Giants’ Samardzija shoots to muzzle Cardinals
At this rate, the Cardinals could see their wild-card hopes dashed by the end of the weekend – unless the team’s biggest offseason mound addition steps up in a big way.
Mike Leake tries to prevent St. Louis from dropping its third in a row to San Francisco tonight, with a 9:05 p.m. ET first pitch at AT&T Park. Oddsmakers still prefer the host squad, though, as 1.5-run favorites. Mike Matheny’s troops check in as +118 underdogs.
The Redbirds have fallen two games behind New York in the race for that final National League playoff spot, and they’re fading fast. Friday’s 8-2 defeat featured many of the same issues that’ve plagued the perennial contenders since April, specifically a lack of timely hitting and poor defense. Rookie Luke Weaver didn’t help matters, either, by getting slapped around for five hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Perhaps Leake (9-10, 4.60 ERA) can finally prove his worth shortly. Brought in during the winter to add a consistent righty to the rotation, he’s struggled more often than not. The veteran’s 2-3 with a 6.15 ERA in his past eight outings.
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Jeff Samardzija’s (11-10, 4,07) been even worse of late. In 11 post-All-Star break assignments, he’s 2-5 with a putrid WHIP. At home, however, things typically work out for the former Notre Dame football player. Samardzija holds a 5-5 record with a 3.76 ERA in 12 Bay Area gigs.
While the Cards are accustomed to facing Samardzija due to his previous tenure with the Cubs, that matters very little at the moment. The bulk of St. Louis’ hitters look utterly lost, and winded, at the plate. It’s close to a must-win situation, but we don’t have that usual confidence in the Cardinals.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS/GIANTS OVER 7.5 RUNS