St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros Prediction, 4/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros

Date: Friday, April 17, 2026

Location: Daikin Park in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (-122) Houston (+102)

Daikin Park is where the Houston Astros (8-11) will play the St. Louis Cardinals (10-8) on Friday. The moneyline on this game has the Cardinals at -122 and the Astros are coming in at +102. The over/under is set at 9. The men taking the mound are Kyle Leahy and Lance McCullers Jr..

As a squad, the St. Louis Cardinals are putting up 4.4 runs per game, which has them at 14th in MLB. They have earned a total of 80 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .326. The Cardinals have accounted for 22 two-baggers as a team and have hit 20 balls out of the park. They have 79 RBI's and 136 base knocks so far this season, while their average at the plate is sitting at .231. St. Louis has a slugging rate of .369 and have been rung up 141 times, while drawing a walk on 78 occasions.

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They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.56 and the pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.45. Cardinals pitchers have relinquished 18 home runs and also 97 runs in total (28th in the league). St. Louis has surrendered 167 base knocks (9.2 per 9 innings) as well as 90 earned runs. The Cardinals hold a team earned run average of 4.94 on the season (27th in the league), and they have struck out 111 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 71 batters and their FIP comes in at 4.71 as a unit for the season.

Cardinals bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill with players on base 22 times as well as having 25 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have recorded 15 holds on the campaign (6th in the league). The Cardinals relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 75.0% and have stepped onto the mound in 24 save situations. They have earned 6 saves on the campaign and have blown 2 of 8 save chances. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 33 base runners this season with 36.4% of those players crossing the plate. The Cardinals have sent 67 relievers to the mound so far this season.

The St. Louis Cardinals have earned 492 putouts over the course of the season, in addition to 183 assists and 9 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .987 which ranks 15th in professional baseball, and they have turned 15 double plays. The Cardinals have converted 69.8% of baseballs in play into outs in their 1,476 innings on the field, ranking them 19th in MLB.

Leahy (6-6 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a FIP of 3.73 while going up against 633 opposing batters during his time in the majors. He has surrendered 140 base hits (8.3 hits per nine innings) with 51 free passes. His earned run average is 3.79 (64 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.256. Leahy has taken the mound for 152 innings and has 122 strikeouts in his career.

Houston has accumulated 21 home runs this season to go along with 97 runs batted in. They have recorded 48 doubles, while taking a walk 85 times as well as scoring 105 runs. The Houston Astros have an OBP of .359 in addition to a batting average of .269 this season. The Astros hold a team slugging % of .440 and they tally 5.53 runs per outing (3rd in baseball). They have been called out on strikes on 144 occasions (22nd in baseball) and have totaled 174 hits.

The Houston pitching staff have surrendered 114 runs this season while holding an ERA of 6.18 (112 earned runs surrendered). They have allowed 28 homers and they surrender 6.29 runs per 9 innings (30th in MLB). The Astros have a WHIP of 1.668 with a FIP of 5.32 as a unit over the course of the season. They currently have a K/BB ratio of 10.10 (184 strikeouts against 106 bases on balls). They come in at 27th in the league as a staff in total hits conceded with 166.

Houston relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 31.9% out of their 47 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 14 times in high leverage situations in addition to 27 occasions with runners on base. With 13 save situations, the Astros have earned 8 holds and also 0 blown saves. They sit at 2nd in baseball holding a save percentage of 100.0%, and they have dispatched 62 bullpen pitchers onto the field on the campaign.

In 1,470 innings on the field, the Astros have accumulated a efficiency on defense of 66.5% (29th in pro baseball). The Houston Astros have gotten 19 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .990 (6th in the majors). The Astros have accrued 132 assists, 6 errors and have amassed 490 putouts during this campaign.

McCullers (52-37 career mark) has earned a 3.74 ERA while allowing 7.7 hits per 9 innings. His K/BB ratio is 2.57 and he has gone up against 3,352 opposing hitters during his career. He has conceded a total of 328 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.291 and a FIP of 3.7. In his career, McCullers has surrendered 678 hits while accumulating 878 strikeouts in 789 innings pitched.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (-122)

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