After emerging victorious in their first two meetings, 5-3 and 9-1, the St. Louis Cardinals (80-45) are seeking to make it three wins in a row in their four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks (62-63) at Chase Field later tonight. Will the Cards succeed in taking Game 3 as well? Or will the D-Backs finally get a win in the series?
Read on for a detailed preview of this National League showdown. And if you’re still craving for more baseball action, check out our preview between the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview
Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
When: Wednesday, August 26, 9:40 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-105) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (-115); Total: 8.0 — View all MLB Lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are beginning to find their groove back, as they’ve only lost twice in their past six contests and are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak. The continuation of this unbeaten run will be heavily determined by John Lackey (10-8, 2.99 ERA), who toes the rubber this evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
[sc:MLB240banner ]It’s been an up and down year for Lackey. Last month, he was simply spectacular across six starts, during which he posted a 3-2 record with an incredible ERA of 1.48. But for this month of August, the 36-year-old righty has been quite awful, holding a 1-2 record with a 4.10 ERA in over four starts thus far.
That stretch includes his most recent outing, where he yielded five runs (four earned) and nine hits in over six frames logged in to pick up the 9-3 loss at San Diego on August 21. Lackey will be trying to redeem himself from this lackluster performance while carrying a 2-5 record and a high 4.40 ERA on the road this year.
Lackey’s struggles on the road are something to definitely worry about. That said, the Cardinals will look to the pair of Jason Heyward and Yadier Molina to spark their offense. Heyward is 6-for-13 in his previous four games and has been holding a hot bat this month, batting .309 thus far this month. Molina, meanwhile, is 4-for-13 in the same stretch and is a career .295 hitter opposite Arizona.
St. Louis is 1-4 in Lackey’s last five turns.
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Betting on the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks need to keep moving forward. Losing the first two meetings of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals hurts, however, there is no point in crying over spilled milk. The D-Backs need to shift all their focus on winning their next encounter and hope that Patrick Corbin (3-3, 4.09 ERA) could provide them a solid pitching performance.
That may not be the case though, when you look at Corbin’s recent stint at Cincinnati Thursday night. The 26-year-old lefty lasted for just two innings while surrendering four earned runs and eight hits despite managing to capture the 5-4 win. Furthermore, he’s been dismal during the month of August, where he has a 5.63 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP across four starts.
Included in this stretch, however, is an 8-4 triumph at Atlanta on August 15, where he logged in 6 2/3 scoreless innings to go along with eight strikeouts. Corbin, who makes his first career start versus St. Louis later, carries a 1-3 record and a 3.13 ERA in over four starts at Chase Field.
As for the offense, expect it to mainly come from Paul Goldschmidt (.330). He has had a lot of success this season, especially at home where he boasts a .350 batting average. Goldschmidt has also fared well opposite right-handers, hitting .320 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs. But throughout four years in the majors, he has yet to face the Cardinals’ starter John Lackey.
Arizona is also 1-4 in its past five contests with Corbin starting.
Writer’s Prediction:
Arizona (-115) finally grabs its first win in the series with a thrilling 5-4 victory.
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