The Cardinals and Twins play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday, June 13.
St. Louis is a -114 moneyline favorite, while Minnesota is -106 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under nine runs.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Cardinals vs. Twins game.
Cardinals vs. Twins prediction, preview
The first game of Saturday’s slate is an inter-league matchup between the Cardinals and Twins. It’s the second game of the three-game series and comes after a thrilling 9-8 Twins victory on Friday night. Minnesota hit two solo home runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead.
The Cardinals will try to bounce back with Matthew Liberatore on the mound. He’s in his fifth career season (all with St. Louis) but just second as a full-time starter. The transition from bullpen to rotation hasn’t made a difference as he’s held an ERA above 4.00 in three years and above 5.00 in the other two. This year’s 4.48 ERA is the status quo. He’s also not one who pitches deep into games, with him finishing six frames just three times in 13 starts.
The Twins are arguably in a worse spot with their starting pitcher. Connor Prielipp is making his 10th career start and in his rookie season. The 25-year-old has a 5.15 ERA and is typically pitching 4-5 innings per start. That puts a lot of pressure on the bullpen, which has the second worst collective ERA.
The Cardinals’ bullpen ranks 17th overall, which is certainly better than Minnesota, but it’s still not assuring with Liberatore potentially having a short start.
Cardinals vs. Twins Pick, Best Bet
Game one set the tone for this series: it should be offensive-centric throughout the three-game set. With two struggling starting pitchers and underwhelming bullpens behind them, it only makes sense for more offense to be scored today.
