X
Skip to content

Cardinals Look to Extend Streak

Red-Hot St. Louis on Eight-Game Run Entering Series vs Brewers

The St. Louis Cardinals go for a ninth straight win when they take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the first of a four-game series between the top two teams in the National League Central on Monday night. The first pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

The Cardinals are coming off a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, capped by an 8-7 win on Sunday. St. Louis is 79-69 and in second place in the NL Central, 11½ games behind the first-place Brewers and three games ahead of the third-place Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals are atop the race for the second Wild Card spot in the National League, three games ahead of the Reds and 3½ games ahead of the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.

Jon Lester of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers
John Fisher/Getty Images/AFP

Milwaukee had its two-game winning streak snapped with a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Brewers are 91-58 and in first place in the NL Central and have already clinched a playoff spot in the National League.

If you want to bet online on this contest, the MLB lines have the Brewers with a moneyline of -200, while the Cardinals are listed at +170, with the over/under set at eight runs.

Quite a Run

St. Louis was 8½ games out of a Wild Card spot on Aug. 10 but heads into Monday’s contest with a nice lead for a playoff berth. The Cardinals have gone 24-13 since that point, though there’s still some work to be done.

“It’s been very big for us, every victory that we’ve had ever since that time.” Cardinals shortstop Edmundo Sosa said through a translator after Sunday’s win over San Diego. “That’s been our mindset going into this, to be able to win series and be able to win games. We’re just going to continue doing what we’re doing right now.”

Sosa had an RBI double in Sunday’s win, while Dylan Carlson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. St. Louis is getting contributions from its entire lineup, though the team’s leading hitters, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, both had two hits in Sunday’s win.

Right-hander Jake Woodford will get the start in Monday’s series opener. Woodford is 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA in five starts and 23 overall appearances.

Woodford has pitched in relief twice against Milwaukee this season, going seven innings and allowing no runs and three hits. He took a no-decision in a start against the New York Mets on Tuesday, pitching four innings and allowing two runs on four hits in a 7-6 win in 11 innings.

Quiet Contender

While the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants battle it out for the NL West title and the best record in baseball, the Brewers are right behind both teams with 91 wins. If the playoffs started now, Milwaukee would have the home-field advantage in a divisional series against the Atlanta Braves, avoiding both the Dodgers and Giants until the NL Championship Series.

One X-factor for the Brewers could be outfielder Christian Yelich. The former NL MVP had two RBIs on Sunday and has the ability to get hot and carry the team.

Pitching has been the strength of the Brewers and right-hander Freddy Peralta will try to keep that going. The 25-year-old is 9-4 with a 2.57 ERA, though he’s struggled a bit against the Cardinals.

In three starts against St. Louis, Peralta is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA. In three September starts, Peralta is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA, with his last win coming on Aug. 10. He did pitch well in his last outing, throwing six shutout innings against Detroit on Tuesday, allowing just two hits in taking a no-decision in a 1-0 Tigers victory in 11 innings.

Series Outlook

The Brewers have won seven of the first 12 meetings between the two teams, though they split the six games played in Milwaukee. St. Louis is 37-36 on the road while the Brewers are 42-32 at American Family Field.

Jon Lester (6-6, 4.67 ERA) is slated to start for the Cardinals on Tuesday, followed by Miles Mikolas (1-2, 4.50) on Wednesday and Adam Wainwright (16-7, 2.89) on Thursday. The Brewers will counter with Brandon Woodruff (9-9, 2.55), Adrian Houser (9-6, 3.43) and Corbin Burnes (10-4, 2.34).

The MLB series prices have the Brewers listed at -240, while the Cardinals are +190.

Cardinals Get Win

Although Peralta gives the Brewers an edge on the mound, the Cardinals are finding ways to win and have more to play for than Milwaukee. This one will be close, but we like St. Louis to extend its win streak in the series opener.

When doing your MLB picks, take St. Louis to win on the road.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +170

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)