Cardinals vs. Rangers Saturday Pick
The Rangers smoked the Cardinals in the first game of their weekend series from Arlington, but they find themselves as underdogs on Saturday afternoon. Will the Rangers make it two in a row versus the Redbirds?
Game Snapshot & Odds
979 St. Louis Cardinals (-126) at 980 Texas Rangers (+117); 12 runs
Saturday, May 18, 2019
4:05 p.m. ET, Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 59% of the betting tickets are on the Cardinals to beat the Rangers on the moneyline.
St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Spin
Dakota Hudson yielded three runs on nine hits over six innings in a no-decision against the Pirates on Sunday. Hudson was tagged for three runs on three hits and needed a staggering 32 pitches to get through a disastrous opening frame. The 24-year-old righty settled in from that point on to reel off five shutout frames and depart in line for the win. He struck out two batters and issued one walk and was ultimately forced to settle for a no-decision after the Cardinals’ bullpen coughed up a three-run lead in the seventh. He’s 2-3 with a pedestrian 4.61 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 31/20 K/BB ratio across nine appearances (eight starts). He’ll face the Rangers on the road in his next start on Saturday.
Texas Rangers Fantasy Spin
Shin-Soo Choo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Rangers’ 7-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday. Choo might be in danger of losing some playing time, only because the Rangers need to give Willie Calhoun an extended opportunity. Still, he can’t sit much with his OPS currently at .905. Besides, he needs to play if the Rangers are going to have any chance of shedding his contract this summer.
MLB Betting Trends
St. Louis
The Cardinals are 2-5 in their last seven games played on Saturday.
Texas
The Rangers have won 10 of their last 14 games at home.
Prediction:
The Cardinals are now winless in their last eight games against the Rangers but I like them to bounce back on Saturday afternoon. Their offense has been feast or famine in the month of May and after being held to only three runs on Friday night, I see them breaking out against Texas’ pitching staff in Game 2 of this series. The Cards’ bats have been held in check over their last three games but a breakout is coming.
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -126