The St. Louis Cardinals (23-30) are on the road to face the Cleveland Guardians (22-28) at Progressive Field on Saturday. The Guardians took Friday’s series opener 4-3.
Shane Bieber went 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits, to get the win, and Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth to pick up his 17th save. Mike Zunino went 2 for 3 with one run in the win. Lars Nootbaar was 3 for 4 with a double, one run, and one RBI for the Cardinals.
ON THE MOUND
Jack Flaherty (3-4, 5.29 ERA) is in line for the start for St. Louis. The righty allowed three runs over 4.2 innings in his last start, a 10-5 road win over the Dodgers on Sunday.
He scattered four hits while striking out five and walking four in the no-decision. Righty Tanner Bibee (1-1, 3.18 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cleveland.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals. In his last start on Sunday, Bibee took a no-decision on the road against the Mets. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking four in the 5-4 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, St. Louis has averaged 4.2 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 5.0. Against right-handed pitchers like Bibee this season, the Cards have a .762 OPS.
Paul Goldschmidt has the team’s best on-base percentage against right-handers at .412 over 144 at-bats. Cleveland is averaging only 2.0 runs per game in the last five, down from 3.5 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.172/.226/.276).
The Guardians have a .637 OPS against right-handers in 2023, second lowest in the league. With a .908 OPS over 118 at-bats, Jose Ramirez has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 12-15 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.2 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs. Cleveland has gone 11-14 at home this season, averaging 2.8 runs per game while surrendering 4.0.
The teams have split their last 10 games head-to-head at Progressive Field, though Cleveland has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 3.3-2.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals are fourth in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Guardians are third in the AL Central, three games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
