The St. Louis Cardinals (40-32) and Kansas City Royals (30-45) play the opener of a 3-game series Thursday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. First pitch is at 7:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze MLB odds around the Cardinals vs. Royals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cardinals lead 2-1
The Cardinals are coming off a 6-1 home loss to the San Diego Padres Wednesday as -130 favorites with the Under (10.5) cashing. 1B Alec Burleson batted in the only run on the day for St. Louis with a solo homer. SS Masyn Winn reached base twice with a single and a walk. The Cardinals won the series over San Diego 2-1.
The Royals got a 6-2 road win over the Washington Nationals Wednesday as +112 underdogs with the Under (10.5) cashing. C Carter Jensen reached base 5 times with 4 hits and 1 walk, coming up a triple short of hitting for the cycle. RF John Rave went 2-4 with a home run and a triple. Kansas City lost the series to Washington 2-1.
The Cardinals and Royals are not playing Saturday because of a World Cup match at Arrowhead Stadium that day. To avoid massive logistical and traffic issues for fans in Kansas City, the Royals and Major League Baseball scheduled a day off for the team.
Cardinals at Royals projected starters
LHP Matthew Liberatore vs. LHP Noah Cameron
Liberatore (3-3, 4.71 ERA) makes his 15th start. He has a 1.50 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9 in 70 2/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K in a 9-6 road loss at Minnesota Twins Saturday
- Career vs. Royals: 1-1, 6.75 ERA (14 2/3 IP, 11 ER), 1.50 WHIP, 6.1 K/9 in 2 starts
- 2026 on road: 1-2, 4.88 ERA, (31 1/3 IP, 17 ER), 36 H, 12 BB, 35 K in 6 starts
Cameron (3-4, 4.11 ERA) makes his 14th start. He has a 1.21 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 8.2 K/9 in 70 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 1 K in a 8-7 home loss vs. Houston Astros Saturday
- Career vs. Cardinals: 0-2, 1.96 ERA (18 1/3 IP, 4 ER), 0.60 WHIP, 4.9 K/9 in 3 starts
- 2026 at home: 2-1, 4.50 ERA, (36 IP, 18 ER), 37 H, 12 BB, 32 K in 7 starts
Cardinals at Royals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at Wednesday at 10:34 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cardinals +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Royals -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals +1.5 (-210) | Royals -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: +105 | U: -125)
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Cardinals at Royals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 5, Royals 2
BET CARDINALS (+105).
The Cardinals have a far superior offense to Kansas City’s. Cameron is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, and Kansas City’s bullpen is among the poorest in the majors.
Liberatore and Cameron’s stats are extremely similar. With Cameron’s impressive track record against St. Louis and the Royals having home field advantage, they’ll have a shot to win this game.
PASS.
The value for the Cardinals is on the moneyline.
BET UNDER 9 (-125).
These teams have combined for under 9 runs in 2 of their 3 games against each other this season. The Cardinals have hit the Under in 4 straight games, and 6 of their last 10. The Royals have hit the Under in 2 of their last 4 games.
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