The St. Louis Cardinals (23-29) will be trying to continue their climb up the NL Central standings when they face the Cleveland Guardians (21-28) in the second game of their three-game interleague series on Saturday night.
Jack Flaherty, 3-4, 5.29 ERA, will get the start for the Cardinals. The Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee, 1-1, 3.18 ERA.
Cleveland and St. Louis split their last 10 meetings.
**This preview was written before Friday’s game was played**
Cardinals Going For Fifth Win in Seven Games
The Cardinals have played well over the past week and they’ve won four of their last six games. They will try to keep the momentum going with a win over the Guardians, which will give them their fifth win in their last seven games.
St. Louis is averaging 5.06 runs per game. Their .261 batting average is seventh in the league, their .334 on base percentage is fourth, while their .439 slugging percentage is fifth.
Nolan Gorman has been the big bat for the Cardinals. He leads the team with a .297 batting average, 13 home runs, and 40 RBI.
St. Louis’ pitching hasn’t been good, with the team giving up 4.79 runs per game. Opponents have a .268 batting average against the Cardinals, which is 27th in the league. Their 4.39 ERA is 19th, while their 1.45 WHIP is 27th.
In his last start, Flaherty gave up four hits and three runs in 4.2 innings, but the Cardinals got a 10-5 win over the Dodgers. They will need a better effort from him if they want to get the win.
Guardians Trying To Avoid Losing Fourth Consecutive Series
The Guardians are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season, with the team losing five of their last six games. Despite their slump, they are still only 4.5 games behind Minnesota in the AL Central standings and will try to cut into their lead with a win over the Cardinals, which will give them their second win in their last seven games.
Cleveland is averaging 3.45 runs per game. Their .225 batting average is 28th in the league. Their .297 on base percentage is 28th, while their .340 slugging percentage is 30th.
Jose Ramirez leads Cleveland with a .266 batting average, while Josh Naylor leads the team with seven home runs and 32 RBI.
Cleveland’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.24 runs per game. Opponents have a .255 batting average against the Guardians, which is 22nd in the league. Their 3.86 ERA is ninth, while their 1.26 WHIP is 10th.
In his last start, Bibee gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings, leading to a 5-4 loss to the Mets. They will need another solid start from him if they want to win this game.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Cardinals have won four of their last six games and five of their last seven road games. They are playing well offensively and scored 18 runs in their last four road games. Expect them to play well offensively in this game because they have done a good job batting against right-handers and Bibee has been shaky on the mound, giving up seven runs in his last three starts. With Cleveland’s bullpen also struggling during their slump, they will have a hard time slowing down the Cardinals in this game. The Guardians have lost five of their last six games and four of their last seven home games. They have struggled offensively during their slump and scored only five runs in their last three home starts. Their offensive struggles will continue in this game because they have struggled against right-handers and Flaherty has done a good job on the mound in recent starts, giving up six runs in his last three starts. He gave up one run in his last start against the Guardians and will keep their offense in check once again. Go with St. Louis to cover the money line.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
The Cardinals are averaging 5.06 runs per game and 4.27 runs per game on the road. They averaged 4.67 runs per game in their last three games against the Guardians. With Cleveland giving up four runs per game at home, the Cardinals will be held under their average in this game. The Guardians are averaging 3.45 runs per game and 2.75 runs per game at home. They averaged 3.67 runs per game in their last three games against the Cardinals. With St. Louis giving up 4.50 runs per game on the road, the Guardians won’t score enough runs to push the score over the total.