The St. Louis Cardinals at Miami Marlins will play their final game of a four-game series on Thursday. The Marlins have won the first three games of the series, including a wild come-from-behind win on Wednesday. The Marlins are now 51-37, which is second place in the National League East. For St. Louis, it has been a disastrous season so far, as they are 35-51 on the season. The Marlins are favorites in this game. Miami is listed at -125 over the Cardinals, with a total of 8 runs. St. Louis, as the underdog is listed at +105.
Flaherty Finishes First Half
The Cardinals are set to send out Jack Flaherty in this game. This will be his final start of the first half of the season. Flaherty is 5-5 on the season, with a 4.60 earned run average. The 27 year old has struck out 84 batters in 86 innings this season. In his last start, he was sharp allowing just 4 hits and 0 runs over 6 innings in a win over the Yankees.
The Cardinals got three hits from Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras in the loss on Wednesday. Also, Jordan Walker hit a home run to give them the lead in the 9th, only to see Jordan Hicks allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the inning. Walker now has 7 home runs during his rookie season.
St. Louis has been one of the worst pitching teams in all of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals are allowing 5 runs per game, and over their last 3 games, are allow more than 9 per game.
Youngster goes for Miami
20-year-old Eury Perez will get the start for the Marlins. The 6’8 righthander from the Dominican Republic has had a good season so far for Miami. He is 5-2, with a 2.47 earned run average. In 47.1 innings. Perez has struck out 54 batters, while walking just 15. In his last start, he was roughed up in Atlanta, but before that, he had gone three straight games without allowing an earned run.
The Marlins have been a pleasant surprise this year due in large part to their pitching. The Marlins are allowing just 4.2 runs per game. The Marlins are also striking out over 9 batters per game.
Offensively, Luis Arraez is leading the National League in batting, after winning the batting title in the American League with the Twins a season ago. Miami also has seen their slugger Jorge Soler blast 22 home runs on the season, while Bryan De La Cruz has 17 doubles, and also 45 runs batted in.
St. Louis Salvages a Game in the Series
The Cardinals have been bad this season. There really is no other way of expressing it. St. Louis has been one of the biggest disappointments in all of Major League Baseball. But, Flaherty has found his groove a bit, and whether he gets traded or not, he is the better pitcher in this game. Take St. Louis to win on Thursday. Bet the Cardinals +105.
