Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Predictions for Thursday, March 26, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Tampa Bay Rays open the 2026 campaign Thursday afternoon with the 4:15 PM matchup inside Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO, against the Saint Louis Cardinals, and we have you ready to roll with our Tampa Bay vs St. Louis prediction. Tampa Bay comes into this season looking to improve on last year's downfall, finishing below .500 overall. Saint Louis will look to improve upon last year's season, as they finished just below .500 overall. Tampa Bay finished last season with 77 wins and 85 losses after losing 16 of 26 games in September. The Cardinals ended 2025 with 78 wins and 84 losses, riding a 4-game skid to close the year. Read more about this Tampa Bay vs St. Louis prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our MLB Predictions!
Tampa Bay looks to start playoff push
The Tampa Bay Rays were a strong offensive team a year ago, ranking ninth in the MLB with a .251 team batting average. The Rays scored 714 total runs on 1374 hits. The Tampa Bay power was solid all season with 182 total home runs and a .401 team slugging percentage. The Tampa Bay pitching had some issues last season, ranking 15th in the league with a 3.94 team ERA. The Tampa Bay bullpen gave up 1273 total hits and 627 earned runs last year.
Yandy Diaz returns this season for Tampa Bay as the offensive leader from a year ago after boasting a team-high .300 batting average and 175 hits. Junior Caminero also returns this season for Tampa Bay after leading the team with 45 home runs and 110 RBI's. Richie Palacios boasted a .333 batting average last season for Tampa Bay but played in only 17 games. Chandler Simpson added a .295 batting average last season for Tampa Bay, but played only 109 games.
Key Injury Report for Tampa Bay:
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- Ricardo Genoves (60- Day IL)
- John Rooney (Day-to-Day)
- Logan Driscoll (Day-to-Day)
- Nick Martinez (Day-to-Day)
- Ryan Pepiot (15–Day IL)
Cardinals try to compete for an NL playoff spot
The Saint Louis offense was a middle-of-the-pack team a year ago, compiling a .245 team batting average. Saint Louis scored 689 total runs on 1331 hits as a team. Saint Louis lacked power last season, compiling only 148 total home runs, along with a .378 team slugging percentage. The Saint Louis pitching ranked 21st in the league with a 4.29 ERA as the Cardinals allowed 1434 hits and 682 earned runs.
Alex Burleson led the way for the Saint Louis offense a year ago with a .290 batting average. Mason Wynn boasted a .253 batting average. Victor Scott II compiled only a .216 batting average last season through 138 games played. Jose Fermin added a .283 batting average last season for Saint Louis, but played in only 30 games.
Key Injury Report for St. Louis:
- Ixan Henderson (Day-to-Day)
- Hunter Dobbins (15-Day IL)
- Lars Nootbar (60-Day IL)
- Victor Santos (60- Day IL)
- Zach Thompson (60-Day IL)
Tampa Bay vs St. Louis Pick
- Tampa Bay vs St. Louis Spread Pick
Tampa Bay will trot out the better pitcher on Thursday, giving itself the edge in this game. Look for the Rays to jump on a pitcher who struggled last season, leading to the victory to open the new year. Take Tampa Bay to do the work on Thursday in Saint Louis, leading to the victory against the Cardinals. The Rays will start the year undefeated, following an opening day win on the road.
Tampa Bay vs St. Louis Over/Under Pick
Both teams sent out mediocre pitchers, but neither offense is heroic. Look for both offenses to break through in this game, however, as each will be desperate to start the year with a victory. Take the over on Thursday night as both offenses find success at some point in this matchup. Tampa Bay will do the work in this matchup to get the victory, but the total will go over the number on Thursday on opening day.
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