Rubby De La Rosa (11-5, 4.32 ERA) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (62-64) go up against Carlos Martinez (12-6, 2.85 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (81-45) in the last of a four-game series at Chase Field. The Cardinals won the last game 3-1 and St. Louis can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. The game starts at 9:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 27 and will air on FSAZ and FSMW.
In his last start, De La Rosa pitched 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out six and walking one in a 6-3 victory over the Reds. Paul Goldschmidt (.331, 81 Rs, 25 HRs, 94 RBIs, 20 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. The Cardinals were unsuccessful to the Padres 8-0 the last time Martinez pitched. He went 6.1 innings, giving up three runs, striking out six and walking one. Matt Carpenter (.259, 73 Rs, 19 HRs, 66 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Arizona, a +110 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against St. Louis. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. When playing as the underdog, the Diamondbacks have a 37-40 record and overall money line at +291. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking second in all of baseball with 110 steals.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Cardinals come into this game with a solid win percentage of .701 when playing as the favorite (68-29) and an overall money line of +2,460. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the St. Louis pitchers. They allowed 3.8 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 3.0. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.1 strikeouts per game.
The Cardinals are a perfect 6-0 against the Diamondbacks this season. This game will feature Martinez (RHP) on the mound against the Diamondbacks, who have a 48-45 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed De La Rosa will take the mound against the Cardinals. Against righty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 63-30 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 27-17, while Arizona is 23-20.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Cardinals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Diamondbacks have a 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Diamondbacks are 12-41. The Cardinals have a 20-30 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 23rd in home runs, St. Louis has hit 104 this season. Arizona ranks 19th with 114 home runs.
Arizona ranks at the top of the league when it comes to hits with 9.34 per game this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.62.
Ranking 19th, St. Louis is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.714). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .738.
The Cardinals are 32-30 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Diamondbacks are 30-52 when they allow at least one homer.
