St. Louis Cardinals vs Athletics Picks and Prediction for Thursday May 14 2026

By: Kim Smith Published 05/14/2026, 12:50 AM ET
Athletics vs Giants prediction

The St. Louis Cardinals travel to face the Athletics on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 PM ET with coverage available on MLB.TV. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. St. Louis enters this matchup after opening the series with a victory, while the Athletics try to rebound at home after seeing a recent winning stretch interrupted. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.

Michael McGreevy is expected to start for St. Louis and enters with a 3-2 record, 2.18 ERA, and an impressive 0.86 WHIP over 45.1 innings. McGreevy has allowed just 29 hits while striking out 33 batters, walking 10, and surrendering five home runs. The Athletics are projected to counter with Jacob Lopez, who carries a 3-2 record with a 6.11 ERA and 1.75 WHIP across 35.1 innings. Lopez has allowed 38 hits while recording 28 strikeouts, 24 walks, and eight home runs.

Cardinals Carrying Momentum West

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 24-17 overall record and a strong 14-7 road mark. The Cardinals recently won over the Athletics 6-4 after previously recently losing to San Diego 3-2 in 10 innings and 4-2. Before those defeats, St. Louis recently won over San Diego 6-0 and 2-1. The Cardinals have won three of their last five games and have continued to play well away from home throughout the season.

The Cardinals are batting .236 as a team with 192 runs, 325 hits, and 47 home runs. St. Louis owns a .319 on-base percentage and a .387 slugging percentage. On the mound, the Cardinals have posted a 4.24 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit .250 against them. The pitching staff has also recorded 298 strikeouts while issuing 156 walks this season.

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One of the biggest strengths for St. Louis entering this matchup is the road consistency. The Cardinals have already posted 14 wins away from home and recently scored six runs against the Athletics in the series opener. The strong starting pitching numbers from Michael McGreevy also give St. Louis an important advantage heading into this contest.

Athletics Looking to Recover at Home

The Athletics enter this matchup with a 21-20 overall record and an 8-9 home record. The Athletics recently lost to St. Louis 6-4 after previously recently losing to Baltimore 2-1. Before that, the Athletics recently won over Baltimore 6-2 and 4-3 and recently won over Philadelphia 12-1. Despite the recent defeat, the Athletics had been playing solid baseball during the previous stretch.

The Athletics are batting .248 as a team with 180 runs, 346 hits, and 45 home runs. They have posted a .325 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging percentage this season. On the mound, the Athletics carry a 4.45 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit .252 against them. The pitching staff has also recorded 330 strikeouts while issuing 178 walks.

The offensive production has been one of the stronger areas for the Athletics this season. The club holds advantages over St. Louis in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. However, the pitching numbers remain a concern, especially with the higher ERA and WHIP entering a matchup against a Cardinals team that has played well on the road.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Athletics Picks and Prediction

St. Louis Cardinals vs Athletics Pick

  • Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline

St. Louis looks like the stronger side entering this matchup. The Cardinals already recently won over the Athletics 6-4 earlier in the series and hold a significant edge in the starting pitching matchup based on the provided numbers. Michael McGreevy enters with a 2.18 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, while Jacob Lopez carries a 6.11 ERA and 1.75 WHIP. St. Louis has also been excellent on the road this season with a 14-7 away record, making the Cardinals the stronger overall choice.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Athletics Total Pick

  • Pick: Over 8.5

I would lean toward the over in this matchup because both offenses have shown the ability to score consistently. The Cardinals recently scored six runs against the Athletics, while the Athletics have also produced strong offensive numbers overall with a .248 batting average and .399 slugging percentage. Jacob Lopez’s higher ERA and WHIP also create the potential for additional scoring opportunities early in the game.

Final Score Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals 6 – Athletics 4

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

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