New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
One of the downfalls of building up a huge divisional lead like the New York Yankees have done over the past four months is that you can get complacent.
That’s exactly what New York is going through now, as their 4-3 loss in Friday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals was their fourth loss in the last five games.
The Redbirds are in a different situation, fighting tooth and nail with the Brewers for first place in the NL Central, with both teams at 58-48.
Friday’s win was the fifth in a row for the Cardinals, and now they send Jordan Montgomery to the mound against his former team as -112 favorites (NYY -104).
Yankees Try to Get Back on Track
New York outhit St. Louis 10-5 on Friday night but still took the 4-3 loss. That defeat comes on the heels of an 8-6 and a 7-3 loss to the Mariners, so at the very least, the pitching was a little better in the opener at Busch Stadium.
The Yankees still have a 10.5-game lead over Toronto in the AL East with 55 games to play, so they are likely on their way to a division crown.
Even so, the 13-13 record in July was the worst month of the season for New York, who is just 1-3 to begin August. That makes them a very dangerous team to wager on as of late despite being 33 games over .500 on the season.
Nestor Cortes Jr. allowed just one hit over 5.1 IP on Friday, but the Yankees gave up two runs in the 8th inning that proved to be the difference.
Domingo German (1-1, 6.39 ERA) tries to keep the Cardinals’ offense at bay when he makes his fourth start of the season on Saturday night. German hasn’t pitched past the fifth inning in his previous three outings, so the Yankees bullpen will once again be on center stage in this one.
Cardinals Aim For Six Straight
Say what you want about the NL Central being one of the weakest divisions in baseball (along with the AL Central), but the Cardinals have battled back to a first-place tie with the Brewers. St. Louis was just 11-13 in July but started August with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Cardinals managed four runs on just five hits on Friday night, but it was good enough for the victory. The top three batters in the St. Louis lineup were a combined 0-11, but Nolan Arenado had a big night going 2-3 with two runs scored.
Montgomery (3-3, 3.69 ERA) makes his St. Louis debut against his former team, coming over at the trade deadline in a swap for Harrison Bader. The Yankees lost all six of Montgomery’s starts in July, so perhaps a change of scenery will be good for both parties.
Yankees vs. Cardinals Pick and Prediction
The Yankees are in a bit of a slump right now, but if you can get them at a price like -104, you almost have to take it. This is still a New York team that has the second most wins in baseball, and they’ve been -150 or higher favorites their last eight games.
New York lost on Friday night, but they outhit the Cardinals and are also 39-14 in their last 53 against left-hand starters. Nobody knows Montgomery better than his former team, but then again, all opponents were dialed in on the Southpaw as he was 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in July pitching for the Yankees.
Pick: Yankees -104
