Cardinals, Padres try again this afternoon
Dicey weather prevented the Cardinals from even beginning their scheduled series opener vs. San Diego. Yet, Tuesday turned to be anything but an idle occasion for Mike Matheny & Co.
Hours before a heavy thunderstorm wiped out the Redbirds-Padres tilt at Busch Stadium, the home team performed some necessary roster juggling. Infielder Jhonny Peralta went on the disabled list due to a strained ligament in his left thumb, which originated during a weekend at-bat against the Marlins. Catcher Mike McKenry, one of multiple understudies to mainstay Yadier Molina, was also designated for assignment.
In their places, outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker and reliever Miguel Socolovich will join St. Louis in time for this afternoon’s first game of a doubleheader. Carlos Martinez and Colin Rea duel starting at 2:15 p.m. ET, with oddsmakers leaning toward the Cards’ 8-6 righty. San Diego, on the other hand, symbolizes a +180 underdog in the eyes of online sports book BetDSI.
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Martinez last pitched on July 11 in an 8-1 triumph at Milwaukee. Dazzling the Miller Park faithful with his repertoire, the former All-Star matched a career high by striking out 11 in five innings. There’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to facing the Padres, though, as Martinez is 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA in five career meetings.
Rea doesn’t exactly relish running into the Cardinals either. He yielded five runs to them on Aug. 23, 2015, and picked up a no-decision on April 24 in an 8-5 defeat. Andy Green’s troops have prevailed, however, in eight of his past 12 outings.
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Tonight, Jaime Garcia (6-6, 4.11 ERA) and Paul Clemens (1-0, 4.73) complete the twin ball. As regards the matinee, take the hosts. St. Louis should generate enough offense to combat any erratic control from Martinez in the early going.
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