Will Miles Mikolas keep rounding back into form on Sunday Night Baseball when the St. Louis Cardinals try to sweep the Boston Red Sox? Let's examine the matchup with our best Cardinals-Red Sox pick based on the best MLB odds from our best sportsbooks.
The Cardinals have been a pile of disappointment so far in 2023 while sitting at 15-25 overall, and an eight-game losing streak isn't far in the rearview. However, they're starting to show signs of life after winning five of their last six games, including the first two of this current series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas has been part of that turnaround while halting his own personal slide. But will a potent Red Sox lineup send him careening off the tracks again?
Here is our best Cardinals-Red Sox pick (odds via Caesars Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
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Cardinals vs. Red Sox pick
Not intended for use in MA
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The Miles Mikolas of mid-May isn't the same Miles Mikolas who did more than stumble out of the gate in 2023. It was as though the veteran spent April repeatedly walking across scattered lego in the dark.
Mikolas gave up 16 earned runs over his first three outings and 13 1/3 innings. He's allowed seven earned runs in four starts since then, including a shutout over 6 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants.
So there's hope for a continued rebound and positive regression from Mikolas. Just not on Sunday. An unfavorable matchup against the Red Sox at the house of pitching horrors that is Fenway Park will likely add a detour on Mikolas' road to recovery.
Boston's offense has been sizzling while posting the third-best OPS in MLB (.790). That's troubling for a hurler who's expected batting average allowed of .316 ranks in the bottom 3% leaguewide, according to Baseball Savant.
The speed at which torpedos are leaving in the opposite direction when opponents make contact is concerning too, especially against a Boston offense with plenty of power that ranks eighth in home runs (51). The max exit velocity of 115.5 from Mikolas also sits in the bottom 3% of the league, and his 91.1-mph average exit velocity is up sizably from his 87.8 in 2022.
The Red Sox rip apart righties too while posting the second-best OPS. Rafael Devers is been central to that effort, and he'l l salivate when facing a pitcher who leans heavily on his sinker. That's the pitch Mikolas has used the most in 2023 while throwing it 27.2% of the time. Devers hit .347 against that pitch in 2022, and he's at a scorching .438 so far in 2023.
Lastly, the saving grace for Mikolas recently has been an uptick in strikeouts. He's recorded five-plus strikeouts in three straight outings, including a season-high seven the last time out against the Chicago Cubs. However, the Red Sox have recorded the fourth-fewest strikeouts (199) as a team entering Sunday so far in 2023.
Check out our MLB home run leader odds.
Cardinals vs. Red Sox best odds
| DraftKings | bet365 | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16.5 | Under 16.5 | N/A | Under 16.5 | N/A |
| -105 | +100 | N/A | +100 | N/A |
Only three of our best sports betting sites offer this prop, and going with Caesars or bet365 gives us a slight edge over DraftKings Sportsbook.
If you want to be a little less aggressive while still fading Mikolas at a decent price, DraftKings is offering Over 2.5 earned runs at -125.
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Cardinals vs. Red Sox odds
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Cardinals vs. Red Sox odds analysis
The Cardinals are favored at our best sports betting apps, and they've been given a price of -120 nearly across the board. The exception is Caesars, and Cardinals backers should pounce on their -115 offering. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are only slight underdogs while hovering around eve n money. FanDuel Sportsbook offers the best odds on them at +102.
There's a consensus on the total from all of our best live betting sites, with each one sitting at 10 after opening at 10.5. Over bettors should head to Caesars, which is offering a nice edge at -110, while FanDuel and PointsBet sit at -120.
The Cardinals are drawing 70% of the moneyline action, while the Under is getting 68% of the action on the total.
Cardinals vs. Red Sox game info
- Date: Sunday, May 14, 7:10 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
- Weather: 63 degrees, 10% chance of precipitation, 9-mph northwest winds
Cardinals-Red Sox pick made 14/5/2023 at 12:41 p.m. ET.
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