An intriguing Monday night awaits you in the MLB, as the majors-best St. Louis Cardinals (78-45) pay the Arizona Diamondbacks (62-61) a visit for the opener of their four-game series at Chase Field. Expect to see a dogfight between these two clubs with the regular season slowly reaching its conclusion and each win becoming even more crucial. Who will take home the glory in Game 1 later tonight?
Read on for a detailed preview of this National League showdown. And if you’re still craving for more baseball action, click here and check out our full breakdown between the Astros and Yankees.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview
Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
When: Monday, August 24, 10:10 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-120) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (+110); Total: 8.0 —View all MLB Lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals haven’t been themselves lately. They’ve lost four of their previous seven and hold a 3.5-game edge over the Pirates for the division crown. But last night’s resounding 10-3 win at San Diego might just be the remedy to their recent woes. The Cards will look to take advantage of that momentum when they march to Chase Field for the first encounter of their four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
[sc:MLB240banner ]On the mound for St. Louis will be Lance Lynn (9-8, 2.94 ERA), who’s lost two straight games. During that stretch, he’s allowed nine runs and 10 hits in just 7 1/3 innings logged in. But prior to this, the 28-year-old righty had a spectacular performance at Milwaukee on August 7, where he pitched for six scoreless innings and added seven strikeouts to capture the dominant 6-0 triumph. A replication of this performance could happen later, as Lynn is 2-0 with a 2.68 ERA in eight career games (six starts) versus Arizona.
Even if Lynn manages to deliver a solid pitching effort tonight, he’ll still need some contributions from his teammates on offense. Providing that spark on offense will most probably be the Cards’ center fielder Tommy Pham, who is 6-for-17 with three scored runs in his past four outings despite going hitless in four at-bats last night opposite the Padres.
Also, Jason Heyward could be a key factor for the Cards to win this game, as he is 4-for-6 over the last two contests and sports a respectable .290/.349/.444 triple-slash along with 11 homers and 44 RBIs on the year.
St. Louis is 5-5 in its previous 10 contests with Lynn starting.
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Betting on the Arizona Diamondbacks
It seems like the Arizona Diamondbacks are clicking at the right time with a current four-game winning streak to be proud of. However, they still have a long way to go if they wish to qualify for the postseason, as the D-Backs are five games back in the division and 9.5 games short of at least the final wild card in the National League. They’ll try to continue chopping these deficits further by taking care of business in Game 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals this evening.
Getting the start for Arizona is Robbie Ray, who is 3-9 with a 3.38 ERA thus far this season. This isn’t exactly good news for the D-Backs, as the 23-year-old lefty has been winless over his previous six turns. In that stretch, he is 0-5 with a bleak 5.18 ERA to his name. Moreover, Ray, who’ll be matching up against the Cards for the first time in his career, has been almost just as bad at home this year with an 0-4 record, a 4.45 ERA and a .282 opponents’ batting average across six starts.
With Ray likely to continue his struggles, Arizona will need to deliver some big time productions on offense. Expect them to lean on the combo of A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt to light up the plate. Pollock is on fire lately, with 11 hits in 15 at-bats over his past three outings. Goldschmidt, meanwhile, boasts a .358 batting average at home and is 3-for-10 lifetime opposite the Cards’ starter Lance Lynn.
Arizona is 1-6 in Ray’s previous seven turns.
Writer’s Prediction:
St. Louis (-120) wins, 5-0.
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