St. Louis Cardinals vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, 7/18/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ

TV: DBACKS.TV

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

The St. Louis Cardinals (50-45) are hitting the road to Chase Field on Saturday where they will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (49-47). The moneyline on this game has St. Louis at +125 while Arizona is coming in at -145. The over/under is 8.5. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Dustin May and Brandon Pfaadt.

St. Louis is slugging .390 and have been called out on strikes 735 times, while taking a walk on 304 occasions. They have 417 runs batted in and 767 base knocks over the course of the season, and their team batting average is .242. The Cardinals have tallied 131 doubles as a unit and have knocked 107 balls out of the stadium. They have 429 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .318. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are recording 4.5 runs per contest, which has them sitting at 14th in MLB.

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The Cardinals have an earned run average of 4.13 on the season (12th in baseball), and their staff has struck out 715 hitters. Cardinals pitchers have given up 94 home runs in addition to 423 runs in total (14th in MLB). They have walked 318 opposing players and their FIP is 4.15 as a team over the course of the season. St. Louis has surrendered 809 base knocks (8.6 per 9 innings) and also 389 earned runs. They have a K/BB ratio of 2.25 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.33.

The Cardinals bullpen have a save percentage of 65.9% and have stepped onto the mound in 110 save situations. They have compiled 29 saves on the campaign and have not converted 15 of their 44 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 156 base runners for the year and 35.3% of those runners crossing the plate. Cardinals relief pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 106 times as well as having 109 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cardinals have sent 324 relievers to the mound over the course of the season. The relief pitchers have accumulated 63 holds over the course of the season (4th in baseball).

The Cardinals have converted 69.7% of balls in play into outs out of 7,638 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 17th in professional baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have accounted for 2,546 putouts on the year, in addition to 889 assists and 46 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .987 which is 12th in pro baseball, and have earned 84 double plays.

May has taken the mound for 417 innings and has 386 punch outs in his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.01 (186 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.213. He has surrendered 365 base hits (7.9 hits per nine innings) with 141 free passes. May (24-26 career record) sits with a FIP of 3.95 while going up against 1,745 batters in the major leagues.

Arizona has accumulated 89 long balls on the campaign as well as 397 runs batted in. They have tallied 161 doubles, while getting a free base 304 times and scoring 416 runs. The Arizona Diamondbacks have tallied an OBP of .307 as well as a team batting average of .237 on the campaign. The Diamondbacks hold a team slugging % of .384 and they earn 4.33 runs per outing (19th in MLB). They have struck out on 702 occasions (28th in baseball) and have recorded 755 base hits.

The Arizona pitching staff have allowed 429 runs on the year while holding a team ERA of 4.21 (396 earned runs surrendered). They have given up 116 home runs and they allow 4.56 runs per 9 innings (18th in baseball). The Diamondbacks hold a team WHIP of 1.270 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.43 as a unit so far this season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 7.00 (655 strikeouts vs 273 walks). They come in at 22nd in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 802.

Arizona relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 27.0% out of 115 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the mound 102 times in high leverage situations in addition to 81 occasions with base runners. Sitting with 90 save situations, the Diamondbacks have accumulated 54 holds and also 10 blown saves. They sit at 8th in MLB with a save rate of 71.4%, and they have sent 314 bullpen pitchers to the mound for the year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have gotten 80 double plays and have a fielding rate of .990 (3rd in baseball). The Diamondbacks have recorded 843 assists, 35 errors and have earned 2,540 putouts so far this year. Out of their 7,620 innings on the field, the Diamondbacks are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 71.5% (5th in pro baseball).

During his pro baseball career, Pfaadt has conceded 543 base knocks while accumulating 467 strikeouts in 507 frames. Pfaadt (30-29 career mark) is the owner of a 5.09 earned run average while giving up 9.6 hits per 9 innings. He has given up 287 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.313 and being the owner of a FIP of 5.0. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.80 and he has faced 2,179 opposing batters during his MLB career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Arizona (-145)

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