Both pitchers find themselves in a situation to dominate opposing hitters in the second game of this three-game series at Busch Stadium.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago has lost 14 of its last 16 games including a 6-3 defeat in the first game of this three-game series against its main NL Central rival. “We just didn’t hold the game in check,” manager Lou Piniella said. The Cubs are now also 1-7 in their 17-game stretch in which they face teams that either rank first or second in their division. The club is now 12-26 in series openers this season. Offensively, the team is awaiting the return of 3B Aramis Ramirez, who was withheld from Friday’s lineup with a sore left oblique muscle. Chicago has been a road underdog of +200 to +225 just once this year (-100) and three times over the last three seasons (-300). The team is a disappointing 26-33 in day games in 2010 (-1,550) and the total stands at 29-27 O/U in those contests. The Cubs average 4.5 runs and hit for a combined .258 average under the sun.
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Cincinnati has turned the tide against the Cubs this season, blanking them 3-0 at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. The Reds are now 8-3 against them this season, after tallying a disappointing 5-10 mark in 2009. At 62-48, the club is a season-high 14 games over .500 after winning five of their past six games, including a 4-1 mark on this road trip. The team must remain focused over the next two games and not look ahead to a three-game series against the Cardinals starting Monday. “I can’t put too much importance on St. Louis because they’re not here yet,” manager Dusty Baker said. “You have to win games now before we get there.” The pitching staff has posted a 3.01 ERA since June 17, which is the second-best mark in the majors over that span, behind only the White Sox (2.87). Cincinnati is 20-18 in day games this season (-50) and the total is 11-22 O/U in those contests. The Reds are also 3-4 this season (-170) and 11-14 the last three years after shutting out an opponent (-140).
Cincinnati has won six of its last eight games and moved its record to 10-1-1 in its last 12 series. The Reds will now face off with a team that they’ve beaten five of six times this year, outscoring the Cubs by a 49-13 margin. “Yeah, we’ve got to keep winning series and hopefully you throw a sweep or two in there somewhere,” manager Dusty Baker said. The club is just a game over .500 with a 19-18 record this season (-150) and the total is 11-21 O/U in those contests. Cincinnati is averaging 4.1 runs per game and hitting for a combined .259 average during the day, which is almost a full run lower (4.9) than its average for the year. Playing divisional opponents has provided a boost to the team’s record all season, coming into this three-game series with a 31-18 record against NL Central opponents (+1,340).
Atlanta continues to lead the NL East division, but its lead has been cut due to losing five of eight games on its current road trip. The Braves did make a couple moves at the trade deadline, picking up outfielder Rick Ankiel and relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth from Kansas City. “Ankiel’s a tremendous outfielder, a great athlete,” Chipper Jones said. “Hopefully he helps solidify things out there.” The club is still a tremendous 18-9 against the NL Central, which is their best winning percentage against any division this season. Atlanta is also 20-15 in day games this season (+380) and the total is 19-16 O/U in those contests. The team is averaging 4.0 runs per game under the sun and hitting for a combined .256 average, while opponents are scoring 3.8 and batting .236. Atlanta has gone 26-31 in August the last three years (-820).
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.
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.
Houston is set to play its final game of a six-game road trip against the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, with the team posting a 12-5 combined mark against those two opponents this season. The Astros are 14-11 versus NL clubs since June 7, winning four of seven series over that span. Unlike today’s opponent, Houston has had success against the division, tallying a 21-17 record (+1,060). The club is 13-18 in day games this season (+10) and 60-63 over the last three years, with the team averaging 3.5 runs and combining for a dismal .229 average under the sun. Houston has thrived in playing during the middle of the week, tallying an 11-3 mark when playing on Wednesday (+1,020).
Philadelphia has dropped the first two games of this four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but will now turn to its pair of aces over the weekend. “We need to win tomorrow,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’ll work on Sunday when we get there.” The Phillies are now a game under .500 in July (6-7, -280), after going 20-7 during the month last season. The club is still 17-10 against NL Central teams this season, which is similar to its 23-16 mark against the division in 2009. First baseman Ryan Howard has produced three home runs and six RBIs in the first two games of this series and 20 homers on the season. Don’t expect such a low-scoring game on Saturday, with the team having a 17-11 O/U mark in daytime games.
Milwaukee put its second-ranked offense on display on Saturday, racking up 19 hits and 12 runs in a blowout win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The run total was the most the Brewers’ offense has tallied since June 14. “Days like this are few and far between for a pitcher of his caliber,” said All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun about putting up such a total against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. The Brewers added two home runs to its NL-leading total of 101, which is third in the majors behind Toronto and Boston. The Brewers are now 20-22 on the road (+200) and have gone 4-8-1 in series play away from Miller Park. Milwaukee’s offense has been sparked from the top this season, with Rickie Weeks ranking tops in the majors in home runs (14) and RBI (49) for a leadoff batter.
