Cardinals vs. Astros Game 2: Predictions, Picks & Odds, April 18

Andre Pallante & Lance McCullers Jr. (Photos by Imagn Images)

Cardinals vs. Astros Game 2: Predictions, Picks & Odds, April 18

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports
By Paranjoy Goswami | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 12:12 PM ET

Cardinals vs. Astros: The St. Louis Cardinals continue their three-game series against the Houston Astros. Game 2 takes place at Daikin Park on Saturday evening.

St. Louis took the lead in the series with a 9-4 win on Friday. They are now on a three-game winning run after taking the series against the Cleveland Guardians at home earlier this week. As a result, the Cardinals move their record up to 11-8 for the season.

Houston continued their disastrous start to the 2026 campaign after losing the series opener. They won the series at home against the Colorado Rockies this week, but they have lost 10 of the last 12 games. The Astros currently have an 8-13 record.

That's a Road Winner! pic.twitter.com/lTvPpmCqE1
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 18, 2026

Cardinals vs. Astros Game 2: Probable Starting Pitchers

Andre Pallante will start on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2. The 27-year-old right-hander gave up eight earned runs in his last two outings for the Cardinals. He has logged 15.0 innings in his three starts this season with a 1-1 record and a 4.80 ERA.

Lance McCullers Jr. will be the starting pitcher for the Houston Astros on Saturday. The 32-year-old right-hander is one of the few available starters for the Astros at the moment. Despite a solid season debut, he currently has a 5.87 ERA from 15.2 innings over his first three outings.

Cardinals vs. Astros Game 2: Betting Odds

	Spread	Total	Money Line
Cardinals	+1.5	O 9	+118
Astros	-1.5	U 9	-145

Cardinals vs. Astros Game 2: Expert Prediction

In contrast to their struggles on the pitching side, the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup is in pretty good shape. Alec Burleson is swinging a hot bat right now, and JJ Wetherholt has arguably been their best player. Meanwhile, Jordan Walker jointly leads the MLB with eight home runs.

Yordan Alvarez (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

The offense is doing very well for the Houston Astros despite the huge issues with their starting rotation. Jose Altuve, Cam Smith, and Christian Walker are off to a hot start. Yordan Alvarez shares the MLB lead for home runs, besides leading in nearly every major batting category.

This should be another high-scoring encounter with weak pitching staffs on both ends, but the Astros may edge the Cardinals in this one.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: