JD Bets is bullish on Sonny Gray surpassing his 5.5 strikeout mark against the Angels, highlighting Gray's consistent strikeout rates, averaging 7.25 last season and overcoming adversity by recording six strikeouts even while battling food poisoning against the Twins. He acknowledges that Gray can occasionally concede runs but insists Gray reliably records strikeouts regardless of performance in earned runs. Although Los Angeles was roughly bottom-10 in strikeouts last season, JD sees Gray as a trustworthy arm that will get his punchouts, suggesting confidence in the over at the set line of 5.5 strikeouts.

Brian Howard highlighted strong skepticism about the Cardinals' recent hot start, characterizing their early winning as unsustainable given the poor quality of their roster. Howard explicitly criticized their weak pitching staff, inadequate bullpen, and uninspiring lineup, asserting that their current record mostly results from favorable matchups against weaker teams like the Twins. He discouraged betting on Kyle Hendricks and the Angels but strongly advised against trusting the Cardinals as home favorites due to his deep negative assessment of their true talent level. The Cardinals are winning now but Howard sees this as mainly smoke and mirrors going forward.

Dylan Rockford strongly recommends the Cardinals money line at approximately -130, seeing it undervalued based on his projected fair price around -155. He points out St. Louis's potent early-season offense, averaging around six and a half runs per game at home, contrasting that to the Angels lackluster scoring against Chicago. Dylan also expressed wariness about the Angels' overall offensive struggles, deciding to keep backing the profitable Cardinals until Los Angeles proves they can effectively generate consistent offense. He firmly supports a Cardinals wager given their current momentum and substantial pitching matchup advantage.

Eric Lindquist recommended backing the Angels money line at plus-money (+115) against the Cardinals, citing a substantial pitching advantage. Lindquist pointed to Tyler Anderson's solid 2024 season numbers (3.81 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) compared to Miles Mikolas, who he believes represents one of baseball's worst starting pitcher contracts. Mikolas's poor expected metrics include a .459 expected slugging, 42.3% hard hit rate, and an elevated 8.1% barrel rate. Despite lingering bullpen concerns with the Angels, Lindquist argued that St. Louis should not warrant their current favorite pricing and identified clear value on the Angels at these odds.

Just a Bet Outside highlighted Kevin Newman's struggles historically against Miles Mikolas, going 3-for-19 (.158) with two strikeouts. Given the consistent lack of success against Mike Mikolas, Newman represents poor value today in betting or DFS formats and is best avoided.