Shane Greene (3-2, 4.71 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (21-14) are in St. Louis to meet Carlos Martinez (3-1, 4.89 ERA) and the Cardinals (24-10) in a matchup that has the potential for plenty of offense. This is the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 15 and will air on FSN-DET, FSN-MW and MLB Net.
In his last start, Martinez pitched 5.1 innings, giving up seven runs, striking out seven and walking four in a 7-5 loss to the Pirates. Matt Carpenter (.322, 26 Rs, 6 HRs, 23 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. The Tigers were unsuccessful to the Royals 2-1 the last time Greene pitched. He went 8.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out three. Miguel Cabrera (.328, 20 Rs, 8 HRs, 26 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well offensively for the Tigers, going 3 for 5 yesterday with three runs, two home runs, and five RBIs.
St. Louis, a -145 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Detroit. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Cardinals have a winning record of 18-5 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +1,172. They are 4-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking fifth in the NL with an average of only 7.4 strikeouts per game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an AL-low 2.75 team ERA.
Across the field, the Tigers have a record of 6-5 when they are the underdog and are +396 overall with the money line. Teams in the National League haven’t been able to get the upper hand on fiery Detroit. The Tigers hold a record of 2-1 in games where they were ranked as the underdog and a 2-1 SU. When it comes to scoring runs, the Tigers haven’t performed as well against teams from the NL. During those games, they averaged two runs per game, below their 4.2 season average. Detroit is one of the top road hitting teams in the AL with an average of 9.3 hits per contest. The Tigers have racked up 29 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. Playing competition from the NL really brings the best out of the Detroit pitchers. They allow 1.7 runs per game against teams in the NL, which is lower than their season average of 4.1.
The Cardinals will take on a right-hander (Greene) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (19-6), especially at home where they have a 12-1 record. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the right-hander Martinez. They sport a 14-11 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Cardinals are 4-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 1-1 in such matchups.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cardinals have a 7-1 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 15-6. The Tigers have an 18-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 11th in runs, St. Louis has earned 152 this season. Detroit ranks 10th with 155 runs.
Ranking 14th, St. Louis is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 107 this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at third with 123.
The Cardinals are 14-4 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Tigers are 14-5 when they hit at least one homer.
