Angels vs Cardinals: Can the Cardinals Stop Their Skid Against Ohtani and the Angels?

• Anthony Rendon owns a .455 career average against Mikolas
• Shohei Ohtani gave up five runs over six innings against the A’s last week
• The Cardinals have lost seven of their last ten games

Angels vs Cardinals Odds

Odd Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

Angels vs Cardinals Pick

• Angels Run Line -1.5 (+115 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Angels vs Cardinals Prediction

Things are not right in St. Louis. We saw the Cardinals’ offense continue to struggle last night, and they now have scored just four runs over their previous three games. They have been shut out twice in their last eight games and have been held to three or fewer runs in their previous four. Now, they will face the league’s top arm and an Angels team that has won five of their last seven games. Expect another low-scoring effort for the Red Birds, leading to an easy run-line cover.

Los Angeles Angels Predictions

The Angels (16-14) picked up an easy win in St. Louis last night. Patrick Sandoval and the bullpen held the Cardinals to just one run while the Angels' offense hit Steven Matz hard. They have been winning lately as they attempt to catch Texas in the AL West. With Ohtani on the mound tonight, we expect that winning to continue.

Shohei Ohtani (4-0, 1.85 ERA) will take the mound for the Angels tonight. He is coming off his worst start of the year against the A’s, where he allowed five runs (two home runs) to the league's worst offense. It was his only poor outing of the season, as he had only allowed two runs over his previous five starts. Don’t expect him to give up big home runs again tonight, as he has only surrendered 11 hits on the season. We love his chances to dominate tonight against a bad Cardinals team that has not seen the former MVP before. Expect to see him cruise through at least six innings and put the Angels in a position to win. 

While they aren’t always consistent, the Angels' offense has performed well this season. They are sixth in the league in home runs (39) and RBIs (146) and are in the top half of the league in batting average (.252) and on-base percentage (.331). We expect them to be able to hit a floundering Mikolas, especially with the Angels’ roster hitting for a combined .345 batting average against the veteran pitcher. Watch out for Anthony Rendon, as he owns a .455 average against Mikolas and has been heating up over the last week.

St. Louis Cardinals Predictions

St. Louis (10-20) comes into tonight having lost four straight games. Last night’s loss means they have now dropped seven of their last ten games. It’s been shocking for a team that experts pegged to win the NL Central. While their offense has been able to get on base, the Cardinals have been unable to convert them into runs. They are sixth in the league in batting average (.262), but are twentieth in RBIs (119) and runs scored (123). They have been especially bad lately, and that won’t change tonight against Ohtani.

The Cardinals will turn to Miles Mikolas (1-1, 5.97 ERA) tonight. The veteran has been a fantastic starter for the Cardinals, but this season has been ugly. While he was outstanding against the Giants in his last start (6 ⅓ innings, 0 ER), it was his first quality start of the season and it came against a terrible offense. His ERA previously was at 7.46, and we expect that version of Mikolas to show up tonight. He has seen many of these Angels players before, and that group hit for a combined .283 average against him. Anthony Rendon is one of those players (.455 average), and he is currently swinging a hot bat. We expect him and the rest of the Angels to tag Mikolas early, leading to a big win.

We highlighted above just how broken this Caridnals lineup is despite having two of the top hitters in the league in Paul Goldschmidt (.304 BA, 4 HR, 114 RBI) and Nolan Arenado (.233 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI). Both have seen their power numbers dip in 2023, but Arenado’s start has been concerning. The third baseman had a .293 batting average, 30 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 2022, making this start baffling. He has just two hits over his last seven games, so don’t expect him to break out against Ohtani tonight.

How to Watch Angels vs Cardinals

• What - Angels vs Cardinals
• When - Wednesday, May 3, 7:45 PM E.T. 
• How to Watch - Fox, MLB Network, MLB.TV, MLB Extra Innings, ESPN+