St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Prediction, Picks and Preview – August 28, 2015

The St. Louis Cardinals (82-45) extended their unbeaten run to five games after a 5-3 win at Arizona last night. They’ll definitely be looking to continue this run when they travel to AT&T Park for their three-game series with the San Francisco Giants (68-59), who are persistently fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Read on further for a complete preview of this National League matchup. And if you’re still craving for more MLB action, check out our detailed breakdown of the Cubs and Dodgers game. Enjoy.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants Preview

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

When:  Friday, August 28, 10:15 PM ET

Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-120) vs. San Francisco Giants (+110); Total: 6.5 — View all MLB Lines

Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals

Michael Wacha (15-4, 2.80) has been making it look easy in recent starts. He is in the midst of a four-game winning streak and has given up just four earned runs over his last five turns. St. Louis went 5-0 during that span. Wacha has a chance to become the MLB’s second pitcher after Jake Arrieta to reach 16 wins when he takes the hill to oppose the visiting San Francisco Giants in their series opener tonight.

That may just be the case for Wacha, as he’s fared really well when facing off with San Francisco through two career starts. In that stretch, the 24-year-old right-hander is 1-0 with a staggering 0.69 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP and a .196 opponents’ batting average. Moreover, he’s been also pretty solid pitching on the road thus far this season, going 9-2 with a respectable 3.11 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 13 starts. The Cardinals are 8-2 in their previous 10 contests with him starting.

However, beating a Giants’ team that averages 4.29 runs per game—among the best in the National League—is no easy task to accomplish. That said, the onus is on Jason Heyward and Matt Carpenter to deliver the goods at the plate. Heyward is 6-for-17 (.353) in his previous five despite going hitless in four at-bats last night. Carpenter, on the other hand, holds a career .453 batting average opposite San Francisco but is only 7-for-30 lifetime against Mike Leake.

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Betting on the San Francisco Giants

Since being traded to the San Francisco Giants a few weeks ago, Mike Leake (9-6, 3.44 ERA) has only managed to play two games due to an ailing hamstring injury. But during those two outings, Leake provided quality performances, yielding just three earned runs in 12 1/3 frames despite losing in both. He’ll have another opportunity to regain his form versus the visiting St. Louis Cardinals later this evening.

Leake, who returned from the disabled list on Saturday, has had his struggles with the Cardinals. Over 15 career starts, he owns a 5-7 record with a mediocre 4.34 ERA. It’s worth noting, though, that the former Reds starter had a stellar outing in his last match against St. Louis, where he pitched eight scoreless innings to pick up the 4-0 triumph.

As for the offense, it’s been the Buster Posey and Matt Duffy show for San Francisco. Posey, who leads the team in batting (.315), RBIs (80) and hits (139) this year, is 4-for-12 (.333) in his last three games and is hitting .313 at AT&T Park on the year. Duffy, meanwhile, is 12-for-40 (.300) in the past 10 contest and is 1-for-3 off the Cards’ starter Michael Wacha.

Writer’s Prediction:

St.Louis (-200) wins, 3-1, to stretch their winning streak to six.
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