Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (72-72) at Seattle Mariners (75-68)
Time: 8:40pm CT Monday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.89 ERA) vs Bryan Woo (12-7, 3.02 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Mariners -232, Cardinals +186
Total: 7.5 (over -110, under -110)
Cards Head West
The St. Louis Cardinals look to climb over the .500 mark when they open a six-game road trip tonight in Seattle against the Mariners.
The Redbirds won their third consecutive series by squeaking past the Giants 4-3 yesterday. The Mariners are returning home after a 3-6 road trip, and they are holding onto a slim 1.5 game lead over the Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Mikolas On The Road Vs. Good Team… Uh-oh
As the season has worn on, tonight’s starter Miles Mikolas has actually become more predictable. If he’s at home (in particular against a mediocre to bad team), he is likely to pitch well. Mikolas has a 3.40 ERA at Busch Stadium this season, and in 18 starts overall against non-playoff teams both home and away, he has a 3.54 ERA and the Cardinals are 12-6 in those games.
But the road has not been kind to Mikolas, and neither have matchups against good teams. He has an ugly 6.79 ERA on the road this season, and in 9 starts overall against teams currently in the playoffs like the Mariners both home and away, Mikolas has a 7.87 ERA and the Cards are 1-8 in those contests.
Suárez Ready To Mash
Mikolas will need to be extremely careful tonight with Seattle’s main trade deadline acquisition in Eugenio Suárez. The Mariners third baseman mashed 3 home runs this past week and ranks 4th in MLB with 45 round-trippers this season. Suárez has also crushed Mikolas in their careers with a .474 average (9-for-19) and 4 homers.
One of MLB’s most consistent starters Bryan Woo will be on the mound tonight for Seattle. The right-hander went at least 6 innings in his first 25 starts of the year before falling short of that mark in his last two outings. Woo ranks 6th in the American League with a 3.02 ERA and 3rd with a 0.97 WHIP.
My Pick
Mikolas has pitched well in his last two outings, but the numbers don’t lie - I recommend fading him tonight.
The price on the Mariners to win is too high, so I think it’s wise to focus on their team total in the first five innings when Mikolas will be in the game. You can get Seattle to score over 2.5 runs in the first five innings at +100, which I think is a bargain price. This bet has cashed for the opponent in each of Mikolas’ last five road starts, and the Mariners come into tonight with blazing hot bats with 28 runs scored across their last two games.
Pick: Mariners over 2.5 runs scored in the first five innings at +100 on DraftKings (bet to -120)
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