In the first of a three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers (3-13) and the St. Louis Cardinals (3-13) at Miller Park, Matt Garza (1-2, 5.40 ERA) and Carlos Martinez (1-0, 2.08 ERA) get the ball. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 24 and will air on FSN-MW and FSN-WI.
Garza has a 4.03 ERA and a 4-3 record in his career against the Cardinals, and faces a solid St. Louis offense that’s hitting .263 on the year. Adam Lind (.309, 4 Rs, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the Brewers, Martinez is 0-1 with a 1.96 ERA. He meets a struggling Milwaukee offense that’s batting just .218. Matt Carpenter (.386, 13 Rs, 3 HRs, 11 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Cardinals, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Milwaukee, a +108 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against St. Louis. The matchup currently has a seven-run Over/Under (O/U). The Brewers perform poorly as an underdog with a 1-6 record and have an overall money line of -1,211. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the underdog (1-6).
Moving on to the opposing team, the Cardinals come into this game with a solid win percentage of .778 when playing as the favorite (7-2) and an overall money line of +418. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 8-2 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 7-1 record. St. Louis is one of the top hitting teams in the NL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the St. Louis batters, who rank third in the NL with 6.9 strikeouts per game. Switching gears to St. Louis’s pitching staff, they have the lowest ERA in the NL at 2.14. They have a WHIP of 1.07, best in the MLB. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.4 strikeouts per game.
In their previous three games this season, the Cardinals have a 2-1 record. The Brewers will take on a right-hander (Martinez) in this game. They have done very poorly against right-handed starting pitchers this season (2-10), especially at home where they have a 1-7 record. Taking the hill against the Cardinals will be the right-hander Garza. They sport an 8-3 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
Milwaukee has won 33% (2-4) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 60% (3-2) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Brewers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 4-0 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Brewers are 1-11. The Cardinals have a 2-0 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total home runs this season, Milwaukee ranks 29th with eight homers and St. Louis is 25th with nine.
Ranking 13th, Milwaukee is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.07 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.92.
Ranking 30th, Milwaukee is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.587). St. Louis ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .709.
The Cardinals are 4-2 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Brewers are 1-9 when they allow at least one homer.
