St. Louis Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 8/22/2025 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Friday, August 22, 2025

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (-145) Tampa Bay (+125)

The Tampa Bay Rays (61-66) will play the St. Louis Cardinals (63-65) at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday. The moneyline on this game has St. Louis at -145 and Tampa Bay is at +125. The over/under has been set at 9. The expected starting pitchers will be Miles Mikolas and Adrian Houser.

St. Louis has a slugging % of .387 and have struck out 982 times, while taking a walk on 385 occasions. They have 523 runs batted in and 1,057 hits on the year, and their batting average is at .249. The Cardinals have recorded 213 doubles as a team and have knocked 120 baseballs out of the park. They have accumulated 549 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .318. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are earning 4.4 runs/g, which puts them at 17th in the league.

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The Cardinals have compiled a team earned run average of 4.24 so far this season (21st in the league), and they have struck out 918 batters. Cardinals pitchers have conceded 124 long balls and also 574 total runs (23rd in the league). They have walked 337 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 3.91 as a unit on the year. St. Louis has allowed 1,102 hits (8.9 per 9 innings) as well as 525 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.72 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.29.

Cardinals relief pitchers have come into the game with players on base 120 times in addition to having 119 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have a total of 68 holds for the season (18th in MLB). The Cardinals relief pitchers have earned a save percentage of 63.8% and have come into the game in 118 save situations. They have accumulated 30 saves on the year and have blown 17 of their 47 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 163 base runners this season with 33.1% of them crossed the plate. The Cardinals have dispatched 373 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season.

The Cardinals have converted 69.3% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 10,023 innings on the field, ranking them 20th in the majors. The St. Louis Cardinals have accumulated 3,341 putouts this year, in addition to 1,206 assists and 59 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .987 which puts them in 9th in professional baseball, and they have turned 96 double plays.

Mikolas has thrown 1,218 innings and has earned 875 strikeouts so far in his career. Mikolas (70-73 career record) sits with a FIP of 4.18 while facing 5,073 hitters during his time in the majors. His ERA is 4.24 (574 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.212. He has conceded 1,238 base hits (9.1 hits per nine innings) and has 239 free passes.

The Rays have a slugging percentage of .398 and they are earning 4.45 runs per outing (14th in baseball). They have put up 186 doubles, while getting a free base 362 times as well as scoring 556 runs. Tampa Bay has accounted for 137 HRs on the campaign and 525 runs batted in. They have struck out on 1,068 occasions (13th in baseball) and have a total of 1,055 hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have accounted for a team on-base percentage of .313 in addition to a batting average of .250 so far this season.

The Tampa Bay pitching staff have given up 517 runs for the year while holding a team ERA of 3.92 (481 earned runs yielded). They have yielded 159 HR's and they concede 4.21 runs per 9 innings (11th in the league). The Rays are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.213 in addition to having a FIP of 4.17 as a unit on the campaign. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 8.70 (1,064 strikeouts vs 354 bases on balls). They are sitting at 6th in baseball as a staff in total hits allowed with 985.

Tampa Bay bullpen pitchers have an inherited score rate of 34.4% out of 128 inherited runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 119 times in high leverage situations and on 88 occasions with base runners. Sitting with 119 save situations, the Rays have accrued 69 holds in addition to 21 blown saves. They rank 24th in baseball holding a save percentage of 57.1%, and they have dispatched 390 relief pitchers onto the field on the season. Tampa Bay has had bullpen pitchers take the mound in 49 save chances and they have come away with 28 saves.

The Tampa Bay Rays have turned 117 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .987 (10th in the majors). The Rays have recorded 1,107 assists, 58 errors and have earned 3,314 putouts for the year. Out of their 9,942 innings on the field, the Rays hold a efficiency on defense of 70.8% (8th in baseball).

Houser (38-43 record in his career) holds a 4.03 ERA and has surrendered 8.8 hits per nine innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.01 and he has gone up against 2,966 opposing hitters so far in his MLB career. He has given up a total of 310 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.368 and having a FIP of 4.0. In his career, Houser has allowed 677 base hits while he has earned 544 K's in 692 frames.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+125)

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