St. Louis Cardinals vs Detroit Tigers Prediction, 4/5/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Detroit Tigers

Date: Sunday, April 5, 2026

Location: Comerica Park in Detroit, MI

TV: Detroit SportsNet

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (-160) Detroit (+132)

The St. Louis Cardinals (4-2) are hitting the road to Comerica Park on Sunday where they will try to beat the Detroit Tigers (2-4). The moneyline on this matchup has St. Louis at -160 and Detroit is coming in at +132. The over/under is set at 8. The pitchers expected to start will be Kyle Leahy and Justin Verlander.

St. Louis owns a slugging percentage of .379 and have struck out 49 times, while being walked on 17 occasions. They have accumulated 28 runs batted in and 47 base knocks over the course of the season, while their batting average is .232. The Cardinals have accumulated 9 two-baggers as a unit and have knocked 7 balls out of the stadium. They have earned a total of 29 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .287. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are compiling 4.8 runs/g, which ranks them 10th in baseball.

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The Cardinals have compiled a team earned run average of 4.26 over the course of the season (20th in baseball), and they have struck out 34 batters. Cardinals pitchers have given up 2 home runs in addition to 28 runs in total (20th in MLB). They have walked 26 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 3.83 as a squad this year. St. Louis has allowed 59 base hits (9.3 per 9 innings) in addition to 27 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 1.31 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.49.

The Cardinals have sent 26 relief pitchers to the hill on the year. The relievers have inherited 18 runners over the course of the season and 44.4% of them crossing the plate. The relievers have a total of 6 holds so far this season (7th in the league). Cardinals bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 10 times and also have had 10 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cardinals have transformed 68.9% of baseballs in play into outs in their 513 innings, which has them sitting 22nd in the majors. The St. Louis Cardinals have earned a total of 171 putouts this season, as well as 63 assists and 4 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .983 which is 20th in MLB, and have accumulated 4 double plays.

Leahy (5-5 career win-loss mark) holds a FIP of 3.72 while he has faced 593 opposing batters in the majors. He has given up 132 hits (8.3 hits per nine innings) and has had 45 walks. His ERA is 3.77 (60 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.237. Leahy has taken the mound for 143 innings and has accounted for 116 strikeouts in his career.

The Tigers have a team slugging % of .300 and they tally 4.00 runs per contest (16th in MLB). They have recorded 12 doubles, while walking 22 times as well as racking up 24 runs. Detroit is sitting with 1 home run on the year as well as 24 RBIs. They have been rung up on 60 occasions (11th in MLB) and have notched a total of 43 base hits. The Detroit Tigers are sitting with an OBP of .296 and a batting average of .215 on the year.

The Tigers hold a team WHIP of 1.320 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.25 as a unit on the season. They come in at 8th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 45. The Detroit pitching staff have conceded 24 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 3.78 (21 earned runs conceded). Their K/BB ratio is 7.70 (43 strikeouts vs 21 bases on balls). They have conceded 6 homers and they allow 4.32 runs per 9 innings (13th in MLB).

Their relievers have taken the field 3 times in high leverage situations in addition to 9 occasions with base runners. They sit at 22nd in the league holding a save rate of 50.0%, and they have dispatched 17 bullpen pitchers to the mound for the season.

In 450 innings played, the Tigers have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.0% (18th in professional baseball). The Detroit Tigers have gotten 5 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .971 (26th in MLB). The Tigers have 49 assists, 6 errors and have 150 putouts on the season.

Verlander (266-159 career win-loss record) has earned a 3.33 earned run average while allowing 7.7 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.53 and he has faced 14,626 hitters during his MLB career. He has given up 1,322 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.137 and a FIP of 3.3. In his career, Verlander has given up 3,052 base knocks while tallying 3,554 strikeouts in 3,570 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (-160)

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