The Cardinals send righty Todd Wellemeyer (7-8, 5.68 ERA) to the mound at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia as they try to get the rubber match of this three-game set against the Phillies and Joe Blanton (6-4, 4.24).
Both teams have scored blowout wins in the first two games of the series, with the Cardinals grabbing the 8-1 win on Friday, followed by Philadelphia’s 14-6 drubbing Saturday. The Phillies have taken three of four from the Cardinals this season and seven of nine dating back to last year.
It’s been tough going lately for St. Louis, which is currently on slides of 5-7 overall, 2-4 on its current road trip, 1-5 as a ‘dog, 2-5 on the road against winning teams and 1-5 as a road ‘dog. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is on a plethora of positive streaks that include 16-5 overall, 52-25 following a win, 16-5 as a favorite, 13-3 at home, 69-31 on Sundays and 38-18 against the N.L. Central.
Wellemeyer comes into this one with a mediocre 3-3 record and a 6.14 ERA on the highway. At Houston on Tuesday he allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 11-6 loss. In his last four roadies, Wellemeyer has allowed at least four earned runs, and the Cardinals are just 1-3 in those four outings.
Wellemeyer had mixed results in two starts against the Phillies last year, holding them to one run in six innings on Aug. 3 after allowing eight runs in 3 1/3 innings on June 13. With Wellemeyer on the hill, St. Louis is on slides of 0-6 on Sunday, 1-4 when he’s on the road against a winning team and 1-4 when he follows a loss.
Blanton has been spectacular lately, going 2-0 with a 0.83 ERA in his last three starts. He held the Cubs to one run on five hits in seven innings on Tuesday, but didn’t factor in the decision as the Phillies prevailed 4-1 in 13 innings. The veteran right-hander has allowed two runs in 22 2/3 innings in his last three contests, all Phillies victories.
Blanton has had two strong career starts against the Cardinals, allowing a combined two runs on eight hits over 13 innings as the Phils won both on the road, including a 6-1 rout on May 4. With Blanton tossing, Philadelphia is on streaks of 17-8 overall and 12-4 at home.
When the Cards give the ball to Wellemeyer, they are on “under” streaks of 8-3 on the road, 6-2-1 on Sunday, 11-3 against winning teams and 5-1 when he’s a road ‘dog. With Blanton pitching, the Phillies are on “under” runs of 6-1 at home, 4-0-1 overall, 5-1 as a home favorite, 5-1 against the N.L. Central and 5-0 when he gets four days of rest.
As a team, St. Louis is on “under” runs of 8-2 overall, 5-2 on the road, 7-1 against right-handed starters and 6-2 on the road against teams with winning marks. Also, Philadelphia is on “under” streaks of 31-15-2 against the N.L. Central, 23-10-2 following a win, 6-1 in the third game of a series and 5-0 on Sundays. Finally, the under is 4-1 in the last five series meetings in Philly, the lone exception being Saturday’s game that flew over the posted price.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago White Sox (50-48) at Detroit (52-44)
Looking to make it a four-game sweep over the rival White Sox, the Tigers send right-hander Rick Porcello (9-6, 4.40 ERA) to the mound opposite Chicago lefty Clayton Richard (3-3, 5.00) at Comerica Park in Detroit in a nationally televised contest.
The Tigers followed Friday’s doubleheader sweep with a 4-3 extra-inning victory Saturday to run their record to 7-4 against the White Sox this season, including 4-1 in the Motor City.
Chicago is on several slides, including 0-4 on the road, 17-37 on the road against teams with winning records, 4-9 on Sundays, 5-17 in the fourth game of a series, 0-7 on the road against right-handed starters and 0-4 against the A.L. Central. Meanwhile, Detroit is on a slew of positive streaks that include 16-5 at home, 20-7 as a home favorite, 11-4 on Sundays, 14-3 at home against southpaws and 4-0 against the A.L. Central.
Richard is 0-2 in his last three games with a 7.82 ERA but he did look good Tuesday against the Rays, allowing just one run on four hits in eight innings of a 3-2 loss. However, prior to that start he’s allowed five runs or more in five straight outings, three of which he didn’t get past the fourth inning. He faced the Tigers on June 8 and gave up three runs on five hits in 4.2 innings of a 5-4 loss. With Richard on the hill, the White Sox are on slides of 1-4 on the road against winning teams and 3-7 when they’ve lost the previous game.
Porcello has also struggled of late, going 1-2 in his last three outings with a 9.45 ERA. On Tuesday, Seattle knocked him around for five runs on nine hits in five innings, but his offense bailed him out with a 9-7 win. He’s given up five runs or more in three of his last four outings, three of which were losses. With Porcello pitching, the Tigers are on streaks of 10-3 overall, 6-1 when he’s a home favorite, 4-1 when he gets four days of rest and 4-1 when he faces a winning team.
When Richard toes the rubber, Chicago has topped the total in four of six overall, four of seven as a road ‘dog and four of six against the A.L. Central. As a team, the White sox are on “under” runs of 7-0 overall, 6-0 as a ‘dog, 5-0 against right-handed starters and 4-1 on the road against winning teams. Meanwhile, the Tigers are on “under” streaks of 4-1 when Porcello faces the A.L. Central, 42-18 overall, 5-1 on Sundays, 10-1 against winning teams, 21-8-1 against the A.L. Central and 36-16-2 following a win.
Finally, in this rivalry, the under is 5-0 in the last five meetings and 44-20-4 in the last 68 clashes in Detroit.
Inside the lines 7/26
Reply With Quote