Cardinals vs. Braves Preview
ATLANTA, GA (AP) – Derek Lowe is facing scrutiny over his off-the-field problems, which brought more unwanted attention to the Atlanta Braves.
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Given his track record against the St. Louis Cardinals, he may not be in for much relief when he steps back on the mound.
Scheduled to make his first start since his publicized arrest, Lowe goes for his first win against St. Louis in nearly four years Sunday when the Braves hope to avoid a three-game sweep in Atlanta.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Braves -110 money line favorites for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 61% of more than 209 bets for this game have been placed on the Cardinals +104.
Lowe (2-3, 3.21 ERA) was arrested Thursday night and charged with DUI, reckless driving and improper lane change while racing another vehicle. He spoke of the incident Friday, the same day the Braves (13-15) announced the administrative leave of pitching coach Roger McDowell, who allegedly made homophobic comments and gestures toward fans before a game in San Francisco last weekend.
“It’s been a rough couple days for this organization and, clearly, I have a lot to do with that,” Lowe said. “Any time you do anything, you’re putting the Braves in a bad spot. And that’s what I did. I let them know that I’m sorry for the situation.”
Lowe may hope facing St. Louis won’t be as difficult as it’s been throughout his career. The right-hander has lost his last four starts against the Cardinals and is 1-7 with a 6.85 ERA lifetime against them. Lowe last beat St. Louis on May 15, 2007 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lowe will look for support from a Braves offense which has struggled at times. Atlanta has scored three or less runs in 13 of their 15 losses, and catcher Brian McCann (.303) is the only player hitting above .300.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals (16-11) will be seeking their fifth straight victory after a 3-2 come-from-behind victory Saturday. St. Louis also can sweep its first three-game series in Atlanta since July 28-30, 2008.
Gerald Laird’s ninth-inning RBI triple drove in Matt Holliday with the winning run after St. Louis was behind 2-0 through seven innings. David Freese’s two-run single in the eighth tied the game.
The Cardinals also overcame a deficit Friday, tying the game in the ninth before winning 5-3 in 11 innings.
“We’ve been resilient, hanging in there,” manager Tony La Russa said. “These last two games have been exciting because the baseball has been so good.”
The Cardinals are hitting .345 against Lowe in his career, the highest average of any team he’s faced. Holliday is 18 for 35 (.514) with a home run and nine RBIs against him.
Albert Pujols is 1 for 9 through the first two games of the series, continuing his uncharacteristically slow start. He’s hitting .255 this season and has one RBI in his last six games.
Jaime Garcia (3-0, 2.08) will be on the mound for St. Louis. In his only career start against the Braves, the left-hander pitched seven innings of a 6-0 win on April 28, 2010.
Though Garcia’s numbers seem impressive, his pitch counts have risen early in his starts. He threw 91 pitches in 5 1-3 innings in Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to Houston, marking the longest he’s lasted in his past three starts.
Garcia threw 192 pitches in 10 innings in his previous two starts combined.
St. Louis has won five of the last seven meetings in Atlanta.
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