Anthony Molina and Matthew Liberatore’s struggles make over 8 runs the play for Giants-Cardinals

Like so many sluggers in the big leagues, I took a swing for some big scores yesterday, and I struck out.

Looking to hit a bomb and get a big score is not always a bad strategy, but it proved to be a bad one yesterday. In one game, I took the Cleveland Guardians to win on the run line, but they only won by one run. I don’t like giving out bets that are higher than -140 unless there is a ton of value. In this case, the smarter play would’ve been to take the Guardians at -155, but I’m not disappointed by my look. I have a play on tonight’s total between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals in hopes of getting back my lost unit from yesterday.

The Giants season did not go the way that anyone in the front office intended. They are one of the worst clubs in baseball and will likely lose 95 or more games this year. For a roster with as much talent as they have, it is tough to understand why they’ve struggled so much. Is it due to their manager, who never had any big-league experience in the past? Is it due to them not being able to knock runners in when they get on base? Or is it because of the pitching staff?

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There are a lot of questions to answer, but I think the reason is probably a combination of all of those things. The pitching staff has struggled, and tonight’s starter is no exception. Today’s starter is Anthony Molina, who was acquired via trade at the deadline. He has made four appearances with the Giants this season, and they’ve been a bit of a mixed bag. He has pitched 9.1 innings and allowed 10 earned runs. In fairness to him, seven of those runs came in his last outing against the Padres. Outside of that game, he’s thrown 6.1 innings and allowed three earned runs. The problem is that was over three outings.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of those teams that had a hot start and then cooled off near the deadline. They turned into sellers instead of buyers and started preparing for next year. To their credit, the team is still about .500 for the season, but they were expected to be one of the worst in the National League Central. The Cardinals do have some bright spots and reasons to be excited about next season. They have two players who have 100 RBIs for the season: Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker celebrates after winning the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Monday in Philadelphia. (Matt Slocum/AP)

The problem really has been the pitching staff. If they can shore that up, they might return to the top of the division. Matthew Liberatore is taking the ball today, and he has had a rough year. Liberatore is 5-14 for the season with a 5.53 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. His numbers get slightly worse at home this season, with a 5.77 ERA and a .309 batting average against him. Over his past 10 outings, he has allowed five or more earned runs to opponents in four of them.

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Joshua Báez No. 22 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Alec Burleson No. 41 after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 15, 2026. (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)

Neither team has much experience against the other starter. However, that really doesn’t give me much confidence in the arms. They just haven’t been very good pitchers this season. I am expecting the offenses to have a bit more success in this one. It doesn’t appear that either hurler is in great form at the moment. Give me the over eight runs.

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