San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Predictions September 27th 2024

At 10:15 PM ET, the Giants and Cardinals will face off in an NL matchup. This one is being played at Oracle Park in San Francisco, and the Giants are favored on the money line (-130). The money line odds for the Cardinals are sitting at +110.

Friday’s pitching matchup is Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals and Landen Roupp for the Giants. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs, and NBCS will be televising this one.

St. Louis vs. San Francisco Key Information

Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Giants on the road. This year, he has made 31 starts and has a record of 9-11 with a 5.35 ERA. Mikolas’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.27, and opponents are batting .280 off him this year. In his 31 appearances, Mikolas has turned in 15 quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Mikolas pitched well, picking up the win while giving up just one earned run in six innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings.

St. Louis comes into today’s game averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have been a bit better at home, putting up 4.2 runs per contest. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .246, which is 11th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in terms of avoiding strikeouts. In terms of power, they are 19th in the league in home runs and have a collective slugging percentage of .390.

Join the Elite Betting Network! Register Today.

Over his last five games, Iván Herrera has gone 6/13 with two homers and four RBIs. This has pushed his season average to .274. Nolan Arenado is also on a five-game hitting streak. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are the team’s top power threats, with 21 and 22 homers, respectively.

Giants starter Landen Roupp has made three starts and 22 appearances this season. He comes into the game with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 2.70. Roupp’s WHIP for the season is 1.24, and opponents are batting .193 this year. In his last outing, Roupp faced the Royals and picked up the win. He went five innings in the outing and didn’t give up a run. Before that, he had given up two earned runs in back-to-back outings. Roupp’s ERA at home is 6.35 compared to 0.0 on the road.

San Francisco’s offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game this season, which is 17th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. The Giants are also 14th in home runs this season and have a team batting average of .238.

Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman have been two of the Giants’ top power hitters this season, as Ramos is 2nd on the team with 22 homers, and Chapman leads the team with 78 RBIs and is 15th in the league with 27 home runs. However, Chapman has struggled a bit of late, going just 4/19 in his last five games. Ramos has gone 7/22 in his last five games and is currently on a three-game hitting streak.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as we have this as the 8th highest-scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Giants to pick up the win. San Francisco starter Landen Roupp has the 5th best odds to pick up a win and is 2nd to last in our projections in terms of strikeouts among today’s starters. On the other side, Miles Mikolas has the 4th worst strikeout projection among today’s starters.

Cards’ Paul Goldschmidt Looks to Make Himself at Home vs. Giants

The San Francisco Giants will be facing one of the biggest stars in baseball, Paul Goldschmidt, when they host the St. Louis Cardinals for the final three games of the regular season starting Friday night. While neither team will be advancing to the postseason, both clubs share the goal of finishing the year above .500.

The Giants (79-80), fresh off a 7-2 road trip to Baltimore, Kansas City, and Arizona, need to sweep the series to secure a winning record for the first time since 2021. Meanwhile, the Cardinals (81-78) are just one win away from finishing above .500 for the 16th time in the past 17 seasons.

Goldschmidt’s Struggles

Goldschmidt has had a difficult stretch recently, going just 6-for-32 over his last eight games. Although he hit his first home run since Sept. 3 in Thursday’s 10-8 loss to the Colorado Rockies, his overall production has been lacking. Goldschmidt went 1-for-5 in the game, striking out twice.

At 37 years old and heading into free agency after the season, Goldschmidt’s slump comes at an unfortunate time. He is hitting a career-low .241 with 22 home runs, his lowest total in a non-COVID season since 2014. Additionally, his 62 RBIs are his fewest in a full season since his rookie year in 2011.

Despite the uncertainty around his future, Goldschmidt is focused on the present.

“I want to play next year,” he said. “I owe it to this team and organization to give everything to this year, and that’s 100 percent where my thoughts are.”

Goldschmidt’s Success in San Francisco

Goldschmidt has consistently performed well at Oracle Park, making him a potential threat in this final series. Over 82 games in San Francisco, he has hit .331 with 26 doubles, 15 home runs, and 62 RBIs. Since his debut in 2011, he leads all Giants’ opponents in doubles, home runs, and RBIs at Oracle Park.

Given his impressive history in San Francisco, Giants management may be willing to overlook his 2023 numbers as they assess his free agency potential.

Giants’ Offensive Struggles and Webb’s Observations

The Giants, on the other hand, have struggled to generate power at home. They are tied with the Chicago White Sox for the fewest home runs at home this season, managing just 64. Giants’ first basemen have contributed only 14 home runs all year.

Get Winning MLB Strategies! View expert MLB Betting Previews.

Giants’ All-Star pitcher Logan Webb made a light-hearted comment about Goldschmidt’s offensive prowess, suggesting the team could benefit from allowing him to hit a triple just to get him to third base, where Matt Chapman awaits with a friendly greeting. Webb noted that Chapman has been engaging with every player who reaches third base, a small yet positive sign of camaraderie for the Giants’ future.

Pitching Matchup: Mikolas vs. Roupp

The series opener will see Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (9-11, 5.35 ERA) facing off against Giants right-hander Landen Roupp (1-1, 2.70 ERA). Mikolas will be seeking his third double-digit win season and has enjoyed success against the Giants in his career, boasting a 4-1 record with a 2.88 ERA in nine appearances.

Roupp, 26, has impressed since transitioning to a starter earlier this month. He has allowed just two runs and 10 hits over 15 innings and will be facing the Cardinals for the first time in his young career.