Rangers try to rankle Wacha, Cardinals
After an ugly interleague series against Houston, St. Louis gets another crack at the AL West tonight. Will the Lone Star State still reign supreme at Busch Stadium, though?
The red-hot Rangers pull into the Gateway City for the opener of a three-game set, with an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch downtown. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv currently list the Cardinals as 1.5-run favorites, while Jeff Banister’s troops represent +110 underdogs. The over/under run figure is eight.
Having just been swept by the Astros, Mike Matheny’s club can’t seem to find any footing in its own venue. The Redbirds are 15-18 at home, where they absolutely flourished last year en route to capturing the NL Central title. Things aren’t liable to improve this evening either. Not only does Texas own a 6 ½ game division over Seattle, the team holds an 18-15 record away from Global Life Park.
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With Yu Darvish once again sidelined, Cole Hamels (6-1, 3.14 ERA) inherits even more responsibility. Most recently, the lefty limited the Mariners to four hits and a single run across seven innings. Still, he’s only 3-4 in 12 career starts vs. St. Louis.
As for the Cards, Michael Wacha (2-6, 4.91) stalks his first victory since April 23. The 23-year-old did have a much-improved weekend outing vs. Pittsburgh, yielding two runs on three hits while working seven frames. Only problem: The Rangers are on fire. They just clubbed 11 homers in a series at Oakland. It’s a cast whose power translates to any ballpark, which presents a sobering realization for fans in the Lou.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: RANGERS/CARDINALS UNDER 8 RUNS
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