Jaime Garcia (1-1, 3.46 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (33-17) meet Matt Garza (3-7, 5.52 ERA) and the Milwaukee Brewers (17-34) in the first of a three-game division series at Busch Stadium. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 1 and will air on FSN-WI, FSN-MW and ESPN.
Garcia has a 3.26 ERA and a 6-3 record in his career against the Brewers, and is up against a less-than-stellar Milwaukee offense that’s hitting just .228 on the year. Jhonny Peralta (.310, 25 Rs, 8 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1 SB) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Cardinals, Garza is 4-4 with a 4.07 ERA. He meets a strong St. Louis offense that’s batting .268. Ryan Braun (.264, 30 Rs, 12 HRs, 38 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 7 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
St. Louis is a -158 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Cardinals have a winning record of 27-8 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +1,411. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (5-1). St. Louis has averaged 2.8 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.2. The Cardinals are a superb hitting team with 9.3 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the NL. The Cardinals typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.1 walks per game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.76 team ERA. The Cardinals are fourth in the NL in hits allowed with just 8.4 per game.
On the other side, the Brewers have a subpar record of 11-20 when they are the underdog and are -1,788 overall with the money line. Over the last 10 games, they were winless as the underdog with a 0-5 record and 1-9 SU.
The Cardinals have mostly come out on top against the Brewers in their previous six games this season, earning a 4-2 record. The Cardinals will take on a right-hander (Garza) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (27-12), especially at home where they have a 17-3 record. The left-handed Garcia will take the mound against the Brewers. Against lefty starters this season, they have an awful 4-7 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Brewers won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Cardinals are 9-8. The Brewers are 5-6 in close games this season.
When the Cardinals play into extra innings, they have a 5-3 record. The Brewers are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Brewers are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 14 strikeouts. The Cardinals have a record of 0-2 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 23-6. The Brewers have an 11-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 24th in runs, Milwaukee has earned 193 this season. St. Louis ranks 15th with 209 runs.
Ranking 21st, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 125 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top half at 12th with 159.
The Cardinals are 22-6 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Brewers are 16-13 when they hit at least one homer.
