Tigers vs Cardinals Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 5 (Back an Early High-Scoring Game at Busch Stadium)

The St. Louis Cardinals (10-22) will aim to snap a dispiriting six-game losing streak when they host the Detroit Tigers (13-17) in the first matchup of their three-game series on Friday, May 5.

Tigers vs Cardinals Game Info

• Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
• Time: 8:15 PM ET
• Venue: Busch Stadium -- St. Louis, Missouri
• Coverage: BSMW

The Cardinals find themselves in desperate need of a change in momentum as they sit 12 games under the .500 mark at the bottom of the NL Central. The Tigers come to town on a hot streak after sweeping the New York Mets, but will that streak continue or will St. Louis right the ship on Friday?

Tigers vs Cardinals Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DET: (+190) | STL: (-230)
• Spread: DET: +1.5 (-110) | STL: -1.5 (-110)
• Total: 8 -- Over: (-114) | Under: (-106)

The Cardinals enter this contest as huge home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8:15 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8 runs with the over being favored at -114 odds.

Tigers vs Cardinals Betting Trends

• Detroit is 4-1 straight up in its last five games against St. Louis.
• The total has hit the over in five of Detroit's last seven games.
• St. Louis is 1-5 straight up in its last six games against an AL opponent.
• The total has hit the under in eight of St. Louis' last 11 games against Detroit.

Tigers vs Cardinals Prediction & Pick

There are a couple of reasons the Cardinals have struggled out of the gate in 2023, but pitching is the biggest one. St. Louis ranks 17th in home runs allowed per nine innings (1.22) 20th in team ERA (4.60) and 27th in WHIP (1.47). Four of the five starters own an ERA north of 5.30 on the season as well.

The good news for the Cardinals is that the only starter who has found early success is on the mound on Friday night. Jordan Montgomery has logged a 3.34 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across six starts (2-4 record). He has given his team a chance by allowing less than 3 earned runs in four of his six starts.

The Tigers will counter with Matthew boyd, who has posted a 5.47 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across five starts this season (1-2 record). He has only faced off against the Cardinals once in his career and it was not at Busch Stadium, so expect him to give up some runs early before making adjustments.

Final Score Prediction: Tigers: 4 | Cardinals: 6

Tigers vs Cardinals Best Bet

Montgomery gives the Cardinals their best chance of winning, but do not overlook the fact that his two starts of at least 3 earned runs allowed both came at Busch Stadium. On the other side, Boyd has given up at least 2 earned runs in each of his six starts. All that is needed for the over to hit in the first five innings is for both starters to be average. I'll trust the offenses to produce some early runs.

Bet: First 5 Innings Over 4.5 Total Runs (-105)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.