Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 3/28/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Cardinals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Tampa Bay (+162) St. Louis (-196)

The Tampa Bay Rays (77-85 last year) are on their way to Busch Stadium on Saturday where they will compete against the St. Louis Cardinals (78-84 last season). The odds on this game have Tampa Bay at +162 while St. Louis is at -196. The total is set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Joe Boyle and Michael McGreevy.

Tampa Bay had a slugging percentage of .401 and struck out 1,397 times, while being walked on 468 occasions. They accumulated 680 runs batted in and 1,374 base knocks in the previous season, and their average at the plate was .251. The Rays hit 242 doubles as a squad and hit 182 baseballs out of the park. They notched a total of 714 runs scored and held an OBP of .313. As a team, the Tampa Bay Rays scored 4.4 runs per game, which had them sitting at 15th in baseball.

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They had a K/BB ratio of 2.99 and the pitching staff had a team WHIP of 1.22. Rays pitchers surrendered 205 home runs and 683 total runs (13th in MLB). Tampa Bay allowed 1,273 hits (8.0 per 9 innings) and also 627 earned runs. The Rays had an earned run average of 3.94 last season (15th in the league), and they rung up 1,416 hitters. They walked 474 opposing batters and their FIP finished at 4.15 as a squad for the prior year.

The Rays relief pitchers compiled a save rate of 54.7% and came into the game in 154 save situations. The relief pitchers inherited 165 runners in the prior season with 32.1% of those players crossed the plate. Rays bullpen pitchers came into the game with runners on base 112 times in addition to having 156 outings in high leverage situations. The Rays had dispatched 518 relievers to the hill during the previous year. The relief pitchers notched 87 holds last year (18th in MLB). They earned 35 saves last season and blew 29 out of their 64 save opportunities.

The Tampa Bay Rays finished with 4,294 putouts last season, as well as 1,416 assists and 81 errors. Their fielding rate finished at .986 which was 15th in professional baseball, and they turned 147 double plays. The Rays turned 70.5% of balls in play into outs out of their 12,882 innings, which ranked them 10th in professional baseball.

Boyle has taken the mound for 115 innings and has accumulated 129 strikeouts during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 5.00 (64 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.441. He has surrendered 93 base hits (7.3 hits per 9 innings) with 73 walks. Boyle (6-10 career mark) holds a FIP of 4.93 and he has gone up against 512 batters in the major leagues.

The Cardinals had a team slugging % of .378 and they scored 4.25 runs per game (19th in MLB). They hit 263 doubles, while walking 478 times and recording 689 runs. St. Louis hit 148 home runs over the course of last year and 653 RBIs. They were called out on strikes on 1,321 occasions (22nd in MLB) and were sitting with 1,331 base knocks. The St. Louis Cardinals tallied a team OBP of .314 as well as a batting average of .245 over the course of the prior season.

The Cardinals finished with a team WHIP of 1.323 with a FIP of 4.06 as a unit over the course of last year. They were sitting at 28th in baseball as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,434. The St. Louis pitching staff allowed 754 runs over the course of last year while holding an ERA of 4.29 (682 earned runs given up). They earned a K/BB ratio of 7.60 (1,209 strikeouts against 461 walks). They allowed 170 homers and they yielded 4.74 runs per 9 innings (22nd in the league).

With 161 save situations, the Cardinals tallied 92 holds and also 23 blown saves. St. Louis called on relievers to step onto the mound in 65 save chances and they recorded 42 saves. Their relievers stepped onto the mound 158 times in high leverage situations and on 156 occasions with base runners. St. Louis bullpen pitchers had an inherited score percentage of 33.6% out of their 217 inherited base runners. They were ranked 12th in MLB holding a save rate of 64.6%, and they sent 487 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond last year.

In their 12,888 innings played, the Cardinals finished with a defensive efficiency of 68.9% (23rd in baseball). The St. Louis Cardinals turned 124 double plays and owned a fielding percentage of .987 (11th in professional baseball). The Cardinals racked up 1,557 assists, 80 errors and accumulated 4,296 putouts last year.

In his career, McGreevy has surrendered 116 hits and he has 76 K's in 118 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 52 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.168 and having a FIP of 3.9. His K/BB ratio is 3.45 and he has gone up against 486 hitters during his MLB career. McGreevy (11-4 win-loss record in his career) holds a 3.96 earned run average and has allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+162)

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