Robbie Ray (3-9, 3.38 ERA) and Lance Lynn (9-8, 2.94 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks (62-61) and the St. Louis Cardinals (78-45) at Chase Field. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 24 and can be seen on FSAZ, FSMW and ESPN.
Ray pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking two in a 4-1 defeat to the Pirates. David Peralta (.294, 48 Rs, 13 HRs, 66 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Lynn went 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking five in a 2-0 defeat to the Giants in his last outing.
St. Louis takes on Arizona as a -130 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Diamondbacks have an overall money line of +491 and a record as the underdog of 37-38. Arizona is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 110 bases.
In the other locker room, St. Louis is coming in with an overall money line of +2,160 and an impressive record of 65-29 as the favorite. The Cardinals allow 3.0 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 4.4 runs per game during that span. The Cardinals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.1 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Cardinals have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The Diamondbacks have a 48-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Lynn takes the mound. Ray (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cardinals, who have a very good 60-30 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona has won 56% (23-18) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 60% (25-17) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cardinals are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Diamondbacks have a 0-2 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Diamondbacks are 45-15. The Cardinals have a 48-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 22nd, St. Louis sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 485 this season. Arizona ranks in the top five at third with 564.
Arizona and St. Louis both rank in the top 10 of the league in walks. Arizona sits at eighth with 375 this season and St. Louis ranks ninth with 370.
The Diamondbacks are 44-22 when they hit at least one home run. The Cardinals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 50-20 record.
