Jaime Garcia (1-2, 3.73 ERA) and Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a four-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (14-14) and the Philadelphia Phillies (16-12) at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 5-4, and St. Louis leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 1:45 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 5 and can be seen on CSPh and FSMW.
Garcia pitched 6.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out six and walking three in a 6-1 defeat to the Nationals. Aledmys Diaz (.381, 21 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs. Eickhoff went 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs and striking out four in a 4-3 win over the Indians in his most recent start. Odubel Herrera (.319, 17 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Phillies, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for St. Louis and Philadelphia are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Cardinals have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. The Cardinals are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 107. St. Louis’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.2 hits per game to their opponents this season.
Offensively, the Phillies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Phillies allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
When leading after seven innings, St. Louis is 8-5, while Philadelphia is 6-6.
The Phillies managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cardinals who are heading in with a 6-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 12-3. The Phillies have a 9-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 26th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 90 this season. St. Louis ranks second with 158 runs.
Ranking 25th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 71 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 99.
The Cardinals are 11-8 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Phillies are 13-6 when they hit at least one homer.
