In the second of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (58-51) and the Atlanta Braves (39-70) at Busch Stadium, Carlos Martinez (10-6, 2.99 ERA) and Roberto Hernandez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) take the mound. The Cardinals won the last game 1-0, and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 6 and will air on FSMW and FSSO.
In his last start, Martinez pitched 7.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking four in a 5-4 loss to the Marlins. This is the first start of the season for Hernandez. He pitched 84.2 innings last season, finishing 3-5 with a 4.36 ERA his most recent outing
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Cardinals come into the game with the third-ranked scoring offense in the NL, averaging 5.0 runs per game. The Cardinals rank fourth in the majors in home runs with 148. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking fifth in the NL with an average of 3.4 walks per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Cardinals are second in the NL in walks allowed at home with just 2.6 per game.
So far this season, the Cardinals are 4-0 against the Braves. Taking the hill against the Braves will be the right-hander Martinez. They sport a 27-43 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis’s last 9 games.
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis’s last 10 games when playing Atlanta.
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis’s last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
The Braves lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Cardinals are 15-17. The Braves are 12-16 in close games this season.
When leading after seven innings, St. Louis is 28-22, while Atlanta is 14-26.
The Braves didn’t score any runs in their last game. The Cardinals have a 7-0 record when they don’t allow any runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 28-18. The Cardinals have a 40-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 30th, Atlanta sits at the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 376 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 544.
Ranking 21st, Atlanta is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 311 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 371.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 47-31. When the Braves hit at least one homer, they have a 22-25 record.
