St. Louis has been playing some very good baseball of late, and at the pace they are going at now, they will find themselves in the postseason. They are peaking at a good time here, with a lot of games to be played, but they are putting themselves into prime position. They have long been competitive and haven’t slowed down and had a terrible season of late, but here they go. Can they qualify for the postseason?
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, for all the young talent they have, cannot come away with wins right now. They have been struggling mightily, falling further and further behind with every passing game. Their pitching has been among the worst in the National League, but it does not seem that they are in a position to acquire pieces at the deadline. They would be wiser to sell and wait for the offseason if anything.
The moneyline for this contest has the St. Louis Cardinals +116 and the Pittsburgh Pirates -132. The over/under is set at 9.
Cardinals Coming On Strong
Paul Goldschmidt finally seems to be finding himself, and at the perfect time. He led the team to their 6-5 win last night in the series opener thanks to hitting a timely 10th-inning grand slam. The team has won eight of 10 games overall, and despite a losing road record, they have been playing well outside of St. Louis of late. With Marcell Ozuna, Yadier Molina, AND Matt Carpenter sitting on IL, the team has not been making any excuses for their poor play. Closer Jordan Hicks remains out, but we have seen Carlos Martinez step up and handle those duties with effectiveness.
Dakota Hudson will make his 20th start (21st appearance) for the Redbirds tonight. The 24-year-old has posted a 9-4 record with a 3.57 ERA in 103 1/3 innings of work. He has struck out 76 while walking 47. Only Miles Mikolas has faced more batters than he has for St. Louis.
Pittsburgh Searching For Its Identity
If we go back two weeks, then we would see the entire NL Central up for grabs. Pittsburgh has dropped eight of 10 while the Cardinals have gone the exact opposite direction, a six-game separation the result. Josh Bell has continued to keep it going, as he’s up to 86 RBI for the season, while SS Kevin Newman is batting .323. They’ve got Collin Moran and Bryan Reynolds. For all of these young talented pieces, the team remains far back in the loss column. Their pitching is atrocious, and it does not seem they will be able to fix that with their current personnel.
Chris Archer (3-6 with a 5.36 ERA in 17 starts) has struggled since coming over from Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old has 106 Ks and 45 BBs in 90 2/3 innings of work and has allowed a team-worst 22 long balls on the season.
Cardinals Keep It Rolling
Make sure you bet on St. Louis tonight folks! Dakota Hudson is going to make certain that his team comes away victorious in their showdown.
Free Pick: STL +116
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