Rickwood Field is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the world and after a $5 million facelift, the legendary ballpark in Birmingham, Ala., will host "MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues." This one-off MLB regular-season game will feature the St. Louis Cardinals (36-37) taking on the San Francisco Giants (36-39). In addition to being a massive celebration of the Negro Leagues the day after Juneteenth, the game will also pay tribute to the legendary Willie Mays, who played at Rickwood in 1948 for the Birmingham Black Barons before enjoying a Hall-of-Fame career with the Giants. Mays passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.
First pitch at Rickwood Field is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Cardinals are the -117 money line favorite (risk $117 to win $100) in the latest Cardinals vs. Giants odds, while San Francisco is a -102 underdog. The over/under for total runs scored is 9. Before making any Giants vs. Cardinals picks, be sure to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It entered Week 12 of the 2024 MLB season on a 129-105 run on top-rated MLB picks dating back to last season, and it has excelled on top-rated run-line picks during that span, going 20-8 (+809). Anybody following has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Giants vs. Cardinals and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Cardinals vs. Giants:
- Cardinals vs. Giants money line: St. Louis -117, San Francisco -102
- Cardinals vs. Giants over/under: 9 runs
- Cardinals vs. Giants run line: Cardinals -1.5 (+168)
- STL: The Cardinals have hit the Under in eight of their last 10 games
- SFG: The Giants are 6-1 in their last seven vs. the Cardinals
- Cardinals vs. Giants picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Giants
After failing to make the postseason under Gabe Kapler the last two seasons, the Giants turned to Bob Melvin this year and are currently three games under .500. They're 9.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West but they're still very much a part of the crowded NL Wild Card picture. San Francisco has been getting a huge lift from Heliot Ramos since he was called up early last month.
The 24-year-old Puerto Rican was a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and played in the MLB Futures Game three times but struggled in two previous call-ups in 2022 and 2023. However, Ramos is slashing .310/.388/.545 with nine home runs and 32 RBI over 38 games this season. He also has a 1.141 OPS with three home runs and eight RBI over the last seven days. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back the Cardinals
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are coming off back-to-back one-run losses to the Marlins but have still won five of eight. St. Louis ranks 14th in the National League in runs scored but its pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.93. The bullpen, in particular, has been a strength, posting a 3.67 ERA with closer Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez all posting ERAs of 2.59 or lower.
The Cardinals will hand the ball to 25-year-old righty Andre Pallante on Thursday and he'll be making his fifth start and 14th appearance of the year. Pallante has a 4.63 ERA and has had two starts where he's thrown at least five scoreless innings. He's also had two starts where he's failed to make it out of the fourth inning since entering the starting rotation. See which team to pick here.
How to make Giants vs. Cardinals picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 8.5 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's MLB picks and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Giants vs. Cardinals, and which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that's 129-105 on top-rated MLB picks, and find out.
