Cards to keep building momentum vs. Phils?
It’s dangerous to file any early-May game under the must-win category. There’s no disputing, though, that St. Louis truly needed last night’s 5-4 victory over Philadelphia.
Matt Holliday’s walk-off single helped the Cardinals avoid their sixth loss in seventh contests, undoubtedly brightening the home team’s outlook entering this afternoon’s series finale. The Cards and Phillies meet again at 1:45 p.m. ET in a matchup that oddsmakers paint as a lopsided one on paper. Online sports book Bovada.lv likes Mike Matheny’s club as a 1.5-run favorite, whereas the visitors enter as +160 underdogs. The over/under run total sits at seven.
On Wednesday, the Redbirds failed to generate much offense until Jeanmar Gomez took the hill in the bottom of the ninth. Philly’s closer promptly gave up a 4-3 lead and ruined the NL East squad’s chances of taking the series. Pete Mackanin’s crew instead targets a split in several hours, giving the ball to Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 4.15 ERA). The righty took a no-decision over the weekend after permitting three runs across six innings to Cleveland.
MLB Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
Matheny counters with Jaime Garcia (1-2, 3.73), whose track record against the Phils is of a dubious nature. St. Louis’ lone lefty in the rotation has surrendered 16 runs and 22 hits while dropping his past three meetings with Philadelphia (16-12). His final two starts in April produced middling results, too.
Nonetheless, the Cardinals feel great about those in the heart of their lineup. Stephen Piscotty’s in the midst of a 6-for-14 run, and Holliday’s all the way up to nine doubles on the campaign. That one-two punch should stay hot and let the hosts climb back above .500.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: CARDINALS -1.5
Want More Picks, Predictions & Odds From The Spread.com? Follow on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!