Kansas City Royals (57-54 SU, 58-53 RL, 50-56-5 O/U) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (56-56 SU, 52-60 RL, 54-51-7 O/U)
MLB: Wednesday, August 9, 2017, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri, 8:15 pm ET
Lines: St. Louis -136, Kansas City +126; Over/Under: 8.5
It’s the continuation of a four game, two city interleague set between a pair of geographical rivals from the Midwest. The Kansas City Royals are on the road for the first of two against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night. St. Louis drew first blood in the series by claiming an 11-3 victory in the opening game of the set Monday night. The pitching matchup for the final game in Kansas City Tuesday saw Michael Wacha pitch for St. Louis against Kansas City’s Jason Vargas. First pitch in the game was set for 8:15 pm ET.
Kansas City Royals Battling for AL Wild Card Spot
Kansas City lost for the sixth time in their last eight games with the blowout loss Monday night. The Royals dropped three games behind the Indians in the AL Central and entered Tuesday tied with the Rays for the second wild card spot. Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas (run, RBI) each had two hits for Kansas City in the loss. Moustakas (his 32nd), Eric Hosmer (his 18th) and Brandon Moss (his 15th) each hit solo homers in the defeat. Ian Kennedy (4-8) was banged around and took the loss: he allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts over six innings of work.
Trevor Cahill makes his 14th start of the year overall and his third since being acquired by Kansas City as he takes the hill for the Royals here. He is 4-3 with a 4.13 ERA, a 1.435 WHIP, 28 walks and 77 strikeouts over 69.2 innings of action on the year. Cahill recorded a no-decision in his last start, which came Thursday at home against the Mariners. He threw 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a 6-4 Royals victory. Cahill has no record with an 8.76 ERA, a 2.35 WHIP, eight walks and six strikeouts over 12.1 innings in his last three starts. He makes his 14th career appearance and sixth start against the Cardinals here. Cahill is 1-3 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.289 WHIP over 38 innings of action. He is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.313 WHIP over 21.1 innings in eight career appearances, three starts, at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis Cardinals Looking to Build Momentum
St. Louis won their third straight to get back to the .500 mark on the season with Monday’s romp. The Cardinals entered Tuesday within 3.5 games of the Cubs in the NL Central. Matt Carpenter (run, three RBI), Jose Martinez (run) and Yadier Molina (two runs) each had two hits for St. Louis in the game. Carpenter (his 15th), Kolten Wong (his second) and Paul DeJong (his 16th) each went deep in the victory. The offensive barrage was plenty for Carlos Martinez (8-9) to get the win: he threw eight innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Mike Leake is on the mound for his 23rd start of the season for the Cardinals in this contest hoping for a reversal of fortunes. He is 7-10 despite a 3.14 ERA, a 1.203 WHIP, 29 walks and 77 strikeouts over 114.2 innings of work. Leake has just two wins in his last 13 starts after taking the loss in his last outing, which came Friday on the road against the Reds. He allowed three runs on eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts over six innings in a 3-2 Cardinals loss. Leake is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, two walks and 13 strikeouts over 18 innings in his last three starts. He lost his lone start against the Royals, which came at home on June 30, 2016. Leake threw seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts in a 4-2 St. Louis loss. He is 7-15 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.134 WHIP over 31 starts totaling 198.1 innings at Busch Stadium in his career.
Trends:
Kansas City
- Royals are 7-1 in their last 8 Wednesday games
- Royals are 5-2 in their last 7 during game 3 of a series
St. Louis
- Cardinals are 2-9 in their last 11 interleague home games vs. a right-handed starter
- Cardinals are 1-5 in their last 6 interleague games vs. a team with a winning record
- Cardinals are 0-7 in their last 7 interleague home games vs. a team with a winning record
Cahill has struggled to adjust to the American League after being dealt from San Diego before the trade deadline. He has a 7.27 ERA in his two starts with the Royals and his control hasn’t been as sharp. On the flip side, Leake has gone 2-8 in that aforementioned 13 start span and things haven’t been the same for him since late May. The Cardinals are inconsistent offensively and it’s cost them quite a few games. Look for Cahill to right himself a bit against a NL foe and pitch effectively as the Royals get the nod.