Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (2-0) vs Minnesota Twins (0-2)
Time: 1:15pm CT Sunday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Andre Pallante (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Bailey Ober (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Twins -125, Cardinals +105
Total: 8 (over -118, under -102)
Cards Go For Sweep
The St. Louis Cardinals go for the sweep of the Minnesota Twins when the two teams meet this afternoon at Busch Stadium in the finale of their three-game series.
The Redbirds will be looking to improve upon a negative trend from last season, as they went 2-9 when having a chance to sweep a three or four-game series in 2024.
Cards Looking Good
The Cardinals have played a clean, crisp, and fun brand of baseball thus far, highlighted by an offense that is putting balls in play and doing damage. The Cards have 10 hits in each of the first two games and are hitting .308 as a team. Lars Nootbaar has led the way by going 4-for-7 with 3 runs scored, 1 home run, 4 RBI, and a .667 OBP.
Andre Pallante will make his first start of the season for the Redbirds. He carved up the Twins back on August 23rd last year with 7 innings of one-run ball while allowing just 5 hits with 5 strikeouts.
Twins Struggling Out Of The Gate
The Twins’ offense has been stymied out of the gate this season with just four runs scored over the first two games. The Cardinals held them to just three hits yesterday, and Minnesota’s 1-thru-3 hitters Matt Wallner, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton are a combined 0-for-24.
Bailey Ober gets the ball for the Twins. This is a pitcher I’m very high on this season from a fantasy perspective. Ober had 191 strikeouts in 178.2 innings pitched last season, and while his 3.98 ERA looks pedestrian, his expected ERA (xERA) was 3.22. He also has a terrific 1.07 WHIP for his career.
My Lean
It’s early in the season, but I’m eager to see how the Cardinals respond with a chance to sweep a series. As stated earlier, this is a spot that the Redbirds really struggled in a year ago. So I’m intrigued to find out what kind of lineup Oliver Marmol puts out later today. Does he roll out the exact same or mostly the same lineup for a third straight game? Or does he deploy an “it’s all good, we’ve already won the series” lineup? I’d love to see the Cardinals keep the pedal down to really push for the sweep and continue the good vibes at Busch Stadium.
I tend to be conservative from a betting perspective early in seasons while we wait for trends and patterns to emerge, so I don’t think I’m going to bet this one. It’s a tough one to call because the Cardinals have looked so good these first two games, but I also think Ober is in store for a fantastic season. Weather also may potentially wreak havoc on this game.
If I had to bet this one, I’d take the Cardinals at the plus money price. I love that Twins closer Jhoan Duran threw 24 pitches in a loss yesterday, and the Cards were able to conserve Ryan Helsley. So if this game is close in the late innings, the Cardinals will have the edge.
Lean: Cardinals on the moneyline at +105 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Disclaimer