Rays vs Cardinals Prediction 3/29/26 MLB Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Rays vs Cardinals Prediction for this MLB matchup on Sunday, March 29^th. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

St. Louis Cardinals Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals have a 2-0 record this season and are sitting in the first place of the NL Central. They are coming off a 6-5 home win over the Rays and their previous three games were a 9-7 home win over the Rays, a 3-2 road win over the Astros, and a 7-4 home win over the Marlins in spring training.

The Cardinals have a .290 batting average this season, .307 OBP and .435 Slugging percentage. St. Louis’ pitching staff has a 5.21 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. Alec Burleson is the team’s best hitter with a .571 batting average, also adding a team-high 1 home run and leading the team in RBI with 4.

Dustin May (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cardinals, and last season he had a 7-11 record, 4.96 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.

Tampa Bay Rays Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays have a 0-2 record this season and are sitting in the last place of the AL East. They are coming off a 6-5 road defeat by the Cardinals and their previous three games were a 9-7 road loss to the Cardinals, a 3-2 road loss to the Braves, and a 7-0 road win over the Phillies in spring training.

The Rays have a .304 batting average this season, .371 OBP and .342 Slugging percentage. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has a 6.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Jonathan Aranda is the team’s best hitter with a .429 batting average, also adding a team-high one home run and leading the team in RBI with 2.

Steven Matz (L) is the projected starting pitcher for the Rays, and last season he had a 3.05 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

Tampa Bay Rays @ St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends: March 29, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Dustin May      Record this season: –      ERA: –
• Home Record: –
• Last 5 against Rays: 0-0

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Rays have lost each of their last six games as favorites.
• The Cardinals have won each of their last four games as home underdogs against American League opponents.
• The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 13 games as favorites.
• The underdogs have covered the run line in 13 of the Cardinals’ last 14 games at Busch Stadium.
• The Rays have lost the first inning in each of their last three games at Busch Stadium against opponents that held a winning record.
• The Rays have trailed after 5 innings in eight of their last nine road games against opponents that held a winning record.
• The Rays have trailed after 3 innings in eight of their last nine games as favorites.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Steven Matz      Record this season: –      ERA: –
• Road Record: –
• Last 5 against Cardinals: 0-3

Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win

• The Cardinals have lost 10 of their last 11 day games against AL East opponents that held a losing record.
• The Rays have won four of their last five day games following an extra innings loss.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games against American League opponents following an extra innings win.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in 12 of their last 16 home games against American League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Eight of the Cardinals’ last nine home games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Each of the Rays’ last four games as favorites against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in five of the Cardinals’ last six home games against American League opponents.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in four of the Rays’ last five games at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

• Nolan Gorman has hit a home run in three of his last eight appearances with the Cardinals as home underdogs against AL East opponents.
• Masyn Winn has recorded a Double in four of the Cardinals’ last five home games against the Rays.
• Dustin May has recorded five or more strikeouts in six of his last eight appearances in day games.
• Alec Burleson has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine appearances with the Cardinals as home underdogs.
• Victor Scott II ranked 10th in the league in Steals (34) last season.

Tampa Bay Rays Player Prop Facts

• Yandy Diaz has hit a home run in three of his last nine appearances against NL Central opponents.
• Steven Matz has recorded five or more strikeouts in three of his four previous appearances against former teams.
• Gavin Lux has recorded at least one hit in each of his last seven road appearances.
• Taylor Walls has recorded a Double in three of his last four appearances with the Rays as favorites.
• Chandler Simpson ranked T2nd in the league in Steals (44) last season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cardinals ranked 29th in the league for home runs last season (148).
• The Cardinals ranked T29th in the league for triples last season (9).
• The Rays ranked 1st in the league for steals last season (194).
• The Rays were one of only three teams in the league to have ranked top 10 in both strikeouts and walks allowed last season.

Rays vs Cardinals Prediction

The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings against the Rays and are 4-1 in their last 5 meetings in Saint Louis. Over is 5-0-1 in their last 6 meetings.

In this Rays vs Cardinals Prediction, the Rays are coming as -120 road favorites. The Cardinals have won both games of this series, which both have been high-scoring ones. They are now putting Dustin May on the mound who was shaky at best with the Dodgers and the Red Sox last season, with a 4.96 ERA and an atrocious 1.42 WHIP. On the flip side, Matz was solid as a reliever for the Red Sox and the Cardinals last season and was even better on the road, with a 2.41 road ERA but I don’t know how deep in the game he will go. The Rays’ bullpen that will follow him has been the worst in baseball in the first few days, with an abysmal 14.21 ERA, so I will just stick to the pattern here and take the over once again.