The St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers start a three-game series on Tuesday. In this preview, we will be looking at the second game of the series, with Miles Mikolas taking on Kenta Maeda. The Tigers have a legitimate shot at making a run in the wide-open American League Central, as the over-achieving Cleveland Guardians lead the division. It hasn't been going as well for the Cardinals, sitting in last place in the National League Central with a record of 13-15. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Tigers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Cardinals finally won a Miles Mikolas start in his last outing, as Mikolas went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just seven hits and two earned runs. It was a rough stretch before that for Mikolas, allowing five earned runs in two straight starts without getting out of the fourth inning. He hasn't been terrible overall, owning a 3.20 ERA and averaging 5 1/3 innings per start. Home runs were his downfall in his last two starts, allowing four over the two games after allowing zero in his first three.

Kenta Maeda has had an up-and-down start to the season for the Tigers. The White Sox shelled him in his first start, giving up six earned runs and three home runs in just 3 1/3 innings. He's cleaned it up in the starts since, allowing nine earned runs in four appearances. He can get shelled, though. We saw that in his game against Texas two starts ago when he gave up five earned runs and three homers.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Tigers Odds

St.Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+158)

Moneyline: -105

Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-192)

Moneyline: -115

Over: 8.5 (-110)

Under: 8.5 (-110)

How to Watch Cardinals vs. Tigers

Time: 1:10 PM ET/10:10 AM PT

TV: Bally Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals are beginning to pick up their play, winning two straight series against some of the National League's better teams. They took the rubber match against the Diamondbacks, then went into Queens and stole the first two games against the Mets. Their pitching has contributed the most, allowing four or fewer runs in six of their last seven games.

Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Tigers have been hitting fine against right-handed pitching over their last ten games. They have a .237 average and a .308 on-base percentage, averaging 4.5 runs/nine. These numbers may not get you very far, but they are much better than the Cardinals' stats against righties over the same span. They are hitting just .201, with 3.7 runs/nine.

Kenta Maeda gets into trouble when he allows a lot of home runs. His two starts with five or more earned runs this season came at the hands of three homers in each game. The Cardinals are tied for last place in home runs this season, with just 18 in 29 games. Maeda shouldn't get into trouble in this game.

Final Cardinals-Tigers Prediction & Pick

The Cardinals' offense needs to improve to win more games. Their pitching has been carrying the weight, but their offense has disappointed more than once over their last ten games. They averaged just 3.7 runs over their past five games but have won three.

Kenta Maeda has been good in three of five starts for the Tigers. He's allowed three or fewer earned runs when he doesn't give up home runs. Two of those starts have seen him go five or more innings with one or fewer earned runs. The Cardinals are one of the least power-hitting teams in the Majors so Maeda could get through this start without much damage.

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Final Cardinals-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Under 8.5 (-110)