The Miami Marlins’ losing woes continued on Tuesday as they suffered a stinging defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals. They will look to get their season back in order when they take on the Cards again in the second game of their three-game set later tonight.
Who will grab the advantage in this National League matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this series opener and while you’re at it, you can check out our piece on the five leading candidates in the 2015 NL MVP race.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Miami Marlins Preview
Where: Marlins Park, Miami
When: Wednesday, June 24, 7:10 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-115) at Miami Marlins (+105); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals returned to winning ways Tuesday with a nerve-wracking 4-3 victory against the struggling Miami Marlins. Right-hander Carlos Martinez shook off a slow start, surrendering just three runs in seven innings of action to grab his eighth victory of the season. The Cards will look to sustain the momentum from that huge win when they take on the Marlins again tonight.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Cards this evening is left-hander Jaime Garcia (2-3, 1.76 ERA). He delivered six scoreless innings in his last start against the Twins on Thursday, striking out four while allowing four hits and two walks. He received a no-decision, though, as St. Louis lost 2-1 in that game to Minnesota. That has been the story all season for Garcia who has given up two runs or less in each of his three losses this year.
Garcia, who has gone at least six innings in all of his six starts this season, hasn’t allowed a single run in his past two outings (14 innings). He will fancy his chances of extending that brilliant form later tonight as he has fared extremely well against the Marlins in the past. He has a 1.80 ERA in two career starts against Miami, with both games resulting in a no decision.
Expected to lead the Cards’ offense tonight against the Dodgers are Jon Jay and Yadier Molina. Jay has had some success against Latos, hitting 11-of-30 (.367) in his career against the right-hander, while Molina is 12-of-31 with five RBIs.
The Cardinals are 5-5 in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Miami Marlins
Not even a return to Marlins Park can stop Miami’s slide as it suffered a 4-3 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. The Marlins have now lost five of their last six games as they dropped down to 30-42 in the NL East standings.
For the Marlins to return to the win column tonight, they need a solid pitching performance from starter Mat Latos (2-4, 5.37 ERA). Latos struggled in his last start, allowing three runs on nine hits and a pair of walks in Miami’s 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on June 18. The Marlins have now lost four of their last five games with Latos as their starter.
To make matters worse for Miami, Latos has been atrocious at Marlins Park this season. He is 1-2 with a 7.90 ERA in six home starts this year. Things are bound to get tougher for Latos as standing in his way tonight are the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals. He is 5-5 with a 5.69 ERA in 12 career starts against the Cards.
With that said, the onus is on Miami’s offense to pick up the scoring cudgels in case Latos struggles on the mound again. Expected to lead the Marlins’ offense tonight is Giancarlo Stanton. He hit his major-league leading 26th home run Tuesday against Carlos Martinez. He was 1-of-3 in the series opener with two RBIs. Michael Baker is also expected to contribute tonight for the Marlins as he is 4-of-13 lifetime against St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia.
The Marlins are 7-3 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (-115) wins, 7-3.
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