Carlos Martinez (4-4, 3.56 ERA) and Jake Arrieta (8-0, 1.29 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (24-22) and the Chicago Cubs (30-14) at Busch Stadium. The Cubs won the last game 12-3, and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 25 and can be seen on WLS and FSMW.
Martinez pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out three and walking three in an 11-7 defeat to the Diamondbacks. Arrieta went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out eight and walking two in an 8-1 win over the Giants in his most recent start. Dexter Fowler (.321, 31 Rs, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Cubs, going 3 for 6 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
The odds for St. Louis and Chicago are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, St. Louis has a record of 17-6 SU. The Cardinals 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. The Cardinals are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 61. 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 Cubs are 7-10 against NL Central opponents. Offensively, they average 0.0 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. Chicago is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 4.9 per game. Moving on to Chicago’s pitching staff and defense, the Cubs allow just two runs per road game, ranking them first in the NL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.059 for the season.
The Cubs lead the season series, 3-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
For the ninth time this season, the Cardinals registered at least two errors in a game.
The Cardinals managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are coming in with a 12-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Cubs are 2-10. The Cardinals have a 4-19 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 12th in home runs, Chicago has hit 51 this season. St. Louis ranks fourth with 61 home runs.
St. Louis and Chicago both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. St. Louis sits at sixth with 9.22 hits per game and Chicago ranks 10th with 8.80.
St. Louis and Chicago both rank in the top five of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. St. Louis sits at second with an OPS of .803, and Chicago ranks fourth with an OPS of .785.
The Cubs are 12-10 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cardinals are 13-16 when they allow at least one homer.
