The St. Louis Cardinals (47-24) moved seven games clear at the top of the NL Central standings with a resounding win Wednesday over the Miami Marlins (30-43). The Cards will look to stretch that advantage even further when they take on the Marlins in the final game of their three-game set later tonight.
Who will emerge victorious in this National League matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this clash and while you’re at it you can check out our MLB previews of Yankees vs. Astros and Pirates vs. Reds.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Miami Marlins Preview
Where: Marlins Park, Miami
When: Thursday, June 25, 7:10 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-120) at Miami Marlins (+110); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to two games with a 6-1 victory against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Jaime Garcia was superb once again for St. Louis, allowing just one run on five hits in seven innings of action. The Cards will look to complete the three-game sweep when they take on the Marlins again later tonight.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Cards this evening is right-hander Lance Lynn (4-4, 3.07 ERA). Lynn is coming off the 15-day disabled list to make his first start since June 7. Prior to his right forearm strain, he threw 7.2 shutout innings in St. Louis’ 1-0 victory against Milwaukee on June 2. Over his past seven starts, Lynn is 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA. The Cards have won five of their last six games with Lynn as their starter.
Expected to lead the Cards’ offense tonight against the Marlins are Yadier Molina and Jhonny Peralta. Molina has fared well against Miami starter Dan Haren in the past, going 4-of-11 (.379) lifetime against the right-hander with one RBI. Peralta has had some success against Haren as well, hitting 9-of-30 (.300) with two RBIs.
The Cardinals are 4-1 in their last five road games.
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Betting on the Miami Marlins
Miami’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Marlins suffered a 6-1 defeat to the streaking St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. The Marlins have now lost six of their last seven games as they dropped down to 30-43 in the National League East standings.
For the Marlins to snap their losing skid tonight, they need a solid pitching performance from starter Dan Haren (6-4, 3.19 ERA). Haren surrendered two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out six over 6.1 innings of a 5-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.
Haren now has quality starts and tough-luck defeats in his last three outings. He has allowed just seven runs in his last three games but unfortunately for Haren, the Marlins haven’t provided him enough run support. Miami has scored just four runs in those three games.
The onus now is on the Miami hitters to get their bats going in the series finale. One guy who’s hitting the ball well for the Marlins is the red-hot Giancarlo Stanton. He hit his major-league leading 27th home run Wednesday against Jaime Garcia. He went 3-for-4 and drove in a run in a losing effort for the Marlins.
The Marlins are 7-3 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (-120) wins, 5-3, to complete the series sweep.
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