In the second of a four-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (97-56) and the Milwaukee Brewers (64-89) at Busch Stadium, Carlos Martinez (14-7, 3.01 ERA) and Ariel Pena (2-0, 3.50 ERA) get the ball. The Cardinals won the last game 7-3, extending a five-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 25 and will air on FSWI and FSMW.
In his last start, Martinez pitched 6.2 innings, giving up two runs, striking out six and walking three in a 4-3 victory over the Cubs. Jason Heyward (.290, 75 Rs, 12 HRs, 56 RBIs, 23 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs. The Brewers were victorious over the Reds 8-4 the last time Pena pitched. He went 5.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out five and walking three.
St. Louis is a heavy -230 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is seven runs. The Cardinals perform well as a favorite with an 82-37 record and have an overall money line of +2,827. They are 7-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking fifth in the NL with an average of 3.1 walks per game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.87 team ERA.
Switching gears, the Brewers come into this game with a weak win percentage of .396 when playing as the underdog (38-58) and an overall money line of -2,316. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 2-8 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 2-6 record.
The Cardinals have gotten the best of the Brewers in head-to-head matchups this season, going 12-4. The Cardinals will take on a right-hander (Pena) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (74-38), especially at home where they have a 42-15 record. The right-handed Martinez will take the mound against the Brewers, who have a 45-70 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 33-22, while Milwaukee is 35-38.
The Brewers are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Cardinals have a record of 30-30 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 58-16. The Brewers have a 49-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd, St. Louis is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 619 this season. Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 630.
Ranking 23rd, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 396 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 479.
The Cardinals are 64-24 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Brewers are 48-39 when they hit at least one homer.
