Giants vs Cardinals May 13 Preview, Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions

San Francisco on Five-Game Win Streak

The San Francisco Giants go for a sixth straight win when they face the host St. Louis Cardinals in the first of a three-game weekend series on Friday night. San Francisco is coming off a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies and is in third place in the NL West standings. St. Louis has dropped four of five but remains in the second spot in the NL Central, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 2½ games. These two split a four-game set in San Francisco last weekend, so make sure you read our in-depth preview of this contest before you make your bet online.

Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Giants vs Cardinals. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.

Giants Bats Come Alive During Win Streak

The San Francisco Giants have all of a sudden found their offensive punch, which has resulted in the team’s five straight wins. After scoring a total of 10 runs over a five-game losing streak that preceded the current run, San Francisco has averaged 8.2 runs over the last five contests, getting contributions from multiple players.

“It can be anybody on any given day,” Giants first baseman Brandon Belt said after Wednesday’s win over Colorado. “We rely on each other to go out there and win ballgames. So I think that’s what makes us so successful.”

On Wednesday, it was shortstop Brandon Crawford with the big blow, as he hit a two-run homer in the 7-1 victory. Crawford is batting just .223 this season, but he has five doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and 17 runs scored.

Belt has been in and out of the lineup lately, but he drove in a run for the second straight game on Wednesday. The 34-year-old is batting .253 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.

Right-hander Logan Webb will get the start for Friday’s series opener, his second straight start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Webb is 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA in six starts, striking out 27 in 35⅓ innings of work. On Saturday, in the first game of the Giants’ winning streak, Webb went five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking two to earn the win against St. Louis.

Cardinals Having Troubles at Home

The St. Louis Cardinals usually play very well at home, but they enter this series with an 8-7 mark after losing for the sixth time in 11 home contests on Thursday. St. Louis is having its troubles on the mound since taking the first two games from the San Francisco Giants last weekend, and it needs to see improvement from its staff if it wants to get some wins at home in this series.

Right-hander Jordan Hicks will make his fifth start and seventh overall appearance this season in Friday’s opener. Hicks is 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA, striking out 18 in 16⅔ innings of work. Hicks pitched well in his last outing on May 6, also against the Giants, going a season-high 4⅓ innings and allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five and walking two.

Outfielder Dylan Carlson homered for the second time in five games in Thursday’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Carlson is batting just .225 but has seven doubles, a triple, two home runs, nine RBIs, and 12 runs scored.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado also drove in the run in the loss with a sacrifice fly. Arenado has just two hits over his last four games, though both were doubles. Arenado is batting .316 and is tied for fifth in baseball with 26 RBIs, adding 11 doubles, seven home runs, and 14 runs scored.

Giants vs Cardinals Head-to-Head

The San Francisco Giants dominated the last two games of last weekend’s four-game series, but that only made it a 2-2 tie after the St. Louis Cardinals took the first two contests. St. Louis has dominated games played in Busch Stadium against San Francisco over the last three seasons these two teams have met.

Heading into Friday’s opener, the Cardinals have won eight of 10 games in St. Louis when facing the Giants, dating back to the 2018 season. The MLB lines don’t favor the home team in Friday’s game, however, with the streaking Giants getting the edge.