The Cardinals and Athletics play the first game of their three-game series on Tuesday, May 12.

The Athletics are -156 moneyline favorite, while St. Louis is +129 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 10 runs.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Athletics vs. Cardinals game.

Athletics vs. Cardinals prediction, preview

The Athletics are leading the AL West by two games. It’s only May, but it’s still a month into the season. Few people expected this and it’s likely to change soon, but the Athletics are playing well. They’ve won three of their last four games and return home for a three-game set with the Cardinals.

Jeffrey Springs is on the mound for the Athletics. He has a 3.89 ERA and has been relatively reliable for the club this year. There are a couple poor outings in his campaign, but he also allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings against the Yankees, one of the best offenses in the majors. His last start was 5.1 innings, eight hits, two earned runs and four strikeouts against the Phillies.

The Cardinals are also off to a surprising start. They’re 23-17, which is tied for second in the NL Central and 3.5 games behind first place. The last place team is 22-19, so the NL Central is extremely contested.

Andre Pallante is starting tonight with his 4.34 ERA across 37.1 innings. He’s pitched at least five frames in every outing this season, but some have been more disastrous than others. He allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks in 6.0 innings against the Brewers in his last start. The start prior — five hits, one earned run, zero walks in 6.0 innings vs. the Pirates.

St. Louis most recently split a four-game series with the Padres. Prior to that, it won seven of its last nine games, including a sweep of the Pirates and a series win over the Dodgers.

Athletics vs. Cardinals Pick, Best Bet

Springs is the better pitcher this year, and he’s at home for the series opener. That is a good reason to side with the Athletics, however, I don’t believe they should be favored this heavily.

The Cardinals competed with the Padres in four games despite losing two of them. St. Louis is a talented team that’s off to a good start. Pallante isn’t a bad pitcher, so there’s certainly value at +129 for the team’s moneyline.

Additionally, the under is set too high for my liking. A game total of 10 would indicate two rampant offenses and two struggling pitchers. Neither team meets this criteria — at least not that well.

Best Bet: Cardinals ML + Under 10 runs (+310)