John Lackey (9-7, 2.91 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (74-41) go up against Brad Hand (2-2, 4.29 ERA) and the Miami Marlins (46-69) in the second of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 3-1 and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 15 and will air on FSFL and FSMW.
In his last start, Lackey pitched 6.0 innings, allowing three runs, striking out three and walking two in a 5-4 loss to the Brewers. Randal Grichuk (.285, 45 Rs, 14 HRs, 43 RBIs, 4 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run. The Marlins were victorious over the Braves 4-1 the last time Hand pitched. He went 7.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out three and walking two. Justin Bour (.250, 21 Rs, 10 HRs, 33 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Don’t expect the St. Louis hitters to swing wildly in their own ballpark. They average only 6.9 strikeouts per home game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.64 team ERA.
Miami has been playing better lately, averaging 4.9 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.7. Miami is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 267 extra base hits. The Marlins have racked up 78 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Miami pitchers. They allowed 6.0 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 4.1.
So far this season, the Cardinals are 4-0 against the Marlins. This game will feature Hand (RHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 35-9 home and 57-26 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Marlins will be the right-hander Lackey. They sport a 36-54 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL
Notes
The Cardinals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Marlins have a 12-30 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Marlins are 9-43. The Cardinals have a 19-26 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total home runs this season, St. Louis ranks 25th with 92 homers and Miami is 28th with 83.
St. Louis and Miami both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. St. Louis sits at sixth with 8.66 hits per game and Miami ranks eighth with 8.56.
Ranking 27th, Miami is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.681). St. Louis ranks in the bottom half at 16th with an OPS of .710.
When the Marlins allow at least one home run, they are 21-42. When the Cardinals allow one or more homers, they have a 30-29 record.
