MLB: Cardinals vs Royals Odds, Analysis, & Picks

The Kansas City Royals will be looking to bring out the brooms on Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals in the series finale of a three-game set. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET. These two had Saturday off due to World Cup festivities in the KC area, but the Royals have taken the first two games of the series. Read below for the Cardinals vs Royals picks.

Odds courtesy of TonyBet.

Cardinals vs Royals Odds

With the dominant Dustin May on the mound, the Cardinals are a -127 road favorite at MLB betting sites. The Royals aren’t far behind, though, with -101 odds.

KC has now won three of the five meetings this season.

Cardinals vs Royals Analysis

St. Louis isn’t in the best shape right now, going just 4-6 in their last 10 while losing three straight. However, it’s been a solid campaign overall for a young team that has shown real promise. The Cardinals are sitting in second place in the National League Central with a 40-34 record, and only 5.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. The St. Louis offense ranks 11th in runs scored, 10th in hits, and 10th in team average.

While they haven’t been at their best lately, the Cards will be feeling confident with May on the bump. The veteran has looked phenomenal lately, throwing back-to-back scoreless outings. That includes a complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres last week, in which May allowed just one hit. In the last month, May owns a stellar 1.80 FIP while walking just 1.64 BB/9. He’s also held opponents to a 6.6% barrel rate during that span.

Kansas City is having a very poor season. They’re in fourth place in the American League Central, and 13 games below .500. While they also have a 4-6 record in their last 10, the Royals are riding a three-game winning streak, and securing a sweep over a rival like the Cardinals would be huge. But KC will not have it easy against the in-form May, who is practically unhittable at the moment.

That being said, the Royals will counter with a solid arm of their own in Stephen Kolek, who sports a 4-1 record and 2.68 ERA across eight starts in 2026. Kolek has lasted into the seventh inning in two of his previous three outings, and he’s only surrendered one earned run across his last two appearances. Kolek owns a 3.09 xERA over the last month, and he’s limited opponents to a 5% barrel rate over his last two outings.

Cardinals vs Royals Picks

This is a very intriguing pitching matchup, and it’s hard for me to look past just how dominant May is. He’s coming off his best start of the season, and I believe you’ll see the right-hander come out and bring his best again, helping the Cardinals avoid the series sweep.

Pick: Cardinals -127/TonyBet