Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 8/8/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Thursday, August 8, 2024

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Busch Stadium is the location where the St. Louis Cardinals (58-56) will try to beat the Tampa Bay Rays (57-55) on Thursday. The expected starting pitchers will be Shane Baz and Kyle Gibson.

As a unit, the Tampa Bay Rays are putting up 4.0 runs per game, which puts them at 27th in MLB. They have accounted for 444 runs and hold an on-base percentage of .312. The Rays have accumulated 180 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 107 baseballs out of the park. They have compiled 415 RBI's as well as 872 base knocks so far this season, while their team batting average is at .234. Tampa Bay has a slugging rate of .375 and have been called out on strikes 1,021 times, while being walked on 370 occasions.

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They have earned a K/BB ratio of 3.13 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.23. Rays pitchers have surrendered 142 long balls and 488 runs (14th in the league). Tampa Bay has conceded 920 base hits (8.3 per 9 innings) as well as 445 earned runs. The Rays hold a team earned run average of 4.00 so far this year (17th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 965 hitters. They have walked 308 opposing hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.15 as a squad over the course of the season.

The Rays have dispatched 380 relievers to the hill this year. The relief pitchers have inherited 125 base runners over the course of the season and 26.4% of them earned a run for their team. They have tallied 35 saves on the year and have blown 18 of 53 save opportunities. The Rays relief pitchers have a save percentage of 66.0% and stepped onto the hill in 132 save situations. The bullpen have notched 77 holds for the season (4th in the league). Rays relief pitchers have entered the game with players on base 84 times in addition to having 147 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Rays have turned 70.3% of balls hit into play into outs in their 9,012 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 12th in the majors. The Tampa Bay Rays have accumulated 3,004 putouts this season, in addition to 883 assists and 58 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .985 which has them ranked 15th in MLB, and they have turned 76 double plays.

Baz has taken the mound for 65 innings and has earned 72 K's so far in his MLB career. His earned run average is 3.87 (28 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.229. He has surrendered 58 base hits (8.0 hits per nine innings) and has 22 walks. Baz (3-3 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 3.81 while facing 274 batters during his time in the major leagues.

The Cardinals have a team SLG% of .386 and they have an average of 4.14 runs per contest (23rd in the league). They have hit 164 doubles, while taking a walk 325 times and scoring 472 runs. St. Louis has a total of 118 home runs for the year to go along with 446 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 945 occasions (17th in baseball) and have notched a total of 947 hits. The St. Louis Cardinals have compiled a team OBP of .308 as well as a batting average of .245 for the year.

The Cardinals have a team WHIP of 1.264 in addition to having a FIP of 3.97 as a staff on the year. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.10 (910 strikeouts against 316 walks). They are sitting at 22nd in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 968. They have surrendered 123 dingers and they give up 4.60 runs per 9 innings (20th in baseball). The St. Louis pitching staff have given up 519 runs over the course of the season while holding a team ERA of 4.09 (462 earned runs conceded).

With 137 save situations, the Cardinals have recorded 81 holds in addition to 17 blown saves. St. Louis has had relievers take the mound in 56 save chances and they have tallied 39 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have taken the field 130 times in high leverage situations and on 112 occasions with runners on. St. Louis relievers have an inherited score percentage of 36.5% out of 156 inherited runners. They rank 6th in baseball holding a save percentage of 69.6%, and they have sent 358 relievers onto the diamond on the campaign.

The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 110 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .988 (3rd in MLB). The Cardinals have 1,066 assists, 51 errors and have earned 3,050 putouts on the season. In 9,150 innings played, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.5% (19th in professional baseball).

During his MLB career, Gibson has surrendered 1,858 base hits and he has 1,468 K's in 1,815 frames. He has surrendered 910 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.374 and having a FIP of 4.4. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.31 and he has gone up against 7,780 opposing hitters in his MLB career. Gibson (111-104 career win-loss mark) has earned a 4.51 ERA and has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take St. Louis

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