Cards’ Garcia to craft another gem vs. Cubs?
Runs were at a premium in Monday’s series opener between the Cardinals and Cubs. That is, until the home team’s infield resumed its ball-booting ways.
Chicago capitalized on more shoddy fundamentals from St. Louis in the late stages, snaring a 5-0 triumph on the strength of former Redbird John Lackey’s 11-strikeout showing. The two National League Central rivals return to Busch Stadium tonight, with an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch in the Gateway City.
Handicappers sense that the three-game set is about to pivot in the Cards’ direction. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives them odds of -122 to claim the middle contest, whereas the Cubbies are +112 underdogs. The over/under figure rests at 7.5 runs.
Mike Matheny will send his second straight ground-ball specialist to the hill in Jaime Garcia (1-0, 2.40 ERA). The southpaw twirled a one-hitter last week vs. Milwaukee, striking out a career-high 13 in a 7-0 rout. His most recent outing against the Cubs was … less successful. A flu-riddled Garcia barely got through two innings in Game 2 of the NLDS, a 6-3 defeat in St. Louis.
Jason Hammel didn’t appear on the mound that afternoon, but he certainly played a role in Chicago’s playoff clincher several evenings thereafter. So far in 2016, the veteran righty boasts a 1-0 mark with a 0.75 ERA. He blanked the Reds for six frames last Thursday in a 6-1 win.
MLB Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
Both hurlers could be hard-pressed to match yesterday’s Lackey-Mike Leake duel, which only disintegrated once the Cardinals’ defensive foibles mounted. Provided that Garcia steers clear of the white-hot Dexter Fowler (.378 batting average with three homers and 10 RBIs), though, his stuff should make the difference.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS -1.5
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!