Rekindling their rivalry from when they were both in the NL Central, the Houston Astros (43-37) will take on the St. Louis Cardinals (33-46) in the finale of a three-game series. The Cardinals will host this one at Busch Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 pm ET.
After dropping the opening game 4-2, the Astros bounced back with a 10-7 win on Wednesday. In the win, the Astros got home runs by Jose Altuve and Jose Abreu. Kyle Tucker also had a huge night, going three for five with two runs scored.
The Astros are the favorites Thursday despite playing on the road. They are -116 to win, while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at -102. The runline features St. Louis +1.5 (-188), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Houston Hopes To Improve On Mediocre Road Record
At 43-37, the Houston Astros sit in third in the AL West, 6.5 games behind the Texas Rangers. If they want to close the gap in the division, they will have to improve on their 21-18 road record. They will look to do that as they take on the Cardinals in Thursday’s finale.
Taking the mound for manager Dusty Baker’s crew is rookie J.P. France. In nine games, the 28-year-old is 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and he has 42 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. He has lost back-to-back games, but he has given up just five earned runs over his last 12.2 innings.
Offensively, the Astros rank 16th in scoring, averaging 4.47 runs per game (4.55 on the road). With slugger Yordan Alvarez on the injured list, third baseman Alex Bregman has picked up the load. In 306 at bats, he is hitting .245/.341/.399 with 11 home runs, 49 runs batted in, and 44 runs scored.
Cardinals Trying To Figure It Out
Despite being seen as the favorites to win the NL Central before the season, St. Louis has flopped thus far to the tune of a 33-46 record. Trying to pull out of the division’s cellar, they will look to figure it out at home, where they are just 15-23.
Veteran righty Adam Wainwright will take the ball in the finale. In nine games, the 41-year-old is 3-2 with a 6.56 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and he has 24 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. He will look to bounce back from his last start, when he gave up seven earned runs in just three innings against the Chicago Cubs.
The Cardinals rank 11th in the league in scoring this season, averaging 4.59 runs per game (5.23 at home). They are led by third baseman Nolan Arenado, who is hitting .273/.321/.485 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 54 runs batted in.
Take The Astros To Win Straight Up
This one is a tough one to call. On the one hand, the Astros have struggled a bit lately, going just 4-8 in their last 12 games. On the other, the Cardinals have struggled all season long with any sort of consistency.
While J.P. France is still trying to get his footing as a big leaguer, the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright seems like a shell of the former dominant ace that he used to be. For that reason, it is the rookie that might be the more trusted of the two.
Take Houston to win the finale on the road straight up (-116).
