Matt Shoemaker (1-4, 9.15 ERA) and Jaime Garcia (2-2, 3.05 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Los Angeles Angels (13-19) and the St. Louis Cardinals (17-16) at Angel Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 8-1, and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 10:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 11 and can be seen on FSMW and FSW.
Shoemaker pitched 2.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering seven runs and striking out one in a 7-2 defeat to the Rangers. Yunel Escobar (.307, 14 Rs, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4. Garcia went 7.0 innings, surrendering zero runs and striking out five in a 4-0 win over the Phillies in his most recent start. Aledmys Diaz (.394, 23 Rs, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
The odds for Los Angeles and St. Louis are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Against the NL, the Angels have a 16-16 record SU. The Angels have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Los Angeles’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. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Angels, who rank fifth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.3.
St. Louis is 12-14 SU against American League opponents. Offensively, they average 0.0 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. The Cardinals are tough outs for opponents, ranking fifth in the NL with 9.3 hits per game. St. Louis is excellent at drawing walks with 4.4 per road game, ranking second in the NL. The Cardinals 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 Cardinals have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
Having scored one run in their last game, the Angels are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Cardinals have a 4-1 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 2-16. The Cardinals have a 3-13 record when opponents outhit them.
Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 25 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top five at second with 48.
Ranking 22nd, Los Angeles is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.97 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five with 9.31.
Ranking 28th, Los Angeles is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.668). St. Louis ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .825.
When the Cardinals allow at least one home run, they are 8-12, well-matched with the Angels who are 9-16 when allowing at least one homer.
