Carlos Martinez (7-2, 2.93 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (42-21) square off against Kyle Gibson (4-4, 3.24 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (34-29) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the second of a two-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 3-2 and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 16 and can be seen on FSN-N and FSN-MW.
Martinez pitched 6.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out four and walking one in a 4-2 win over the Rockies. Jhonny Peralta (.316, 30 Rs, 10 HRs, 35 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Gibson went 6.0 innings, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out six and walking two in a 7-2 defeat to the Royals in his last outing. Brian Dozier (.266, 51 Rs, 13 HRs, 32 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
St. Louis is a -175 favorite against Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +1,779 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 32-11. Against the AL, they have a 4-2 record when they were the favorite and 6-5 SU. The Cardinals have seen a decline in scoring against teams in the AL, averaging 3.1 runs per game. They average 4.0 runs per game on the season. The Cardinals are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 8.9 per game. St. Louis’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.8 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.65. The Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Minnesota has a 28-22 record and an overall money line of +1,264. Minnesota is undefeated as the underdog against interleague opponents with a 3-0 record and 3-2 SU.
The Cardinals have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Cardinals have a great 21-4 record at home (34-14 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Gibson takes the mound. Martinez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a 19-19 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota has won 41% (9-13) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 71% (15-6) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cardinals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Twins have a 7-16 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Twins are 6-27. The Cardinals have a 9-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total home runs this season, St. Louis ranks 25th with 49 homers and Minnesota is 26th with 48.
Ranking 10th, Minnesota is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.34 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.90.
Ranking 25th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.682). St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .722.
When the Twins allow at least one home run, they are 19-23. When the Cardinals allow one or more homers, they have a 17-14 record.
