Pitching duel to mark Cards-D-backs finale?
This weekend’s Cardinals-Diamondbacks series certainly hasn’t been short on late-inning drama. Still, Mike Matheny would gladly accept just a little less excitement in today’s rubber match.
The St. Louis skipper leads his squad into battle against Arizona at 2:15 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv favor the Redbirds to claim two of three, while Chip Hale’s gang enters as a +117 underdog. The over/under figure rests at seven runs.
After the D-backs risked giving up a nine-run advantage in the opener, Cards closer Trevor Rosenthal faced his own combustible situation roughly 14 hours ago. The franchise’s record-holder for most saves in a season allowed a two-run blast to Rickie Weeks and then loaded the bases before fanning Jean Segura to secure a 6-2 victory. As a result, the visitors fell to 8-11 in May.
Ordinarily, a pairing of Zack Greinke and Jaime Garcia would suggest a considerably less frenetic follow-up. Given the former’s uncharacteristically patchy start to 2016, however, we could see even more madcap action. Greinke went 2-2 with a 6.16 ERA over his first five outings as a Diamondback. The past four assignments – 2-1 and a 3.81 ERA – won’t elicit a groundswell of Cy Young support, but they’ve contained signs of a return to normalcy.
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Arizona fans should take heart in the knowledge that the Orlando native usually dominates St. Louis. Prior to April’s 12-7 defeat in the desert, Greinke had gone 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA in his previous 11 matchups with the Cardinals. He may also benefit from the fact that Garcia seems to have a lot of trouble retiring top-of-the-order threats such as Segura and Michael Bourn. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt ripped a pair of base knocks Saturday, too, so perhaps he’s finally reverting to MVP form.
Nonetheless, these two hurlers aren’t about to commit as many gaffes as we witnessed in their head-to-head duel several weeks ago. Even though the Cards get the edge, both offenses will likely sputter in the early stages. Keep those matinee bids on the low side.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: DIAMONDBACKS/CARDINALS UNDER 7 RUNS
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