The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up a three-game series in the Bay Area on Wednesday evening, after the two National League outfits kicked off their first meeting of the 2021 season on Monday.
San Francisco will come into this one as -182 MLB betting favorites, with St. Louis coming back as +151 underdogs.
Who will get the edge in the series finale? Check out our free Cardinals vs. Giants picks and predictions.
Cardinals vs Giants game info
• Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
• Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Midwest, NBCS BA
Cardinals vs Giants odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonSan Francisco hit the FanDuel odds board at -184 overnight and dipped to -174 in the wee hours, as well, before rebounding to -200 this morning. As of 7:45 p.m. ET, the Giants are -180 while taking 83 percent of moneyline bets and 92 percent of moneyline dollars. The total opened 8.5 (Under -112) and is now 8.5 (Over -118), with bet count 3/1 on the Over, but money 2/1 on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameCardinals vs Giants betting preview
Starting pitchers
Johan Oviedo (0-4, 5.14 ERA): The young right-hander is now 16 games and 15 starts into his MLB career and is still searching for his first career win, with an 0-7 mark since debuting nearly a year ago. He was saved the loss in his last start, despite giving up seven hits and three earned runs in six innings against the Rockies.
Alex Wood (7-3, 3.89 ERA): The lefty is in good form amid a solid season for the Giants, with back-to-back starts with eight strikeouts and a combined three earned runs over that span. His last start, against the Diamondbacks, saw him earn his seventh win of the year.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cardinals: Kodi Whitley RP (Out), Daniel Ponce de Leon RP (Out).
Giants: Jaylin Davis RF (Questionable), Buster Posey C (Questionable), Sam Long RP (Out), Mike Tauchman CF (Out), Tommy La Stella 2B (Out), Brandon Belt 1B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 0-4 in Oviedo's last four starts vs. a team with a winning record. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Giants.
Moneyline pick
In the hyper-competitive NL West, every game is of the utmost importance for the division-leading Giants. San Francisco finds itself just 0.5 games up on the Dodgers, while the Padres are an additional four games back with all three teams already having reached the 50-win mark. It was frustrating, then, for the Giants to drop the opening game of the series despite seven innings of three-hit, two-run ball from starter Kevin Gausman.
That was a rare, unproductive day at the plate for the Giants, however, as they have been one of the league's most consistent lineups throughout the season. It's not a coincidence that a quiet day game in Buster Posey's absence, as the catcher injured his thumb.
San Francisco should continue to see its lineup get right in a matchup with Oviedo, however. The 23-year-old, despite being ranked among the team's best prospects upon being called up late last season, has struggled mightily. He's still without a career victory and boasts an ERA over 5.0, with 26 walks — compared to 37 strikeouts — in just under 50 innings of work.
San Francisco has a massive talent edge over St. Louis, its lineup has consistently out-produced its opponents this year, and we can put our full trust in starter Alex Wood, while Oviedo has been unconvincing throughout his short career. The series finale in San Francisco is only going to go one way.
PREDICTION: Giants (-182)
Over/Under pick
With the Cardinals ranking toward the bottom of the Majors in most batting statistics, if we're going to back the Over, it'll be on the Giants to give us good reason to do so.
With a struggling starter in Johan Oviedo taking to the mound for St. Louis in the Bay on Wednesday, we have just that. The Giants have been solid at the dish in 2021, in the Top-5 in on-base percentage and homers per game, seventh in runs per nine innings, and 11th in batting average. However, those respectable figures all increase when the Giants face right-handed starters.
Plus, though the Giants' solid lineup has been swing-happy this season, with the ninth most strikeouts in the Majors, they strike out less against righties, too. And if they chase Oviedo early, the majority of St. Louis's bullpen is made up of right-handers, too.
We should be able to count on the Giants to produce at-bat on Wednesday, but for their part, the Cardinals have had success against lefties this season, and the Over is 5-1 in lefty Alex Wood's last six starts as a favorite. Add in the batter-friendly confines of Oracle Park, and we like the Over.
PREDICTION: Over 8.5 (-106)
Cardinals vs Giants betting card
- Giants (-182)
- Over 8.5 (-106)
Picks made on 7/6/2021 at 6:30 p.m. ET
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