Texas Tries To Turn Things Around In St. Louis

St. Louis is listed at +102

A pair of teams fighting to stay in the race for the postseason square off for an interleague series when the Texas Rangers visit the St. Louis Cardinals for three games beginning Monday night. Both teams are struggling to live up to MLB predictions 2024, and could use a burst of winning play.

Texas (51-55) is coming off a three-game weekend sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rangers are in third place in the AL West standings, sitting 4.5 games behind both the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners, and they’re six games behind the final Wild Card spot in the American League, which is currently held by the Kansas City Royals.

St. Louis salvaged the final game of a three-game set with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Cardinals (54-51) sit in second place in the NL Central, six games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, but are just a game behind the New York Mets for the last Wild Card spot in the National League.

Visiting Texas is getting the edge on the Rangers vs Cardinals MLB odds for the series opener, sitting at -112 on the moneyline. St. Louis is listed at +102 for the straight-up win on Monday.

The Cardinals are getting -165 odds when getting 1.5 runs on the run line, while the Rangers are +145 to win when giving those runs. The over/under for the opening contest is set at 8.5 runs, with -110 odds on either side of that wager.

The first two games of the series are scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET starts, while the series finale will be at 2:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday. All games in the series will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Nathan Eovaldi (Texas) vs Andre Pallante (St. Louis)

Texas will begin the series with veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on the mound. Eovaldi brings a 7-4 record and 3.31 ERA to his 19th start of the season, having struck out 104 in 106 innings.

He’s been a bit up and down lately, as he’s coming off a solid start against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday in which he went seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out 10. His previous start wasn’t so good, as he lasted just five innings against the Baltimore Orioles, giving up six runs on eight hits, including three home runs.

Righty Andre Pallante will get the series-opening start for the Cardinals. Pallante is 4-4 with a 3.92 ERA in nine starts and 18 overall appearances. The 25-year-old took a no-decision in his last outing, going six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Monday and allowing one run on three hits while striking out three and walking two.

Game 2: Max Scherzer (Texas) vs Lance Lynn (St. Louis)

Veteran Max Scherzer will return to his hometown to make his eighth start of the season in the middle game of this series. The 40-year-old righty is 2-3 with a 3.57 ERA, recording 33 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work.

His last start showed some of his better stuff, as he went six innings against the White Sox on Thursday and allowed one run on three hits while striking out nine and walking one.

Right-hander Lance Lynn will make his 21st start of the 2024 campaign on Tuesday. The 37-year-old is 5-4 with a 4.17 ERA this season, striking out 94 in 101.1 innings. His last outing was against the Pirates last Tuesday, as he went five shutout innings, allowing four runs while striking out two and walking three.

Game 3: Andrew Heaney (Texas) vs Sonny Gray (St. Louis)

The Rangers will turn to left-hander Andrew Heaney to wrap up the series with a start on Wednesday. Heaney is 4-10 with a 3.77 ERA, striking out 105 in 105 innings over 20 starts and 21 overall appearances. He’s hoping for a better result than his last start on Friday against the Blue Jays, when he went five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits.

St. Louis will counter with righty Sonny Gray, who ranks among the leaders in MLB stats 2024. Gray is 10-6, tying for the sixth-most wins in the majors, with a 3.79 ERA and 138 strikeouts, which is tied for ninth in baseball.

Gray has struggled in his last few starts, however, allowing at least five runs in three of his last four outings. That includes a no-decision against the Nationals on Friday when he went five innings and gave up five runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking three.

Rangers’ Bats Have A Little More Pop

Neither of these teams is among the top offensive teams in baseball, with Texas ranking 18th in runs and St. Louis 24th. No matter what the MLB implied runs show, this could be a low-scoring series if the veteran arms on both sides are going well.

Texas managed a total of 11 runs in the three-game series against Toronto over the weekend. Third baseman Josh Smith had a two-run home run in Sunday’s loss, giving him 11 for the season. He has a team-best .282 batting average, with 20 doubles, a triple, 45 RBI and 47 runs scored.

Shortstop Corey Seager comes into the series on a five-game hitting streak, going 11-for-22 over that span. Seager has a team-best 19 home runs to go with 13 doubles, 49 RBI and 51 runs scored.

St. Louis avoided a three-game sweep thanks to a walkoff home run by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on Sunday. The former NL MVP has had a disappointing 2024, batting just .230. But he has two home runs in his last three games, giving him 16 on the campaign to go with 16 doubles, 41 RBI and 50 runs scored.

Cardinals Eke Out Tight Series Win

Texas has struggled all season long, and it is coming off an ugly weekend on the road, where it is now 22-32 in 2024. The Rangers’ offense is going to have to find another gear to take this series, and we don’t see them doing that.

The Rangers vs Cardinals MLB odds may favor the defending World Series champions, but we like St. Louis to take at least two out of the three games in this series. MLB betting fans go hand-in-hand with BetMGM bonuses!

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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