St. Louis hopes to finally mess with Texas
The Cardinals used to relish every opportunity to compete at Busch Stadium. Given the events of the past week, though, one wonders if Mike Matheny’s club is jumping at the chance to skip town.
St. Louis tries to prevent a winless homestand in this afternoon’s series finale vs. Texas, with a 2:15 p.m. ET first pitch in the Gateway City. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv are confident that the Cards can accomplish just that. The Rangers, conversely, are +127 underdogs.
Yesterday’s 4-3 loss was particularly excruciating for the Redbirds. Closer Trevor Rosenthal blew a two-run lead in the ninth, and St. Louis slipped to 3-4 in interleague contests so far. Mike Leake hopes to reverse the momentum in several hours. Most recently, the control specialist limited Pittsburgh to two earned runs across seven innings. He’s 5-1 in his last six decisions overall.
Martin Perez counters for Jeff Banister’s crew. The lefty snapped a 14-game winless streak on the road Tuesday night with a 10-6 triumph in Oakland. Righties hit well off Perez, though, which should hearten supporters of Stephen Piscotty and Matt Holliday.
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With a crucial series at the Friendly Confines looming, the Cardinals can’t afford another setback in their own backyard. Anticipate a dogged attitude from the beginning of this one, with Matheny’s players ultimately freeing themselves of those American League shackles.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS -1.5
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