Can Cards compete vs. Arrieta, Cubs today?
Carlos Martinez usually fares quite well in his encounters with the Cubs. The righty will probably have to be all but invincible today, though, to give the Cardinals any chance of a series win.
Two fierce NL Central rivals square off at 1:45 p.m. ET – provided that some rather cantankerous weather in the St. Louis area cooperates. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv favor the visitors, whereas Mike Matheny’s club enters as a +170 underdog. The over/under figure rests at seven runs.
Roughly 15 hours after Jason Hammel carved up the Cards’ bats, Jake Arrieta (8-0, 1.29 ERA) aims to do likewise. Chicago’s ace is the fifth hurler in the sport’s modern era to capture at least 18 consecutive regular-season decisions. He also mowed down 13 of the final 16 hitters he faced in Friday’s 8-1 triumph at San Francisco, improving to 16-0 with a 1.20 ERA in his past 20 road assignments.
Martinez (4-4, 3.56) can’t brag about nearly as much lately. Following a superlative April, the 24-year-old carries a 5.85 ERA this month. He actually hasn’t ventured beyond the fifth since May 1. Erratic command seems to represent the primary quandary, with nine of the Dominican Republic native’s 17 walks on the campaign coming in the last three outings.
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Why endorse Martinez’s matinee prospects, then? For starters, he held Joe Maddon’s club to three base knocks and a single run across seven innings of a 5-3 victory several weeks ago. Dive deeper into the vault, too, and one finds a pitcher with a 3-0 record in five career turns vs. the Cubbies. At the very least, we expect that to translate to a representative effort in a finale setting.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS/CARDINALS UNDER 7 RUNS
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