Baseball fans are in for a treat later tonight as we’ve lined up a pair of mouth-watering MLB games that will definitely whet your sporting appetite. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated NL Central showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, the Cleveland Indians square off with the Houston Astros in a marquee American League matchup.
Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two critical games and while you’re at it, you can check out the experts’ picks for Week 1 of the 2016-17 NFL Season.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 PM ET)
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-119) at Pittsburgh Pirates (+109); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
Offense has been the main problem for Pittsburgh of late, with the Pirates scoring just 22 runs over their last seven outings. The onus then is on Ryan Vogelsong (3-4, 3.56 ERA) to deliver a solid start for the Bucs tonight. The 39-year-old struggled mightily in his last start against the Chicago Cubs, surrendering five runs on six hits and three walk in just five innings of action. The Bucs have now lost four of their last six games with Vogelsong as their starter.
The Cards, on the other hand, will have Luke Weaver (1-2, 3.86 ERA) as their starting pitcher tonight. The right-hander struck out a career-high 10 batters in his last start against the Brewers but was undone by a costly walk and three-run homer. Weaver has now surrendered a long ball in each of his four starts.
The Cardinals are 6-4 in their last 10 road games against the Pirates. They are pegged at +3,000 to win the World Series this year.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh finally snaps their losing skid with a thrilling 5-4 victory.
Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Indians (7:10 PM ET)
Line: Houston Astros at Cleveland Indians – view all MLB lines
Pitching for the Astros in the second game of this four-game set is Brad Peacock. He will start in place of Dallas Keuchel, who’s out with shoulder inflammation. The right-hander went 5-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) for Triple-A Fresno. Peacock also appeared in five games in relief for the Astros last month, posting a 3.86 ERA.
The Indians, on the other hand, will have Corey Kluber (15-8, 3.09 ERA) as their starting pitcher tonight. He was simply exceptional in the month of August, going 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA in six starts. He surrendered three runs or fewer and went at least six innings in each of those six outings. Over that span, Kluber struck out 44 batters and walked just 13.
The Indians are 7-3 in their last 10 home games against the Astros. They are pegged at +550 to win the World Series this year.
Writer’s Prediction
The Indians ease past the Astros, 7-2.
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