Cards hope Martinez can silence Brewers
Shaky starting pitching and sloppy defense doomed the Cardinals in their series-opening loss to the Brewers. But will Carlos Martinez rise to the rescue tonight?
Having fallen behind the Mets for the National League’s second wild-card spot, St. Louis (73-66) certainly needs its No. 1 hurler to step up in a big way. Martinez attempts to stifle Milwaukee beginning at 8:15 p.m. ET, with handicappers at online sports book Bovada.lv favoring the Redbirds. Craig Counsell’s squad, on the other hand, enters Busch Stadium as a +180 underdog. The over/under run figure rests at eight.
Cards lefty Jaime Garcia endured another rough outing on Thursday, surrendering five runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. Manager Mike Matheny expects more out of Martinez (13-7, 3.07 ERA) this evening. The budding ace is 3-1 with a 1.02 WHIP in 18 career tilts vs. the Brewers (63-77). Several afternoons ago, he overcame control problems to defeat the Reds for the second time in 2016.
As for the visiting gang, Jimmy Nelson (7-13, 4.36) hopes to finally shake his prolonged funk. The veteran righty holds a 2-10 record with a 5.61 ERA since June 3. He’s also 0-6 in eight prior meetings with the Cardinals.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
Martinez seems to sharpen his mental approach with each passing assignment, so we don’t envision any sort of letdown here. St. Louis’ inexplicable home woes, though, make us wonder whether the offense can spring to life. Bank on a low-scoring, rain-soaked affair.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: BREWERS/CARDINALS UNDER 8 RUNS