The St. Louis Cardinals padded their lead in the National League Central division with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of this four-game series. Will the Cards make it two in a row against LA? Or will the Dodgers level up the series?
Read on below for more about this matchup. You can also click here for a full preview of Angels vs. Yankees.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
When: Friday, June 5, 2015, 7:05 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (+115) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-125); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
[sc:MLB240banner ]Carlos Martinez has a tough act to follow when he goes up later tonight against the Dodgers for Game 2 of this series. On Thursday’s series opener, Michael Wacha silenced the Dodgers’ offense, as he tossed seven scoreless innings to help St. Louis notch a 7-1 victory. With Martinez on the mound, the Cards can expect more of the same pitching quality from the Dominican. After all, Martinez beat the Dodgers in his most recent outing.
Martinez razed the Dodgers’ lineup, as he allowed just one hit and no runs in seven innings of duty in St. Louis’ 3-1 victory on May 31. Martinez enters tonight’s ball game carrying a streak of 20 scoreless innings that covers his last three starts. Still, Martinez is going to need enough runs to back him up in tonight’s game.
The Cards have been swinging the bat well over their last two games, wherein they’ve outscored their opponents 14-5. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who went 3-for-4 in Thursday’s game, is batting .417 (10-for-24) over his last seven games. Jayson Heyward is hitting .350 (7-for-20) during that stretch. He went 1-for-5 with two RBIs in the series opener against the Dodgers.
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Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.42 ERA) gets another crack at the Cardinals tonight, just five days after losing to them at St. Louis on May 31. This time, however, the game will be played at home, where Anderson is pitching much better than on the road. The Dodgers are 4-1 in Anderson’s last five home starts.
In five starts at Dodger Stadium this season, Anderson has managed to compile a 1-0 record, a 2.89 ERA and a .274 opponents’ batting average. That’s significantly better than his 1-3 record, 3.95 ERA plus, and .299 opponents’ average when he’s pitching on the road. Hopefully for Anderson, pitching at home will serve him just right as he tries to avenge his earlier loss to the Cards.
Anderson has kept some of the top Cards’ hitters silent in the past. Take for example Peralta, who is just 2-for-11 (.182), in his career opposite the Dodgers’ starter. Matt Carpenter and Yadier Molina, meanwhile, are a combined 1-for-6 at the plate against Anderson.
On offense, the Dodgers are expecting third baseman Justin Turner to continue doing damage at the plate. Turner is 4-for-9 over his last two games. In addition, he is 10-for-29 (.345) over his last eight games. Adrian Gonzalez, meanwhile is 10-for-32 (.313) with a home run during that stretch.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (+115) wins 5-3.
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