The Boston Red Sox (22-22) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (18-25) Friday in the opener of a 3-game set at Busch Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Red Sox vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; St. Louis won 3-0 last year
The Red Sox dropped their 3rd in 4 games Thursday with a 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. They made it interesting, though, as they battled back from 5-1 to tie it before succumbing. The Red Sox lead the majors with a 2.79 ERA and are tied for 15th with 4.3 R/game.
The Cardinals did what they do and failed to complete a sweep in a 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday. They’re just 3-7 over their last 10 but come home for a 9-game homestand. Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt is having an alarmingly bad season with a .206/.291/.300 slash line. He is hitting .140 with 22 K’s in 50 at-bats in May.