Carlos Martinez (11-4, 2.57 ERA) gets the start for the St. Louis Cardinals (71-40) as they meet Jeff Locke (6-6, 4.31 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-44) in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The game gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and will air on RTPT and FSMW.
In his last start, Martinez pitched 5.0 innings, giving up one, striking out four and walking three in a 4-3 loss to the Reds. Randal Grichuk (.286, 41 Rs, 14 HRs, 43 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 Sunday. The Pirates were unsuccessful to the Cubs 7-5 the last time Locke pitched. He went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking one. Andrew McCutchen (.301, 64 Rs, 17 HRs, 74 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Pirates, going 2 for 6 Sunday with two runs, one home run, and four RBIs.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Cardinals have an SU record of 30-17 against teams in their division. The Cardinals typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.2 walks per home game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.61 team ERA. The Cardinals don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fourth in the league with a 1.20 WHIP. An area where the Cardinals are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.2 K’s per game.
Against fellow NL Central members, the Pirates are 20-27 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 5.7 runs per game, above their 4.2 season average. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have the third-lowest road ERA in the NL at 3.59.
This game will feature Locke (LHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 15-14 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the right-hander Martinez. They sport a 53-35 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 23-13, while Pittsburgh is 20-25.
The Pirates managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cardinals who are heading in with a 28-15 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 45-14. The Pirates have a 45-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 20th in runs, St. Louis has earned 440 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 15th with 460 runs.
Ranking 21st, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 288 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 336.
The Cardinals are 45-19 when they hit at least one home run. The Pirates perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 41-20 record.
