Cards send Wainwright into battle with Brewers
Wily Peralta’s two-month stint in the minors went as well as could be expected. But will the Milwaukee righty figure out a way to subdue his worst MLB enemy tonight?
In a few hours, the Brewers hope to bounce back from their series-opening defeat to St. Louis. Handicappers at online sports book Bovada.lv, however, prefer the visiting club. Craig Counsell’s troops enter the contest as +143 underdogs, with the over/under run figure resting at nine.
Following a horrendous start to the season, Peralta (5-9, 5.87 ERA) was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 12. He racked up 39 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings of Pacific Coast League work. Most importantly, though, the 27-year-old seemed to regain his fastball command.
Yet the Cardinals threaten to undo all the progress Peralta has made. The Dominican Republic native is 4-10 with a 5.02 ERA in 15 career meetings with them. He sports a 6.10 ERA in his first 10 home turns of 2016, too.
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Peralta’s mound counterpart, Adam Wainwright (9-8, 4.67), also finds himself in a bind. The St. Louis ace comes off a very shaky game, as he allowed seven runs and nine hits to the Mets. He’s 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA over his last seven outings.
Mike Matheny’s team pounded three more homers on Monday, raising its NL-leading total to 187. Given Wainwright’s shocking decline of late, the skipper would welcome another fireworks show in a short while. Take the Cards in a slugfest.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS -1.5