Cardinals lost two straight games to the Marlins by one run, but still won five of eight games. St. Louis is 14th in the National League in runs scored, but their pitching staff has a 3.93 ERA. Their bullpen is especially strong, with a 3.67 ERA and closers Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez all with ERAs of 2.59 or lower.
The Cardinals will turn to 25-year-old right-hander Andre Pallante on Thursday. This will be Pallante’s fifth start of the year and his 14th appearance on the mound. Pallante has a 4.63 ERA and has pitched at least five scoreless innings in two starts. He has also failed to complete the fourth inning since joining the rotation twice. Click here to see which team to pick.
How to predict Giants vs Cardinals
The SportsLine model is leaning toward the Under on the total, projecting a total of 8.5 runs, and also saying that there’s all the value on one side of the money line. The model’s MLB picks and analysis are available exclusively at SportsLine.
So who will win the Giants vs. Cardinals matchup, and which one is worth it? Head over to SportsLine now to find out which one you should bet on in our 129-105 model on top-tier MLB picks.
