St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves (4:15pm)

The Cardinals are in a good spot to beat the Braves today! This matchup is less about Atlanta’s season-long record and more about the immediate pitching setup. St. Louis sends Dustin May to the mound, while Atlanta starts Hurston Waldrep at Truist Park. Waldrep has only one 2026 appearance, with 2.0 innings, 2 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts, while May brings a larger sample at 83.2 innings with a 4.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts. That gives the Cardinals the more established starter in a rubber-match environment.

The biggest reason to like St. Louis is that Waldrep is unlikely to give Atlanta much length. He is making his first start of the season after elbow surgery, and Reuters reported that he is not expected to pitch deep into the game. Atlanta may have to bridge innings with Grant Holmes or other relief options, and Holmes has struggled badly against St. Louis, carrying an 11.25 ERA in three career appearances against the Cardinals. That creates a clear opportunity for St. Louis to turn this into a bullpen-pressure game early.

May is not risk-free, especially after missing a start with lower-back tightness, but the Cardinals said he is “a full go” after throwing a side session. He also has a bounce-back edge: before his poor outing against Kansas City, he had thrown 15 straight scoreless innings and was coming off a complete-game, one-hit shutout against San Diego. If May is even close to that version, the Cardinals can control the first half of the game.

Atlanta’s offense also remains vulnerable despite Wednesday’s 5-1 win. That victory snapped a three-game losing streak, but the Braves lineup has been stuck in a slump. Drake Baldwin just ended an 0-for-36 skid and Austin Riley had been in an 0-for-17 slump before his late RBI single. One productive night does not erase the fact that several key Braves bats have been cold.

The Cardinals offense went quiet Wednesday, but that actually strengthens the bounce-back angle. St. Louis scored early, then Atlanta retired the final 20 Cardinals hitters. Against a shorter-start expectation from Waldrep today, the Cardinals should see more bullpen innings and have a better chance to create traffic. Jordan Walker is the key bat: he leads St. Louis in home runs and RBIs, and he produced one of the Cardinals’ only hits Wednesday while also making a strong throw to cut down Michael Harris II at the plate.

The Braves are still dangerous, but this is a better spot for St. Louis than the records suggest. The Cardinals have the more proven starter for today’s assignment, a clearer path to forcing Atlanta into long relief, and a lineup that should get a better matchup cycle than it did Wednesday night. If May gives St. Louis five competitive innings and the Cardinals make Waldrep work early, St. Louis has a great chance of winning this game.

(2x-Rated Members Only) Pick: St. Louis Cardinals ML +101

🍀Best of luck!

ExclusiveVipSports