It doesn’t get much better than this. The American League’s best team in the Kansas City Royals face the National League-leading St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in the first of a three game interleague series. Who will get the upper hand in what might serve as a preview of this year’s Fall Classic? Read on for our complete preview below.
Also on Friday, defending champion Japan faces Cameroon in the Women’s World Cup. Check our our preview for that big game here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Preview
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
When: Friday, June 12, 2015, 8:15 PM ET
Line: Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Kansas City Royals
[sc:MLB240banner ]It’s been a testy season so far for Yordano Ventura, as the 24-year-old Dominican is just 3-5 with a 4.62 ERA in 11 starts this season. But if he’s looking for a confidence-booster to jumpstart his game, then he can get just that if he tosses a great outing on the road later tonight against arguably the best team in the majors.
Of course, that’s going to be easier said than done, considering the numbers Ventura has amassed of late. Over his last three starts, Ventura picked up a 0-2 record and a 4.76 ERA. That stretch includes the Royals’ 6-1 loss to St. Louis on May 24, wherein Ventura gave up four earned runs in seven innings. The Royals’ offense, however, was just as disappointing as Ventura in those games, putting up just four total runs in those games.
Kansas City can get help on offense from the pair of Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon later tonight. Both players are in some kind of funk right now, but facing Cards starter Jaime Garcia should be good news for the duo. Escobar is 4-for-15 (.267) with four walks in his career against Garcia. Gordon, meanwhile, is 4-for-9 (.444) with a homer in the same matchup.
The under is 4-0-1 in Ventura’s last five starts.
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Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
Jaime Garcia maybe one of the unluckiest pitchers these days, but he’s still someone opponents can’t take lightly. That’s because despite a 1-3 record, Garcia has a solid 2.67 ERA in four starts thus far this season. He’ll make an appearance later tonight at Busch Stadium, hoping he could add to his lone win this year. The Cards are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Garcia’s woes aren’t entirely his fault. He’s been a victim of an anemic offense that has backed him up with a grand total of zero runs in his three losses to date. That includes St. Louis’ 2-0 loss to the Dodgers on June 6, Garcia’s latest start. Garcia didn’t allow a run in that game until the seventh inning, where the Dodgers scored two on three hits. Overall this season, Garcia is receiving a brutal average of 2.0 run support per nine innings, second worst among NL pitchers with at least 20 innings logged in.
Garcia will have to sustain his fantastic form, though, as the Cards’ lineup is missing some of its best hitters in Matt Adams (60-day disabled list) and Matt Holliday (15-day-DL). Jhonny Peralta and Kolten Wong look to hold the fort while Adams and Holliday are in sick bay. Peralta is batting .385 (10-for-26) over the Cards’ previous seven games, while Wong is hitting .269 (7-for-26). The two also have combined for three home runs and nine RBI’s during that stretch.
Matt Carpenter, meanwhile, ended his five-game hitless streak, by going 2-for-5 in the Cards’ 4-2 win over Colorado on Wednesday.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis wins, 5-4.
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