In the second of a four-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (13-13) and the Philadelphia Phillies (15-11) at Busch Stadium, Michael Wacha (2-1, 3.07 ERA) and Aaron Nola (1-2, 3.55 ERA) take the mound. The Cardinals won the last game 10-3, and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 3 and will air on CSPh and FSMW.
In his last start, Wacha pitched 7.0 innings, giving up three runs, striking out nine and walking two in a 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. Aledmys Diaz (.403, 20 Rs, 5 HRs, 14 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. The Phillies were victorious the last time Nola pitched. He pitched well, going 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 3-0 victory over the Nationals. Odubel Herrera (.310, 16 Rs, 2 HRs, 9 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Phillies, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Cardinals come into the game with the second-ranked scoring offense in the NL, averaging 0.0 runs per game. The Cardinals are a dangerous hitting team with 103 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Over their past 10 games, St. Louis’s pitchers have been playing lights out, only allowing 0.0 runs per game, below their season average of 0.0. The Cardinals don’t give up many walks to opposing batters at Busch Stadium, ranking fifth in the NL with only 2.4 walks allowed per home game.
Philadelphia has been playing better lately, averaging 0.0 runs per game, more than their season average of 0.0. Philadelphia’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 0.0 runs per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 0.0.
The only other game between the two teams went St. Louis’s way.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
The Cardinals are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 10 runs. The Phillies have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Cardinals are 2-10. The Phillies have a 4-9 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, St. Louis has hit 40 this season. Philadelphia ranks 23rd with 21 home runs.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.46 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.69.
Ranking 29th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.654). St. Louis ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .839.
When the Phillies allow at least one home run, they are 6-9. When the Cardinals allow one or more homers, they have a 7-9 record.
