Cardinals vs. Rays prediction and odds for Tuesday, Aug. 8 (Bet St. Louis as underdog)

The St. Louis Cardinals will begin a three-game interleague series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

At this point, the Cardinals have little to play for but pride, but yet I still think they have a great shot at playing spoiler against the Rays, especially in tonight's series opener.

Let's take a look at the odds for tonight and then I'll break down why I like the Cards to get the job one.

Cardinals vs. Rays odds, run line, and total

Cardinals vs. Rays prediction and pick

Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals tonight and while his ERA may not be something to write home about this season, it's worth noting that he's been significantly better on the road than at home this season. His ERA drops from 4.78 in 12 home starts to 3.84 in 12 road starts.

So, with tonight's game being in Tampa Bay, Mikolas should be poised for a solid start. Especially considering he has a 3.45 ERA over the past month across six starts.

The Cardinals have also been the better offense of late. Over the last 30 days, the Cardinals rank seventh in the Majors in OPS at .789 while the Rays ranks 16th at .733.

Finally, the Cardinals have also had the better bullpen, ranking 12th in bullpen ERA (3.91) over the last 30 days while the Rays come in at 15th (4.36).

With all of these metrics under consideration, I love the Cardinals as a big time underdog in Florida tonight.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.