The St. Louis Cardinals have gone 3-3 in the first six games of their present homestand, with the UNDER cashing at 6-0.Mike Matheny’s club remains at Busch Stadium for Friday’s opener against the Kansas City Royals, who make the short trip after a three-game home sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Joe Freda’s 2012 MLB Record: 24-21-1
(+2.47)
Both squads have
slated right-handed starters, with St. Louis’ Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.90 ERA)
squaring off with Kansas City’s Vin Mazzaro (2-1, 3.60 ERA). Of the top baseball betting shops that we follow, most have opened Lohse as a 175 favorite, while first setting the ‘total’ at eight.
Lohse shuts down Indians
Lohse ended a string
of five straight no-decision’s with Saturday’s 2-0 victory for St. Louis as a
132 home favorite against the Cleveland Indians. The 12-year veteran held Cleveland’s lineup
to three hits over 7 2/3 innings, while tossing four strikeouts.
Cardinals slugger
Carlos Beltran poked a solo shot homer, finishing 3-for-4 with his team’s
hottest bat. St. Louis’ Rafael Furcal
drove in his squad’s sole other run from the leadoff spot, while cleanup man
Allen Craig left four men on base in a 0-for-4 night.
The tight affair’s
two runs plunged below the ‘total’ of nine, ending a 5-0 OVER streak in Lohse’s
prior five starts. Cardinals relievers
Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte logged a hold and save, respectively, giving
up no hits in the final 1 1/3 frames.
Mazzaro departs early
Mazzaro picked up
his first loss in Saturday’s 5-3 defeat for Kansas City as a 136 road dog
against the Pittsburgh Pirates.The
25-year-old allowed three earned runs and four walks, leaving after three
innings on the hill.
Mazzaro helped his
own cause, driving in one run as part of a 1-for-2 night. Kansas City’s Yuniesky Betancourt cracked a
two-run homer, while mate Eric Hosmer drilled a pair of doubles.
The contest’s
combined eight runs leaped above the MLB odds ‘total’ of 7 ½ by a ‘hook,’ making
the OVER 2-1 in Mazzaro’s three starts. Kansas City edged out the Pirates in hits, 9-6, while each squad
recorded one error.
Back the UNDER at Busch
Friday’s first pitch
is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. (ET). St.
Louis’ Carlos Beltran (19 HRs, 47 RBIs) is listed as “questionable” due to an
illness.
I am adding the
UNDER in this duel to my MLB picks for the night’s action, looking for the
low-octane stretches of both clubs to continue here. St. Louis has been held to 2 RPG in the first
six contests of its homestand, while Kansas City has notched 2.5 RPG in its
last eight battles leading to an UNDER mark of 7-1.
Lohse has been
stingy at home, allowing a tight 1.04 WHIP and .265 OBP in his five outings at
Busch Stadium. The 33-year-old has held
Kansas City’s Yuniesky Betancourt to 1-for-12 lifetime, while Betancourt comes
in off a cold 0-for-6 run in his last two games.
Mazzaro gave up
three runs in last year’s visit to St. Louis, lasting six frames in a no-decision. The New Jersey native has held some of St.
Louis’ sluggers tight in the past, including a combined 1-for-10 career mark
among David Freese, Rafael Furcal and Yadier Molina.
Kansas City’s
bullpen has been one of the American League’s tightest, with its relievers
holding foes to a 2.83 ERA and .229 BA. Cardinals closer Jason Motte also comes in with momentum, logging
back-to-back saves, Wednesday and Thursday, against the Chicago White Sox.
The UNDER is 6-2-1 in the last nine meetings at Busch
Stadium between these interleague rivals, while collecting at 4-1 in Kansas
City’s last five battles against right-handed starters. Look for UNDER tickets to get the money again
here, with a tightly-played matchup to start the series.
My Pick: Take the Under