Best MLB Bets Today: Profiting From the Cardinals' Many Problems

We have a couple of fantastic bets on the table for today. The first comes from a matchup between sub-.500 teams as the Boston Red Sox take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The other features two talented teams as the San Diego Padres head East to take on the Atlanta Braves.

Below, we’ll share our favorite bet for both games. All odds will be taken from Caesars Sportsbook, which gives players a $1,000 First Bet Offer when they sign up using promo code WSN1000.

Best MLB Bets Today: Red Sox vs. Cardinals (7:15 PM EST)

Red Sox ML (-120 at Caesars Sportsbook)

The Red Sox have been the team we expected them to be, but the Cardinals have not. They were a betting favorite to win the NL Central this season but instead found themselves in last place. There have been a few times when it looked like they may be turning things around but quickly returned to their losing ways, leading to a lot of opportunities for bettors to win some money, which is what we’ll be doing tonight.

One big reason we expect the Cardinals to add another loss tonight is the pitching matchup. The Red Sox will have a hot arm on the mound tonight in Kutter Crawford (2-2, 2.24 ERA, 1.14 WHIP). He has been doing his best work on the road this season, posting a 1.59 ERA across four starts. While we don’t buy the 28-year-old keeping this level of play up for the entire season, he will today against a Cardinals offense that ranks twenty-eighth in runs scored (155). 

St. Louis will have a massive disadvantage tonight with Miles Mikolas (3-5, 6.19 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) on the mound. The veteran has seen his play take a nosedive in 2024 after posting his worst campaign as a Cardinal in 2023. Given his ugly WHIP, we don’t see him turning around any time soon. While Mikolas had a strong outing against Boston last season, his drop in production makes a repeat this season unlikely.

Bet on Red Sox ML (-120) at Caesars 

Best MLB Bets Today: Padres vs. Braves (7:15 PM EST)

Padres ML (+100 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Just when we thought the Padres had figured things out, they were swept at home by the Rockies. Poor pitching doomed them, allowing 19 runs over the three-game series. While that has been a problem for this team, it won’t be tonight with Yu Darvish (3-1, 2.43 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) on the mound.

Darvish has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last month and is currently riding an 18-inning scoreless streak. That includes a start against the Dodgers last weekend, during which he held them scoreless on two hits and one walk across seven innings. The Dodgers are one of the few teams with a lineup comparable to the Braves, making his success a good sign for tonight’s matchup.

Another reason we like San Diego to win today is Braves’ starter Bryce Elder (1-1, 4.79 ERA, 1.65 WHIP). The 24-year-old had an impressive 2023 campaign, but things started to fall apart towards the end of the season. That has continued into 2024, as evidenced by his brutal 1.65 WHIP.

The Padres lineup lost some of its pop when Juan Soto left for the Yankees, but this is still a very talented group. While Fernando Tatis Jr. (.256 BA, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB) continues to play at a high level, they have gotten a significant boost from Jurickson Profar (.322 BA, 7 HR, 29 RBI). The former top prospect has had an underwhelming career filled with injuries, but he is off to a blistering start in 2024. He owns a .333 average with three home runs and ten RBIs already in May, and we expect that to continue with Elder on the mound tonight.

Bet on Padres ML (-120) at Caesars 

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