Hot-hitting Jordan Walker will be looking to extend his 17-game hitting streak as the St. Louis Cardinals (33-47) host the New York Yankees (45-36) at Busch Stadium on Friday for the first of a three-game Interleague series.
The Yankees are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Athletics, taking the finale 10-4 on Thursday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Harrison Bader was 3 for 4 with a double, two runs, and one RBI.
The Cardinals are in the midst of an eight-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Astros in their last series, dropping the finale 14-0 on Thursday at Busch Stadium.
Walker went 1 for 2 with a walk. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. In 2022, the Cardinals won all three games between the teams.
ON THE MOUND
Luis Severino (1-2, 5.25 ERA) is in line to take the mound for New York. The righty threw six scoreless innings in his last start, a 1-0 home win over the Rangers on Saturday. He earned the win, yielding five hits while striking out four and walking two.
Southpaw Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 5.60 ERA) will toe the rubber for St. Louis. In his last start on Sunday, Liberatore took a no-decision at home against the Cubs. He threw 2.1 innings and gave up four runs (0 ER) on four hits, striking out three and walking two in the 7-5 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The New York offense is averaging 4.5 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .231/.299/.410. Anthony Rizzo leads the team in OPS at .787. The first baseman is slashing .269/.357/.430 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 39 runs over 75 games.
Over the last five games, though, New York has averaged 5.6 runs a game while slashing better across the board (.259/.328/.428). Against lefties like Liberatore this season, the Yanks have a .739 OPS.
Rizzo also is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a .944 OPS in 55 at-bats. St. Louis is slashing .250/.324/.422 for the season and averaging 4.6 runs per game.
Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with a .863 OPS. The first baseman has 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 50 runs scored with a slash line of .285/.374/.489.
The Cards have a .748 OPS against righties in 2023. With a .906 OPS over 230 at-bats, Goldschmidt also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 20-17 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.8 runs per game while allowing 4.2 runs. St. Louis has gone 15-24 at home this season, averaging 5.1 runs per game while surrendering 5.6. St. Louis is 4-2 in six meetings at Busch Stadium with an average scoreline of 5.2-4.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Yankees are third in the AL East, nine games behind the division-leading Rays. The Cardinals are fifth in the NL Central, nine games behind the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
