Giants Look to Win Second Straight Over Struggling Cardinals
Saturday’s Major League Baseball calendar includes a showdown between the visiting San Francisco Giants and the host St. Louis Cardinals. The current line has San Francisco slightly favored at -115, with St. Louis on +105 and the over/under run total sitting on 8.
Entering this game, San Francisco has an overall record of 35-22 and 19-11 on the road. The Giants are 7-3 over their past 10 games played. St. Louis entering this game has an overall record of 28-27 and 13-16 at home. The Cardinals are 4-6 over their past 10 games played.
San Francisco is playing such good baseball that losing Hunter Pence for two months might not matter that much to them. The Giants are 18-4 over their past 22 games and defeated the Cardinals 5-1 to open this three-game set. Over their past 15 games on the road, the Giants are 12-3.
Pence will have surgery on a torn hamstring and could miss at least eight weeks. He will be replaced by Kelby Tomlinson, who has played a number of different positions during his career. St. Louis has played without Jhonny Peralta its starting shortstop the entire season because of a ligament tear.
However, the Cardinals hope to activate him next Tuesday against Cincinnati. St. Louis is an incredible 11 games back of the Chicago Cubs the first place team in the National League Central.
San Francisco will send Jeff Samardzija to the mound on Saturday. The Giants right-hander is 7-3 with an ERA of 2.84. St. Louis will counter with Michael Wacha. The Cardinals right-hander is 2-6 with an ERA of 4.99.
Samardzija hopes to come back from the shortest outing for him this season on Monday at Atlanta where he lasted just 5 innings allowing 5 runs of which 4 were earned. In 19 appearances in his career, Samardzija is 4-3 with an ERA of 4.11 against St. Louis.
Wacha lost his sixth consecutive decision last Sunday when he allowed 3 runs in six innings of action losing to Washington 10-2. He has not pitched beyond the sixth inning in five consecutive outings.
In three starts during his career against the Giants, Wacha has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 0.47.
San Francisco’s starting pitchers have gone 13-2 with an ERA of 1.64 over their past 22 games.
Cardinals’ outfielder Randal Grichuk has 3 hits in his past 28 at bats.
San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford has 12 hits in 34 bats with 8 runs batted in over his past 10 games played.
Prediction: Lean on the Giants in this one.
