Two of MLB’s best lineups are set to face off at Dodger Stadium on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals (88-63) are on the road to face the Los Angeles Dodgers (104-46) to open a three-game series. The Cardinals are in the midst of an eight-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Padres, taking the finale 5-4 on Thursday at Petco Park. Lars Nootbaar was 1 for 2 with a home run and two runs, walking twice. The Dodgers are in the midst of an eight-game homestand. They won three of five against the Diamondbacks in their last series, taking the finale 3-2 on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. Will Smith’s on-base streak hit 12 as he went 2 for 4 with a triple and one run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Dodgers have won two of three in the season series between the teams, including a 4-0 victory in their most recent meeting on July 14 at Busch Stadium. Starter Tyler Anderson threw six scoreless innings for the win.
ON THE MOUND
Jose Quintana (5-6, 3.16 ERA) is set to take the mound for St. Louis. The left-hander threw eight scoreless innings in his last start, a 1-0 road win over the Reds on Saturday. He yielded two hits while striking out six in the no-decision. Over two previous starts against the Dodgers this season, Quintana has allowed only two earned runs over 10.1 innings (1-0, 1.74). He has struck out eight and walked five. For Los Angeles, LHP Andrew Heaney (3-2, 2.66 ERA) will toe the rubber. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals. In his last start on Sunday, Heaney took a no-decision on the road against the Giants. He threw four scoreless innings and gave up two hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 4-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The St. Louis offense is averaging 4.8 runs per game for the season, fourth best in the league, with a slash line of .253/.326/.421. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in OPS at 1.003. The first baseman is slashing .321/.409/.594 with 35 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 103 runs over 142 games. Over the last five games, however, St. Louis has averaged only 1.2 runs a game while slashing worse across the board (.142/.227/.194). Against southpaws like Heaney this season, the Cards have a .802 OPS, highest in MLB. Goldschmidt also is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a 1.338 OPS in 107 at-bats. Los Angeles is slashing .259/.335/.449 for the season and averaging 5.3 runs per game, best in MLB. Five Dodgers hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Freddie Freeman (.927). The first baseman has 20 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 110 runs scored with a slash line of .330/.406/.521. Los Angeles is averaging only 3.4 runs per game in the last five with their slash line slipping across the board (.241/.297/.370). The Dodgers have a .769 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a 1.033 OPS over 134 at-bats, Mookie Betts has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 37-36 away from Busch Stadium in 2022, scoring 4.7 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Los Angeles has gone 52-20 at their home park this season, averaging 5.4 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. Los Angeles is 6-4 in the last 10 games at Dodger Stadium between the teams with an average scoreline of 4.7-2.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by seven games over the Brewers. Their magic number to clinch the division is five. The Dodgers lead the NL West by 21 games over the Padres. Their magic number in the division is zero.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Los Angeles Dodgers
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
