St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Angels Picks and Prediction for Monday, July 20, 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals will visit the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on Monday, July 20, 2026, with the opening pitch scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET. ESPN will provide national television coverage. St. Louis enters with a 51-46 record, while Los Angeles stands at 38-61. ESPN Analytics gives the Angels a narrow 50.8% chance of winning compared with 49.2% for the Cardinals. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.

Starting Pitchers

Kyle Leahy is scheduled to start for St. Louis opposite Jose Soriano for Los Angeles. Leahy enters with a 7-4 record, a 3.73 ERA, and a 1.41 WHIP across 89.1 innings. He has allowed 93 hits and nine home runs while recording 75 strikeouts against 33 walks. Soriano is 8-6 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP through 111 innings, allowing 90 hits and 12 home runs while collecting 115 strikeouts against 53 walks.

St. Louis Looks to Strengthen Its Winning Road Mark

St. Louis enters Monday’s matchup with a 51-46 overall record and a 25-20 record on the road. The Cardinals have won three of their last five games but recently suffered a 5-3 road loss against Arizona. St. Louis earned a 5-4 victory over the same opponent in the previous meeting. The Cardinals also recently won two of three home games against Atlanta, earning victories by scores of 4-1 and 2-1 while losing 4-3.

The Cardinals are batting .242 with 437 runs, 784 hits, and 109 home runs. St. Louis owns a .318 on-base percentage and a .389 slugging percentage. Its pitching staff has produced a 4.13 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP while issuing 326 walks and recording 731 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .251 against the Cardinals. St. Louis has also posted a strong 35-24 record in night games.

St. Louis’ clearest strength is its ability to produce winning results on the road and at night. The Cardinals are five games above .500 away from home and 11 games above .500 in night contests. They also lead Los Angeles in batting average, runs, on-base percentage, ERA, WHIP, and walks. The Cardinals have allowed three runs or fewer in three of their last five games, winning each of those contests.

Los Angeles Tries to Stop a Four-Game Losing Streak

Los Angeles comes into the series opener with a 38-61 overall record and a 21-27 record at Angel Stadium. The Angels have lost four consecutive games and are 1-4 over their last five. Los Angeles recently suffered home losses of 7-0 and 2-1 against Detroit. The Angels also recently lost two road games against Minnesota by scores of 4-2 and 5-3 after earning a 4-3 victory over the same opponent.

The Angels are batting .239 with 431 runs, 797 hits, and 110 home runs. Los Angeles has recorded a .314 on-base percentage and a .389 slugging percentage. Its pitching staff owns a 4.65 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP while issuing 424 walks and collecting 869 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .239 against the Angels. Los Angeles has also produced a 24-45 record in night games.

Los Angeles’ strongest supplied category is its strikeout total. The Angels have recorded 138 more strikeouts than St. Louis and have also held opponents to a lower batting average. However, Los Angeles has issued 98 more walks and carries a team ERA that is 0.52 higher. The Angels’ recent offensive results are another concern, as they have scored only six combined runs during their four-game losing streak and were shut out in their latest contest.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Angels Picks and Prediction

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Angels Pick

• Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline

St. Louis is my moneyline selection for Monday’s matchup. The Cardinals have the stronger overall and road records and have won three of their last five games. Los Angeles has lost four consecutive contests and sits 23 games below .500 overall. St. Louis also owns advantages in batting average, runs, on-base percentage, ERA, WHIP, and walks. Although ESPN Analytics gives the Angels a slight 50.8% edge and their scheduled starter has the better ERA and WHIP, the broader supplied team numbers favor the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Angels Total Pick

• Pick: Under 8.5

Take the under if the total is set at 8.5. I am taking the under because four of St. Louis’ last five games have finished with eight combined runs or fewer, while all five of Los Angeles’ most recent contests have stayed below 8.5. The Angels have scored three runs or fewer in each game during that stretch. Both scheduled starters carry ERAs below 3.75, and neither has allowed more than 12 home runs. Those supplied numbers support another lower-scoring result.

Final Score Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals 5 – Los Angeles Angels 2

This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Sunday.