St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros Prediction, 4/18/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: Daikin Park in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (-210) Houston (+172)

The Houston Astros (8-12) are hosting the St. Louis Cardinals (10-8) at Daikin Park on Saturday. The moneyline on this contest has St. Louis at -210 and Houston is sitting at +172. The over/under has been set at 8. The expected starting pitchers are Andre Pallante and Lance McCullers Jr..

The Cardinals have hit 22 two-baggers as a team and have hit 20 balls out of the park. St. Louis is slugging .369 and have been called out on strikes 141 times, while taking a walk on 78 occasions. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are recording 4.4 runs per game, which ranks them 14th in MLB. They have accumulated 79 RBI's and 136 base knocks on the year, and their team batting average is sitting at .231. They have earned 80 runs and have an on-base percentage of .326.

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The Cardinals have an earned run average of 4.94 for the season (27th in MLB), and the staff has rung up 111 hitters. Cardinals pitchers have surrendered 18 home runs and also 97 runs (26th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 71 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.72 as a squad for the season. St. Louis has allowed 167 base hits (9.2 per 9 innings) in addition to 90 earned runs. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 1.56 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.45.

The Cardinals have sent 67 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign. The relief pitchers have inherited 33 runners for the year and 36.4% of them earned a run for their team. The bullpen have recorded 15 holds for the season (7th in MLB). Cardinals relief pitchers have entered the contest with runners on base 22 times in addition to having 25 appearances in high leverage situations. They have compiled 6 saves over the course of the season and have blown 2 of their 8 chances to save the game. The Cardinals relievers have recorded a save percentage of 75.0% and stepped onto the hill in 24 save situations.

The St. Louis Cardinals have accumulated 492 putouts this season, in addition to 183 assists and 9 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .987 which puts them in 14th in MLB, and have accumulated 15 double plays. The Cardinals have converted 69.8% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 1,476 innings, ranking them 17th in pro baseball.

Pallante has taken the ball for 475 frames and has 328 punch outs during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.34 (229 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.421. He has allowed 487 base knocks (9.2 hits per 9 innings) and has 188 free passes. Pallante (25-30 record in his career) has earned a FIP of 4.27 while he has gone up against 2,053 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues.

The Astros have a team SLG% of .431 and they average 5.35 runs per outing (5th in baseball). They have recorded 50 doubles, while walking 91 times and putting up 107 runs. Houston has compiled 21 home runs on the year as well as 99 runs batted in. They have been called out on strikes on 157 occasions (17th in MLB) and have earned 179 base hits. The Houston Astros are sitting with an on-base percentage of .358 in addition to a team batting average of .264 for the year.

The Houston pitching staff have yielded 117 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 6.01 (115 earned runs conceded). They have allowed 29 homers and they concede 6.12 runs per 9 innings (29th in MLB). The Astros have a team WHIP of 1.668 in addition to having a FIP of 5.34 as a staff so far this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 9.90 (189 strikeouts vs 112 walks). They have a ranking of 28th in MLB as a staff in total hits relinquished with 175.

They are ranked 2nd in MLB holding a save rate of 100.0%, and they have dispatched 65 relievers onto the field on the campaign. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 15 times in high leverage situations in addition to 28 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 13 save situations, the Astros have amassed 8 holds and also 0 blown saves. Houston has called on relievers to enter the game in 5 save opportunities and they have come away with 5 saves. Houston relievers have an inherited score rate of 31.3% of 48 inherited runners.

In 1,551 innings played, the Astros hold a efficiency on defense of 66.7% (29th in baseball). The Houston Astros have gotten 20 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .991 (6th in the majors). The Astros have recorded 144 assists, 6 errors and have accumulated 517 putouts on the campaign.

In his MLB career, McCullers has conceded 678 hits while he has totaled 878 K's in 789 innings pitched. McCullers (52-37 mark in his career) has a 3.74 ERA and has given up 7.7 hits per 9 innings. He has allowed a total of 328 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.291 and a FIP of 3.7. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.57 and he has faced 3,352 hitters during his pro baseball career.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston (+172)

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