Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (63-65) at Tampa Bay Rays (61-66)
Time: 6:35pm CT Thursday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Sonny Gray (11-6, 4.30 ERA) vs Joe Boyle (1-2, 4.68 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Cardinals -119, Rays -102
Total: 8.5 (over -106, under -115)
Cards Head To Tampa
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their road trip tonight when they open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Redbirds are coming off a 6-2 loss last night in Miami, but they did take two of three against the Marlins to win their second consecutive road series.
Can Gray Rebound?
Sonny Gray is looking to bounce back from yet another tough start his last time out. The right-hander got clobbered by the Yankees this past Saturday for 6 runs and 9 hits in 5 innings of work.
In six starts since the All Star break, Gray has compiled a 6.96 ERA with opponents hitting .324 against him with 9 home runs and a .944 OPS.
Boyle Struggling For Tampa
Tonight’s Tampa Bay starter Joe Boyle has also fallen on hard times lately. In his last two outings in Seattle and San Francisco, the right-hander got roughed up for 10 runs in just 5.1 innings.
The Rays have fallen out of contention in the American League playoff race, as they have endured a really tough last couple of months. They were 11 games over .500 at 47-36 on June 28th. Since then, Tampa Bay has sputtered to a record of 14-30.
My Lean
I will continue to be bullish on Gray. I just refuse to believe his ERA will keep climbing, as he carries a 3.81 xERA, 3.24 FIP, and 2.97 xFIP.
Gray had two bad starts in a row last month against the Diamondbacks and Padres, but it is very rare to see him get roughed up in two straight outings.
The Cardinals have been swinging the bats well lately minus last night against Sandy Alcantara, and Boyle doesn’t strike me as the type of pitcher that is going to shut them down.
I’m not brave enough to put this on my Thursday card, but if forced to make a pick on this game, I would take the Cardinals to win.
Lean: Cardinals on the moneyline at -119 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer