Michael Wacha (8-2, 2.45 ERA) gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals (41-21) as they meet Trevor May (4-4, 4.16 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (34-28) in the first of a two-game series at Busch Stadium. The game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 15 and will air on FSN-N and FSN-MW.
In his most recent outing, Wacha pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four runs, striking out 10 and walking one in a 4-3 loss to the Rockies. Matt Carpenter (.290, 39 Rs, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 Saturday with one RBI. The Twins were unsuccessful to the Royals 2-0 the last time May pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out five and walking three. Brian Dozier (.265, 51 Rs, 13 HRs, 31 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Twins, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
St. Louis is a heavy -190 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is seven runs. The Cardinals have a winning record of 32-11 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +1,779. They have a 4-2 record when they were the favorite and 6-5 SU against the American League. Against the AL, St. Louis’s offense has been struggling. St. Louis has only averaged 3.1 runs per game compared to its 4.0 season average. The Cardinals are a superb hitting team with 8.9 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the NL. Turning to the pitching staff, the Cardinals lead the AL in ERA with a 2.65 team average. The Cardinals don’t give up many walks to opposing batters, ranking fifth in the NL with only 2.6 walks allowed per game.
Switching gears, the Twins come into this game with a win percentage of .560 when playing as the underdog (28-22) and an overall money line of +1,264. Interleague opponents have had a tough time keeping up with Minnesota. The Twins have managed to go undefeated when ranked as the underdog this season with a record of 3-0 and a 3-2 record SU.
This game will feature May (RHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 21-4 home and 34-14 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Wacha will take the mound against the Twins, who have a 19-19 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
For the 10th time this season, the Cardinals registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Twins play into extra innings, they have a 3-1 record. The Cardinals are 5-3 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Twins are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 17-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 29-7. The Twins have a 23-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st, St. Louis is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 247 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half at 14th with 263.
Ranking 24th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 150 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top half at 13th with 192.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 25-8. When the Twins hit at least one homer, they have a 26-10 record.
