The first-place Cardinals and the second-place Marlins are set to kick off their three-game series in Miami tonight. The Marlins are coming off a big series win against the Phillies this last weekend, looking to stay hot.
Last season, the St. Louis Cardinals dominated the Miami Marlins in their only series by shutting them down with some stellar pitching in all three games. We will see if the Marlins can find an answer to solid starting pitching from the Cards’.
With a Graybeard on the Mound…
Adam Wainwright (1-1 3.48 ERA), the 40-year-old right-hander, gets the nod on the bump today for St. Louis. He had a great first start of the season going 6.0 scoreless innings against the Pirates. He looked shaky in his last start, so look for him to try to get back on track.
Last year, Wainwright went 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA and received Cy Young votes for the fifth time in his career. The three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner show no sign of slowing down late in his career. He is 6-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 14 career appearances against the Marlins.
The Cardinals are a veteran-led lineup that will be able to win every series they are in this season. Very talented all throughout with outfielder Tyler O’Neill coming off 34 big flies last season, along with legendary corner infielders Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, who have a whopping 13 total Gold Gloves between the two.
Miami Looking to Stay Hot
The Marlins are coming off a series win against the Phillies, a big divisional matchup for them. Their young lefty Jesus Luzardo is on the bump Tuesday night, coming off a dominating 12-strikeout performance last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. Those dozen punchouts came in just five innings and ended in a no-decision.
To combat the veteran lineup of the Cardinals, the Marlins will lean heavily on their two young talents, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and center fielder Jesus Sanchez. They are both starting 2022 hot with a .318 BA and 1.234 OPS for Chisholm and a .343 BA and 1.018 OPS for Sanchez, respectively.
Birds Ready to Beat the Fish
Oddsmakers have the Cardinals currently at -115 along with the Marlins at -110. Run line is still the Cards’ -1.5. O/U at 8 runs is also something to look at today with two solid pitchers on the mound and both teams not scoring a lot of runs in their last matchup.
With how both squads are looking this year, I am confident in the Cardinals getting the job done today with their heavy right-handed lineup against a lefty starting pitcher. Look for the long ball to bust things open and get them on the scoreboard.
With the lack of attendance in Miami, look for Adam Wainwright to find his groove early and pound the strike zone with confidence against this young Miami lineup.
I’m taking the Cardinals moneyline at -115 and also for them to cover -1.5 (+145) today in Miami. Also, it is worth looking at taking the under 8 runs with Wainwright dicing on the mound and a filthy lefty in Luzardo looking for double-digit punchouts again.
