Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (64-66) at Tampa Bay Rays (62-67)
Time: 11:10am CT Sunday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Matthew Liberatore (6-10, 4.13 ERA) vs Ryan Pepiot (8-10, 3.95 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Rays -132, Cardinals +108
Total: 9 (over -105, under -115)
Cards, Rays Play Rubber Game
The St. Louis Cardinals conclude their six-game road trip on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Redbirds are 3-2 so far on their travels after taking two of three against the Marlins and splitting the first two games with the Rays.
Liberatore Faces Former Team
Matthew Liberatore will be taking on his former organization that made him a first round draft pick in 2018 and then traded him to the Cardinals in 2020. Liberatore faced the Rays one previous time in 2023, and he dominated them with 8 shutout innings with just 2 hits allowed, no walks, and 7 strikeouts.
Despite losing the middle game of this series in Tampa Bay, the Cardinals continue to swing the bats well. They are averaging exactly 6 runs per game over their last 7 contests.
Pepiot Starts For Rays
The Rays will be in their unfavorable split on Sunday facing a left-handed starter. Tampa Bay has a .648 OPS against lefties this season, which ranks 24th in MLB.
Ryan Pepiot will be on the bump for the Rays. The right-hander may be starting to wear down, as he has set a career high in innings with 148 this season. Since the All Star break, Pepiot has a 5.88 ERA in 6 starts.
My Lean
I’m not confident enough to bet this personally, but I have a gut feeling the Cardinals come through and take this series on Sunday.
I’m not sure how much both of these starters have left in the tank in 2025, but as we saw a couple years ago, Liberatore had a little extra something for the team that traded him away. I was also encouraged by his last outing, as he pitched into the sixth inning for the first time since June 29th. After a run of short outings, Liberatore may be catching a second wind.
I get the sense Pepiot is fading based on his recent starts, and the Cardinals are hot offensively right now. If you’re going to bet this one, I’d take a stab on the Redbirds to win at a plus money price.
Lean: Cardinals on the moneyline at +108 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night 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