Carlos Martinez (4-1, 2.60 ERA) and Francisco Liriano (2-1, 3.86 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (15-14) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (15-13) at Busch Stadium. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 6 and can be seen on FSMW and RTPT.
Martinez pitched 6.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs and striking out eight in a 6-1 defeat to the Nationals. Jeremy Hazelbaker (.309, 12 Rs, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. Liriano went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run and striking out six in a 5-1 win over the Reds in his most recent start. Gregory Polanco (.300, 18 Rs, 3 HRs, 15 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 Wednesday.
The odds for St. Louis and Pittsburgh are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, St. Louis has a record of 8-7 SU. The Cardinals have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. The Cardinals are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 9.4 per game. St. Louis’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
The Pirates are 5-7 against teams in their division. Offensively, the Pirates have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Pirates are tough outs for opponents, leading the NL with 10.0 hits per game. Pittsburgh is excellent at drawing walks with 4.2 per game, ranking second in the NL. The Pirates allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Pirates have the edge in the season series, 3-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
St. Louis won its last game in a shutout, its second of the season. Pittsburgh has not been shut out this season.
The Cardinals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Pirates have a record of 7-3 when opponents’ pitchers have six strikeouts or less.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Pirates, as the Cardinals have won their last two games while the Pirates have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 12-4. The Cardinals have a 13-3 record when outhitting opponents.
St. Louis and Pittsburgh both rank in the top five of the league in runs. St. Louis sits at second with 162 runs this season and Pittsburgh ranks fifth with 138.
Ranking seventh, St. Louis is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 103 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top five at second with 118.
The Cardinals are 12-8 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Pirates are 9-7 when they hit at least one homer.
