In the second of a two-game series between the Houston Astros (61-58) and the St. Louis Cardinals (63-56) at Minute Maid Park, Doug Fister (11-7, 3.61 ERA) and Carlos Martinez (10-7, 3.34 ERA) take the mound. The Cardinals won the last game 8-5, and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 2:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 17 and will air on RTSW and FSMW.
In his last start, Fister pitched 7.0 innings, giving up five runs, striking out five and walking two in a 15-7 victory over the Twins. Jose Altuve (.365, 86 Rs, 19 HRs, 74 RBIs, 26 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one RBI. The Cardinals were unsuccessful against the Cubs 4-3 the last time Martinez pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs, striking out four and walking three. Brandon Moss (.264, 50 Rs, 21 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Cardinals, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Houston is favored by a slight -112 margin in its matchup against St. Louis. The matchup currently has an eight-run Over/Under (O/U). The Astros are 44-41 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -974. They come into the game with notable records of 6-4 as the favorite and 8-4 SU against the National League. In games against National League opponents, Houston’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters. They only give up an average of 3.2 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.1. They have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Minute Maid Park, leading the AL with 9.6 strikeouts per home game.
Across the field, the Cardinals have a record of 19-20 when they are the underdog and are -287 overall with the money line. Interleague competitors haven’t been able to nail down St. Louis this season. The Cardinals hold a record of 3-2 in games where they were ranked as the underdog and a 5-10 SU. St. Louis is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 164 home runs. St. Louis’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.4.
In their previous three games this season, the Astros have a 2-1 record. The Astros will take on a right-hander (Martinez) in this game and have a 43-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Fister will take the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 47-36 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Astros are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 6-13 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Astros, as the Cardinals have won their last three games while the Astros have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 43-6. The Astros have a 47-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th, Houston is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 530 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top five with 591.
Ranking sixth, St. Louis is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 405 this season. Houston ranks in the top five with 423.
The Astros are 52-34 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Cardinals are 51-35 when they hit at least one homer.
