Hot-hitting Nolan Gorman will be looking to extend his 10-game hitting streak as the St. Louis Cardinals (19-27) host the Los Angeles Dodgers (29-17) at Busch Stadium on Saturday.
The Dodgers leveled the series 1-1 after winning 5-0 on Friday, their fourth head-to-head victory in five games this season. Tony Gonsolin threw five scoreless innings to get the win.
Freddie Freeman was 2 for 4 with two doubles and one run in the win over the Cardinals, stretching his on-base streak to 11 games.
ON THE MOUND
Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 5.94 ERA) is set to take the mound for Los Angeles. The right-hander allowed two runs over four innings in his last start, a 9-8 road win over the Twins on Monday. He scattered four hits while striking out five in the no-decision.
Syndergaard has made one previous start against the Cardinals this season, a 6-3 home victory on April 30. He surrendered three runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings. For St. Louis, right-hander Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.91 ERA) gets the start.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Dodgers. In his last start on Sunday, Mikolas got the win on the road against the Red Sox. He threw six innings and gave up one run on four hits, walking two, in the 9-1 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Los Angeles has averaged 6.0 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 5.4. Against right-handed pitchers like Mikolas this season, the Dodgers have a .792 OPS, third highest in the league.
Max Muncy is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a 1.060 OPS in 92 at-bats.St. Louis is averaging 7.8 runs per game in the last five, up from 5.0 for the season, with a higher slash line (.265/.362/.524).
The Cards have a .771 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .413 OBP over 124 at-bats, Paul Goldschmidt has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Los Angeles is 12-10 away from home in 2023, scoring 5.1 runs per game while allowing 5.5 runs. St. Louis has gone 9-15 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 5.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.1.
The teams have split their last 10 games head-to-head at Busch Stadium, though Los Angeles has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.4-5.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Dodgers lead the NL West by three games over the Diamondbacks. The Cardinals are fifth in the NL Central, six games behind the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
LA Dodgers (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.