Thank God it’s Friday once again. Sports fans are in for a treat later tonight as the MLB has dished out a pair of blockbuster games that will definitely be worth all your attention. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated National League Central showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Then, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox renew their bitter rivalry when they square off in a pivotal American League East clash. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two important ballgames and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Wimbledon women’s final between Serena Williams and Garbine Muguruza.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 PM ET)
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (+118) at Pittsburgh Pirates (-128); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Pittsburgh Pirates had their five-game winning streak snapped on Thursday with a 4-1 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh had no answer for Carlos Martinez who pitched 7.1 scoreless innings for St. Louis. The Pirates will look to return to the win column tonight when they square off with the Cards in the second game of their four-game set. Starting for the Bucs tonight is Gerrit Cole (12-3, 2.28 ERA). He was solid in his last start, allowing just three runs on five hits in eight innings of action in Pittsburgh’s 5-3 win over the Cleveland Indians. The Pirates are 8-1 in Cole’s last nine outings.
St. Louis, on the other hand, will counter with right-hander Lance Lynn (6-4, 2.53 ERA). The Cards have won five of their last six games with Lynn as their starter. Lynn has shown no ill effects of the forearm injury that sent him to the disabled list last month. In three starts since returning from that said injury, Lynn has given up just one earned run over 19 innings.
Pittsburgh is 6-4 in its last 10 home games against St. Louis.
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Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh wins, 4-2.
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox (7:10 PM ET)
Line: New York Yankees (+105) at Boston Red Sox (-115); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
The New York Yankees stretched their unbeaten run to two games with an impressive 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. They will look to extend their winning streak tonight when they square off with the Boston Red Sox in their series opener. Starting for the Bronx Bombers this evening is Michael Pineda (8-5, 3.79 ERA). He was superb in his last start, throwing seven shutout innings in New York’s 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay on July 4.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, will have Clay Buchholz (7-6, 3.27 ERA) on the mound tonight. Boston has won six of its last seven games with Buchholz as its starter. He has allowed just five runs (three earned) in his last four starts, spanning 31 innings. The Red Sox are unbeaten in their last four games.
The Yankees are 8-2 in their last 10 road games against the Red Sox.
Writer’s Prediction
The Yankees win, 3-2. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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