St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/18/26

The St. Louis Cardinals will take on the Houston Astros for the second game of the series. In the first game, the Cardinals won by a score of 9-4. That win puts the Cardinals on a 3-game win streak. Looking to extend the win streak, the Cardinals will start Andre Pallante. Pallante comes into this start with a 4.80 ERA. Pallante gave up 9 hits and 6 earned runs in his last start against the Boston Red Sox. Prior to that start, he pitched 10 innings giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs. I would expect a come back game from Pallante, even though the Astros hit the ball well.

For the Astros, they have rank 2^nd in total hits and tied for 1^st in total runs this year. The shocking part is that they have a 8-13 record. This record is due to the pitching issues that have plagued the Astros. On the season, the bullpen currently ranks last with an ERA of 6.09 giving up 62 earned runs this season. The Astros will start Lance McCullers Jr. today. McCullers has a 5.87 ERA through 3 starts. The issue is that he has given up 10 hits, 5 walks, and 9 earned runs through his last 8 innings pitched. Overall, I do not love fading the Astros bats, but their pitching is impossible to trust. I am taking the Cardinals on the money line.

Cardinals vs. Astros Prediction: Cardinals ML (+125) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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