In the second of a three-game series between the Cleveland Indians (11-20) and the St. Louis Cardinals (11-20) at Progressive Field, Corey Kluber (0-5, 5.04 ERA) and John Lackey (2-1, 3.20 ERA) take the mound. The Cardinals won the last game 8-3 and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 6:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 13 and will air on FSN-MW and STO.
In his most recent outing, Kluber pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 7-4 loss to the Royals. Michael Brantley (.347, 16 Rs, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs, 5 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the Indians, Lackey is 8-8 with a 3.94 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 48 walks. Matt Carpenter (.336, 25 Rs, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Cardinals, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two runs and one RBI.
Cleveland is a -125 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Indians have a losing record of 7-12 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -1,196. They come into the game with concerning records of 7-12 as the favorite and 11-19 SU against the National League. Over their past 10 games, Cleveland’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 5.6 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.5.
Switching gears, the Cardinals come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the underdog (4-4) and an overall money line of +1,145. When playing Teams in the American League, they have an 18-5 as the favorite and 22-9 SU. They sport the fourth-ranked offense in the NL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. The top hitting team in the NL are the Cardinals, who average 9.4 hits per game. The Cardinals average 3.3 walks per game, making them one of the most disciplined teams in the NL. St. Louis’s pitching staff and defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, averaging an NL-best 3.1 runs allowed per game. They also average just 7.4 hits allowed per road game, best in the NL.
So far this season, the Cardinals are 1-0 against the Indians. This game will feature Lackey (RHP) on the mound against the Indians, who have an 8-10 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Kluber will take the mound against the Cardinals. Against righty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 18-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 11-3, while Cleveland is 4-9.
The Indians are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 7-0 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 2-16. The Cardinals have a 5-3 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 22nd when it comes to home runs, hitting 24 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top half at 13th with 30.
St. Louis tops the league in hits with 9.45 per game this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 8.47.
Ranking 11th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.718). St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .747.
When the Cardinals allow at least one home run, they are 8-6. When the Indians allow one or more homers, they have a 9-15 record.
