Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction 4-29-24 Picks

In this article we will formulate a Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals prediction for this MLB game on Monday, April 29th at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in this series. 

The Cardinals Are Improving 

The St. Louis Cardinals are 13-15 this season and they have won three of their last four games. St. Louis is coming off of a series win against the Mets, where they won two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Cardinals won two out of three against Arizona and were swept by the Brewers at home. St. Louis has struggled in the first 28 games of the season, but they have won two straight series and will look to continue that momentum here. 

The St. Louis pitching staff has a 3.86 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and a .254 opponent batting average. The Cardinals offense has scored 100 runs with a .217 batting average and a .300 on base percentage. Nolan Arenado is batting .271 with one home run and 13 RBI’s for the Cardinals. St. Louis does have a team ERA under 4.00, but their offense is 28th in the MLB in runs scored. 

Detroit Looks Solid 

The Detroit Tigers are 16-12 this year and they have won five of their last seven games. Detroit is coming off of a series win against the Royals, where they won two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Tigers won two out of three against the Rays and Twins. Detroit has won three series in a row and they are currently third in the AL Central, behind the Guardians and Royals. 

The Detroit pitching staff has a 3.14 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a .211 opponent batting average. The Tigers offense has scored 111 runs with a .223 batting average and a .298 on base percentage. Mark Canha is batting .272 with five home runs and 15 RBI’s for the Tigers. Detroit has one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB and while their offense is in the bottom third for runs scored, they have scored at least four runs in nine of their last 12 games. 

Starting Pitchers 

The projected starting pitcher for St. Louis is Steven Matz, who is 1-2 with a 5.55 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP over 24.1 innings pitched this year. Matz looked very solid in his first three starts, but he has allowed 12 earned runs and 13 hits over 9.1 innings in his last two starts against the Diamondbacks and Athletics. The projected starting pitcher for Detroit is Kenta Maeda, who is 0-1 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 22.2 innings pitched this year. Maeda has not been very sharp this season, as he allowed five earned runs to Texas and six earned runs to the White Sox, but he did go 5.0 shutout innings against Tampa Bay in his last start. Maeda is notorious for starting slow in March and April, but usually turns things around closer to May. 

Detroit Tigers Team Facts

• The underdogs have won six of the last seven games between the Cardinals and Tigers at Comerica Park.
• The Tigers have covered the run line in each of their last seven games as home underdogs against NL Central opponents.
• The Tigers have won the first inning in each of their last four games as underdogs against NL Central opponents.
• The Tigers have led after 3 innings in each of their last three games as underdogs.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Tigers’ last four games as underdogs against NL Central opponents.

St. Louis Cardinals Team Facts

• The underdogs have won six of the Cardinals’ last seven games at Comerica Park.
• The Cardinals have covered the run line in seven of their last eight night games following a loss.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last eight games as favorites.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cardinals’ last three games at Comerica Park.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four games as favorites.

Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction

Detroit comes into this matchup playing very well over their last three series, but they are only 6-8 at home so far this year. The Tigers are very solid with their pitching staff, but if there is a soft spot, it would be Maeda. St. Louis has also played well in recent series and they are 8-8 on the road. The Cardinals are going with Steven Matz, who I don’t have much confidence in. It is good to see both teams playing well, but I have to fade Matz in the game. My Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals prediction is a Tigers win in game one.