Interleague Series Opens
Teams in the middle of their respective divisions will look to climb a few spots when the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians begin a three-game series. The Cardinals remain in fourth in the National League Central after splitting their four-game series with Cincinnati while the Guardians are third in a tight American League Central despite falling in their series to the Chicago White Sox. According to MLB odds, Cleveland has the upper hand in the first matchup.
Cardinals Hope for Consistency
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to get more consistent offensively after splitting their series with Cincinnati.
Though the Cardinals scored 13 runs in their first two games of the series, their offense dropped off in the second half, scoring five runs combined in the last two games.
St. Louis’ pitching was also inconsistent in its last two games, as it allowed 10 runs in its last loss before bouncing back to give up just one in the final game of the series.
Magnificent Miles! #STLCards x @ANG_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/037NBp4Q4q
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 25, 2023
The Cardinals will aim for a stronger offense to start their series against Cleveland, but with their current unpredictability, it may be better to do some MLB live betting for this matchup.
Guardians Seek Some Firepower
The Cardinals aren’t the only ones looking to boost their offense. Cleveland lost its last two games of its series due to its offense slowing down.
The Guardians scored two runs in their final two games, getting shut out in their last game against the White Sox to lose the series.
Cleveland struck out 12 times in the loss and has the third-worst batting average in the MLB with a .225 mark on the season.
The Guardians will need to find some offense soon to help them put an end to their losing skid, as they have lost seven of their last 10 games.
Starting Pitchers
Matthew Liberatore (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Shane Bieber (3-3, 3.08)
Libertatore will be making just his second start of the season on Friday, but he has been solid in his only two appearances, notching seven strikeouts and allowing two runs in six innings pitched.
Bieber brings a more experienced presence to the mound as he is in his sixth year in the league. Bieber is 1-2 in May with an ERA of 3.04, allowing nine earned runs and throwing 21 strikeouts in 26⅔ innings.
Cardinals vs Guardians Head-to-Head
The last time the Cardinals and Guardians met was in late July 2021 for a two-game series in Cleveland, where the two split the series.
Cardinals vs Guardians Game Information
- Game: Cardinals (23-29) vs Guardians (21-28)
- Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
- Day/Time: Friday, May 26, 7:10 p.m. ET
- Cardinals vs Guardians Live stream: MLB.tv
Cardinals vs Guardians Betting Lines
Over/Under Pick
It’s harder to predict the total with the Cardinals so up and down, but Bieber may be able to keep them in check once again. The Guardians have also hit the under the second most of any team in the MLB at 63.8% of the time, so it’s hard to see the game reach the eight-run total from the sportsbook.
Pick: Under 8 runs (-120)
Moneyline pick
The Guardians are at home, but that hasn’t seemed to be an advantage lately as they have lost six of their last eight series at Progressive Field, while the Cardinals have been on a bit of a roll despite some inconsistency. Cleveland may be favored, but it is 7-22 in that situation, so it may be best to fade the Guardians in your MLB picks.
Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -103
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