Astros vs. Cardinals Dunkel MLB Picks, Predictions and Prop Bets - April 17

A pair of MLB's best power hitters face off when the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals meet at Daikin Park, at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday. Yordan Alvarez has seven homers (third in league) for the Astros, and Jordan Walker ranks first with eight dingers for the Cardinals. Peter Lambert (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will start for the Astros, who are 8-12 this season and fourth in the AL West. Kyle Leahy (1-2, 5.14 ERA) is starting for the Cardinals, who are 10-8 and fourth in the NL Central.

The Cardinals (+119) are on the road versus the favored Astros (-141). The total for the Astros-Cardinals game is 9.

Astros vs. Cardinals Odds, Game Time

• Game day: Friday, April 17, 2026
• Game time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stadium: Daikin Park
• Favorite: Astros (-141)
• Underdog: Cardinals (+119)
• Over/under: 9

How to Watch Astros vs. Cardinals

• TV Channel: SCHN and CARD
• Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

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Astros vs. Cardinals: Betting the Moneyline

• The Astros have won five of the 13 games they were listed as the moneyline favorite this season (38.5%).
• St. Louis has been underdogs in 15 games this season and has come away with the win eight times (53.3%) in those contests.
• Houston is 4-5 this season when entering a game favored by -141 or more on the moneyline.
• The Cardinals have a win-loss record of 3-3 when favored by +119 or worse by oddsmakers this year.
• The Astros have an implied moneyline win probability of 58.5% in this matchup.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Cardinals have a 45.7% chance of pulling out a win.

Astros vs. Cardinals: Betting the Spread & Total

• The Astros have had an over/under set by bookmakers 20 times, and have combined with opponents to go over the total in 13 of those games (13-7-0).
• So far this season, St. Louis and its opponents have hit the over in nine of its 18 games with a total.
• The Astros have covered 40% of their games this season, going 8-12-0 against the spread.
• The Cardinals have posted a record of 9-9-0 against the spread this season.