Tigers vs. Cardinals Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers and Prop Bets for Tuesday, May 20

The Tigers are favored with Tarik Skubal on the mound on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is a great prop target on Tuesday. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are off to a great start in the 2025 season, leading the AL Central entering Tuesday’s contest with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Tigers have the second-best run differential in the American League, and they find themselves as road favorites in this game with Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young, on the mound.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have Erick Fedde on the bump. They’ve gone just 3-6 in his nine outings this season, but St. Louis is an impressive 16-6 straight up at home.

Can it pull off an upset win on Tuesday?

Let’s take a look at the odds, player props to bet and my prediction for this matchup on May 20. 

Tigers vs. Cardinals Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

• Tigers -1.5 (+100)
• Cardinals +1.5 (-120)

Moneyline

• Tigers: -180
• Cardinals: +150

Total

• 7.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Tigers vs. Cardinals Probable Pitchers

• Detroit: Tarik Skubal (4-2, 2.67 ERA)
• St. Louis: Erick Fedde (3-3, 3.44 ERA)

Tigers vs. Cardinals How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, May 20
• Time: 7:45 p.m. EST
• Venue: Busch Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): FDSMW, FDSDET
• Tigers record: 31-17
• Cardinals record: 27-21

Tigers vs. Cardinals Best MLB Prop Bets

Tigers Best MLB Prop Bet

• Tarik Skubal UNDER 0.5 Walks (+130)

This prop does involve some risk since only one walk from Skubal will crush it, but at +130, there is some serious value in the UNDER.

This season, Skubal has only walked six batters in nine starts, and three of those walks came in his second outing of the season. Since then, Skubal has only allowed two walks, posting five starts without a free pass given up.

The Cardinals are in the middle of the back in walks drawn this season, and Skubal is coming off a season where he allowed just 1.6 walks per nine innings. The reigning Cy Young award winner is in the 99th percentile (!!) in walk percentage this season. 

Tigers vs. Cardinals Prediction and Pick

This game features one of my favorite plays of the day, which I shared in today’s MLB Best Bets column here at SI Betting: 

After winning the Cy Young last season, Skubal has been great in the 2025 campaign, posting a 2.67 ERA while leading the Tigers to a 6-3 record in his nine starts.

Detroit is looking like a contender in the AL, as it has a +80 run differential (second-highest in the AL) and a 4.5-game cushion atop the division. Now, it gets a crack at a St. Louis Cardinals team that is playing well as of late, winning eight of its last 10 games to move into second in the NL Central.

Still, I love taking Skubal to lead the Tigers to a win. The lefty doesn’t allow many free passes, giving up just six total walks in 2025, and that’s helped him post an expected ERA in the 88th percentile in MLB.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are countering with Erick Fedde in this game, and despite a solid 3.44 ERA, he ranks in just the 19th percentile in expected ERA and 15th percentile in average exit velocity against. In fact, Fedde is outside the 30th percentile in several key metrics, including expected batting average against, strikeout percentage, whiff percentage and walk percentage.

As a result, the Cardinals are just 3-6 in his nine starts in 2025.

St. Louis is an elite team at home (16-6 this season), but the Tigers have the superior starter on the mound and slightly outrank the Cardinals in OPS (No. 5 to No. 7) and runs scored (No. 4 to No. 7) this season. 

I’ll trust Skubal to earn Detroit a win on Tuesday. 

Pick: Tigers Moneyline (-180 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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