San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction, Saturday, September 6, 2025
Two teams desperately trying to stay afloat in the National League Wild Card race continue a key three-game series in St. Louis on Saturday, so check in with our Giants vs. Cardinals predictions and stay playoff-ready. San Francisco (71-69, 3rd in N.L. West) is going with veteran RHP Justin Verlander (3-10, 4.29 ERA) as their starting pitcher. St. Louis (70-71, 4th in N.L. Central) will counter with RHP Andre Pallante (6-12, 5.38 ERA). The first pitch from Busch Stadium is scheduled for 7:15 EST and be sure to grab some more winners with our Free MLB Picks.
(This was published prior to the conclusion of Friday night’s games.)
Giants surging at the right time
After suffering for a long time in the wake of the trade that brought Rafael Devers to the club, the Giants seem to finally have found some footing, going 9-1 over their last ten games, including a four-game winning streak entering this series. In that winning streak, the offense produced 38 runs, and they’ve put up double-digit runs in four of their last eight games, moving them four back of the final Wild Card spot. Through 140 games, the team was second-to-last in the National League with a .238 batting average, and their 605 runs were 11th in the league. Giants’ hitters struck out 1,193 times, fifth most, and drew 473 walks, sixth most. Over the last 15 days, San Francisco’s offense hit .300 and scored 90 runs in 12 games.
The Giants’ pitching staff has fared well, sitting third in the National League with a 3.78 team ERA. They had a 1.29 WHIP and 1,182 strikeouts, and opponents were hitting .247 against them before the start of this series. San Francisco’s starting rotation had a 41-47 record with 4.13 ERA and the bullpen had 30 wins, 34 saves and a 3.32 ERA, second best in the N.L. Justin Verlander makes his 25th start of the season and the Giants are 7-17 when he pitches. Randy Rodriguez has three wins, four saves and 13 holds with a 1.78 ERA in 50 relief appearances.
Sign Up for StatSalt News Alerts, Get Free Picks and Discounts
Subscribe Now
Starter spotlight
- Verlander earned a second straight win in his most recent start after allowing three hits and four walks over five scoreless innings against the Orioles.
- Over his last eight starts, the 42-year-old is 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 42.1 innings.
- Opponents are hitting .272 versus the right-hander with 12 home runs and 43 walks.
- He is 3-1 with a 4.80 ERA in five career starts versus St. Louis.
Cardinals need stronger push
The up-and-down nature of the Cardinals play has them with a lot of work to do if they hope to make a postseason run. As it stands, they were 5.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League with three teams to leap over. They won two in a row and were 5-2 in their seven games prior to starting this series despite their offense hitting just .221 over the past week. This season, the team had a .247 batting average with 613 runs through 141 games. Their 421 walks were 12th in the N.L. and their 1,121 strikeouts were 10th in the league.
St. Louis sits 10th in the National League with a 4.27 ERA, combined with a 1.31 WHIP and .258 opponents’ batting average, the third-worst mark in the league. They’ve struck out 1,041 batters, second fewest in the N.L., and walked 394, third fewest. Their starters have gone 41-54 with a 4.72 ERA and the bullpen arms have provided the club with 29 wins, 37 saves and a 3.63 ERA. The Cardinals have gone 10-17 in Andre Pallante’s 27 starts this season. JoJo Romero has picked up four wins, seven saves and 20 holds and he has a 2.06 ERA in a team-high 57 games.
Starter spotlight
- Pallante was hooked with a loss after allowing five runs, two of them earned, six hits and four walks over five innings at Cincinnati on Sunday.
- In six August starts, he went 0-6 with a 8.67 ERA, allowing six home runs and 15 walks.
- The right-hander has given up 20 home runs and 52 walks on the year while teams hit .273 against him.
- The Cardinals’ hurler has faced San Francisco six times in his career and is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA.
Giants vs. Cardinals picks
Spread pick for Giants vs. Cardinals
- Giants -134 (5 units)
This will be just the second game of the season between the two teams who have waited until September to hash out their regular season beef, with three games to be played later in the month. The Giants have played like a team possessed over the last half month, winning 10 of their last 11 games, many by wide margins. They’ve also won their last four series as they’ve resurrected their postseason hopes, which seemed dead in the water in early August. Neither of the starting pitchers in this matchup have provided much in the way of confidence this season, but if you have to lean on one, you go with the future Hall of Famer every day of the week. A late season horse, Verlander had some gas left in the tank, evident in the fact he allowed two earned runs or less in six of his last eight outings. His counterpart, Pallante has been the pitcher of record in his last 10 games, going 1-9. At home, the Cardinals’ starter is 4-6 with a 5.91 ERA and opponents are hitting .274 against him at Busch. The Giants aren’t the best hitting road team but they are fifth among N.L. teams with 331 runs scored away from home.
Take the Giants.
Over/Under Pick for Giants vs. Cardinals
- Over 8.5 (5 units)
In six meetings last season, these two teams combined to average 9.8 runs per game. From an offensive standpoint, these are two bottom half teams in terms of scoring runs in the National League. However, both teams have been swinging hot bats. The Giants scored seven runs or more in six of their last eight games, including each of their last four. The Cards put up at least four runs in five of their last seven and if they can do that again, we’ll be in good shape. The pitching matchup helps in this case as well. Verlander has yielded 13 earned runs over his last five starts and seven walks in his last three efforts. Pallante has given up for runs or more in four of his last five starts and seven of his last nine. The over is 7-3 in the last ten games between these two teams.
Take the over.
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
Bet $5 & Get $150
