Alex Reyes (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Zach Neal (2-3, 5.49 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (68-59) and the Oakland Athletics (55-73) at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 3-1, and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 27 and can be seen on CSCA and FSMW.
Reyes pitched 2.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out four and walking one in a 7-4 defeat to the Mets. Brandon Moss (.270, 57 Rs, 25 HRs, 60 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Neal went 4.2 innings, surrendering four runs and striking out two in a 4-2 defeat to the White Sox in his last outing.
This one isn’t expected to be close when St. Louis, a substantial -195 favorite, takes on Oakland. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of nine runs. The Cardinals have an overall money line of -197 and a record as the favorite of 46-39. In interleague play, they have had a discouraging season, earning 2-8 and 7-10 records as the favorite and SU, respectively. The Cardinals have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the NL in offense with 5.0 runs per game. The Cardinals are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 8.9 per game. St. Louis’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 7.3 per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting walks to their opponents, allowing only 2.8 walks per game so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Oakland has a 37-50 record and an overall money line of -1,295. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 2-7 record and a 3-7 record SU.
The Cardinals have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Cardinals have a 50-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Neal takes the mound. Reyes (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have a 42-51 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
After a weak showing last week where they got in six hits, the Cardinals need to step it up. The Athletics have a record of 25-6 when opponents get six hits or less.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 13-59. The Cardinals have a 14-52 record when opponents outhit them.
Oakland ranks near the bottom of the league at 21st when it comes to home runs, hitting 139 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top five with 182.
Ranking 11th, Oakland is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.52 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five with 8.94.
Ranking 27th, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.706). St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .782.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 27-60. When the Cardinals allow one or more homers, they have a 36-39 record.
