Dodgers task Maeda with stopping Cardinals
The Cardinals are eight games above .500 for the first time in 2016. And they’re certainly not short-changing the home crowd in terms of drama.
On Friday evening, Busch Stadium saw a second straight contest end in walk-off fashion. First baseman Matt Adams’ solo homer off Bud Norris felled the Dodgers, 4-3, after five-plus hours of play. The 16-inning marathon required four St. Louis relievers to combine for 7 2/3 scoreless frames.
Mercifully, the two teams don’t have to contend with a matinee follow-up. Instead, the red-hot Mike Leake and Kenta Maeda will lock horns at 7:15 p.m. ET. Handicappers at online sports book Bovada.lv like Los Angeles to bounce back, whereas the Redbirds represent +106 underdogs. The over/under run figure sits at eight.
Maeda (8-7, 3.25 ERA) makes his inaugural visit to the Gateway City, and he’s eager to erase memories of a weekend clunker at Chase Field. The Japanese import surrendered seven base knocks and five runs across 4 1/3 innings. He is 5-2 with a 3.31 ERA in nine outings away from Chavez Ravine this year.
On the other side, Leake looks to continue his ridiculous stretch of late. The veteran sinkerballer fanned a season-high 11 Monday in a 10-2 triumph vs. San Diego. In that tilt, he became just the 10th hurler in MLB history to strike out at least 10 batters in consecutive starts while logging at least six frames and yielding no more than a run with no walks.
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Mike Matheny could ask Leake to work uncommonly deep into tonight’s affair. Dave Roberts, however, arguably faces a greater dilemma. His Dodgers just went through nine pitchers, and Maeda’s not exactly known for going the distance. Take St. Louis to improve to 53-44.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS +1.5