St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants Picks and Prediction for Wednesday September 9 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals continue their series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 PM ET with coverage on MLB.TV. St. Louis enters at 72-73 overall and 38-35 on the road, while San Francisco is 60-85 overall and 34-36 at home. The Giants won the opening game of the current series 5-4 in 11 innings on September 7. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks throughout the season.

Starting Pitchers

St. Louis is scheduled to start Andre Pallante, who enters at 12-6 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 141.0 innings. He has allowed 130 hits and 45 walks while recording 98 strikeouts and surrendering 10 home runs. San Francisco counters with Matt Wilkinson, who is 0-3 with a 6.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP through 14.2 innings. He has allowed 16 hits and four walks while striking out eight and allowing four home runs. St. Louis owns the clear starting-pitching advantage based on the larger body of work and the substantial ERA gap.

St. Louis Looks to Bounce Back

St. Louis enters Wednesday having split its last four completed games while losing three of its last five overall. The Cardinals dropped the opener of this series 5-4 in 11 innings after beating Colorado 10-8, losing 10-7 and winning 7-6. Their other recent defeat was a 3-2 loss at Los Angeles. St. Louis is 38-35 on the road and sits just below .500 overall at 72-73.

The Cardinals are batting .244 with 661 runs, 1,195 hits and 155 home runs. St. Louis owns a .317 on-base percentage and .387 slugging percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.30 ERA and 1.35 WHIP while opponents are batting .255. The Cardinals have issued 497 walks and recorded 1,145 strikeouts.

St. Louis' biggest advantage in this matchup is the scheduled starter. The Cardinals also hold a noticeable edge in overall run production, having scored 53 more runs than San Francisco. Their offense has been inconsistent recently, but St. Louis has still produced at least seven runs in three of its last four games before the series opener. If the pitching advantage holds, the Cardinals have a strong chance to even the series.

San Francisco Tries to Build on the Opener

San Francisco enters Wednesday having won two of its last five games. The Giants beat St. Louis 5-4 in 11 innings in the series opener after losing 4-2 at New York. Before that, they won 9-5 but also suffered defeats of 10-6 and 5-2. San Francisco is 34-36 at home and remains well below .500 overall at 60-85.

The Giants are batting .248 with 608 runs, 1,218 hits and 164 home runs. San Francisco has a .309 on-base percentage and .407 slugging percentage. The pitching staff owns a 4.37 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while opponents are batting .248. The Giants have issued 538 walks and recorded 1,091 strikeouts.

San Francisco holds slight advantages in batting average, slugging percentage and home runs, but those numbers have not translated into as many runs as St. Louis has scored. The bigger concern is the pitching matchup. The Giants' scheduled starter enters with a 6.14 ERA in limited work, which puts added pressure on the offense. San Francisco proved it can win a close game in the opener, but the underlying matchup is less favorable on Wednesday.

St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants Picks and Prediction

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline

St. Louis gets the call based primarily on the starting-pitching edge and stronger overall run production. The Cardinals' scheduled starter owns a 3.51 ERA across 141 innings, while San Francisco's starter enters with a 6.14 ERA over only 14.2 innings. St. Louis has also scored 53 more runs this season and owns the better road record compared with San Francisco's home mark. The Giants won the opener, but Wednesday's pitching matchup favors the visitors. Take St. Louis on the moneyline.

Pick: Over 8.5

The Over 8.5 is the preferred total if the market lands at that number or lower. St. Louis has been involved in several high-scoring games recently, including finals of 10-8, 10-7 and 7-6, while San Francisco has also played recent games finishing 9-5 and 10-6. The Giants' scheduled starter carries a 6.14 ERA, which creates a path for St. Louis to contribute heavily to the total. San Francisco has enough power to answer against a Cardinals staff with a 4.30 team ERA. Take the Over if the total is set at 8.5 or lower.

Final Picks: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline and Over 8.5

This preview was completed before play on Tuesday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.