The Cubs go for a three-game sweep on national television, but will have to do it against one of the top pitchers in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
St. Louis dropped a half-game behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central race due to Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals will try to avoid being swept on the road in this series since dropping four in a row in July 2006. The club has averaged just 3.9 runs and hit for a combined .225 average over the last seven games, but the pitching staff has held opponents to just .24 runs and a .248 mark in the same span. St. Louis has tallied a 20-27 road mark this season with the total being 19-28 O/U in those games. The team is 35-29 against right-handed starters this season (-370), but the stat is misleading in tonight’s situation due to the Cardinals producing a dismal 6-18 mark in their last 24 road games versus righties.
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Atlanta used an eight-run eighth inning to capture a 10-5 win over Florida at Sun Life Stadium on Friday night. “I can’t explain this ballgame,” manager Bobby Cox said. “It’s hard enough to explain Friday night. It’s baseball.” The Braves are now 5-3 against the Marlins this season and moved their record to 18-16 against divisional opponents (-100). The total is 11-20 O/U in their games against the NL East in 2010 and 76-93 O/U the last three years. With today’s game being a rubber match, it’s important to note that the club is 16-1-4 in its last 21 series dating back to May 10. Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward continues to lead the chase for NL Rookie of the Year, hitting .387 since being made active from the disabled list on July 15. He went 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs last night. Atlanta has averaged 5.7 runs per game and hit for a .277 combined average in compiling an impressive 20-12 daytime record (+760).
Los Angeles has dropped the first two games of a crucial four-game set in Arlington, failing to score a single run in a 1-0 defeat on Friday night to the Texas Rangers. “I made one mistake in the first inning and it kind of cost us,” starting pitcher Joe Saunders said. Since opening the break with a 3-0 mark, the club has dropped three straight and four of five. “We’re still a little unsettled in a couple of areas on the offensive end,” manager Mike Scioscia said. After plating 16 runs on 29 hits in two games versus New York, the Halos have been held to just two runs and batting .145 in the first two games of this series. Los Angeles now trails Texas in the 2010 series 2-5, as six of the seven meetings this season have been one-run affairs. The Angels are 3-6 after three or more consecutive losses this season (-310) and 12-8 in this situation the last three years (+320)
Cincinnati is set to play the second game of this three-game series, which happens to be in the middle of playing 15 of 18 games versus NL Central opponents. The Reds are in second place in the division for the sixth straight day after spending the previous 18 days on top of the standings. “We’re trying not to scoreboard-watch too much, but it’s obvious that we do,” outfielder Jay Bruce said. Cincinnati stands at 38-27 in night games this season (+1,130) with the total being 38-24 O/U in those contests. The club also finds itself in an advantageous position, going 9-3 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this year (+750), which is consistent to the 36-29 mark its posted over the last three seasons.
Colorado has faced off against opposing All-Star hurlers in back-to-back games, falling in defeat in both games, including a 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last night. “We take it one day at a time,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “We’re 2-6 on since the break. We’ve had a couple games here that were winnable.” Today’s game is the second game between the two clubs at Citizens Bank Park since facing off against each other in the 2009 Division Series. It’s important for the Rockies to score first on the road this season, as the club is 3-16 away from Coors Field when the opponent scores the games first run. Colorado is 0-2 after getting shutout this season (-200), but is an impressive 5-0 after three or more consecutive losses (+580).
St. Louis suffered a 5-0 road loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon, which was the first time the club had been shut out in back-to-back games since September 1995. It marked the first time in his 2,364 games as Cardinals manager that Tony LaRussa’s team had been blanked in back-to-back games. Before this recent stretch, St. Louis had won eight straight games and outscored opponents 46-17 over that span, but have now been held scoreless in 20 consecutive innings since. The team has bounced back nicely after suffering a loss, going 26-16 on the year (+440), but it’s important to note they are just 3-5 after getting shut out (-260). The Cardinals are 20-16 in day games this season (-210) and the total is 15-19 O/U in those contests.
Kansas City fell four runs behind the New York Yankees in the first inning and never had a chance in coming back in a 7-1 defeat at Yankee Stadium. The Royals squandered 14 hits by leaving 14 runners on base Thursday, managed to collect just five hits last night in the second game of the series. The club has now recorded a 2-6 record since the All-Star break, after finishing out the first half with a 10-6 run. It’s hard to expect the Royals breaking through with a victory this afternoon due to the club’s 2-13 mark when playing on Saturday this season (-900) and 23-45 record the last three years (-1,550). The total in those games is 7-8 O/U and 33-34 O/U respectively. Playing during the day has been a slightly profitable situation, posting a 14-17 record in 2010 (+30) and 66-74 mark over the last three seasons (+750).
