Media by Associated Press – New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole in the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A pair of division leaders meet up this weekend as the St. Louis Cardinals (57-48) host the New York Yankees (70-36).
The Cardinals moved into a first-place tie after sweeping the Chicago Cubs this week, and the Yankees are 10.5 games up in the AL East despite losing a series to the Seattle Mariners. Friday’s first pitch at Busch Stadium is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.
The Cardinals send RHP Dakota Hudson (6-6, 4.10) to the mound against Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes (9-3, 2.53). These teams last met in 2017, with the Yankees sweeping a home series, and New York took two of three at Busch in 2014.
The teams have met in the World Series five times, with the Cardinals winning in 1926, 1942, and 1964 while the Yankees won in 1928 and 1943.
Yankees Ready for Road Trip
After losing three of four and making some deadline deals, the Yankees embark on a nine-game, 10-day road trip. After three in St. Louis, they will play three in Seattle and three in Boston. The Yankees are 29-21 on the road this season, 47-28 against RHP, and 5-5 against the National League.
New York dropped two of three at home against Seattle, with Gerrit Cole getting roughed up on Wednesday as Aaron Judge got a day off. Giancarlo Stanton remains on the IL, and newcomer Andrew Benintendi is 1-for-20 since being traded from Kansas City. The Yankees also added pitchers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino plus injured outfielder Harrison Bader at the deadline.
Judge leads the Majors with 43 home runs, and he has driven in 93 while batting .298. Former St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter returns to Busch, batting .322 with 15 homers and 36 RBI. Anthony Rizzo has 27 home runs, and Gleyber Torres has 16.
Cortes beat Kansas City last Saturday as he allowed two runs on five hits over five innings with five strikeouts. He has gone at least five innings in five of his last six starts and is 3-0 in that span. Overall he has allowed 13 home runs on the season while striking out 111 and walking 24 in 106 ⅔ innings.
Cortes has never faced the Cardinals. The only batter on their roster to face him is Albert Pujols, who is 1-for-1 with a home run.
Cardinals Streak into First Place
The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last ten games and 32-20 at home this season. They are 12-9 against left-handed starters and 7-10 against the American League. So far, they are 3-0 on this homestand and have won five straight at Busch Stadium, dating back to a July 14 loss.
St. Louis added pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana and have won four in a row to tie Milwaukee atop the NL Central. Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman, and Tyler O’Neill had homers in Thursday’s doubleheader sweep, while Lars Nootbaar delivered a walk-off single in game one. Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Dylan Carlson all went deep Tuesday to back veteran Adam Wainwright’s shutout.
The Cardinals are hitting .269 against left-handed pitching. Goldschmidt is batting .471 with six homers against southpaws, while Arenado has seven homers, and Albert Pujols is batting .333. Carlson, a switch-hitter, hits .353 against lefties with 11 extra-base hits.
Hudson has been hit or miss this season, and he allowed just two runs over 4⅓ innings in a no-decision at Washington on Saturday. He lost his last home start allowing four runs on six hits in 6⅓ innings to the LA Dodgers on July 14.
Hudson has gone five innings in four of his last seven starts, and he’s allowed eight home runs in 101 innings this season.
Hudson has never faced the Yankees but has faced five of their players on other teams. Rizzo has the most success going 2-for-5 with a homer, while Benintendi is 1-for-5. Josh Donaldson is 1-for-3, DJ LeMahieu is 1-for-1, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 1-for-2
Betting Analysis
- New York Yankees -1.5 (+110) Moneyline -150
- St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-130) Moneyline +130
- Total Runs 8.5 Over -105. Under -115
Despite the success of Cortes on the season, this one could be a high-scoring affair. The Cardinals sluggers are locked in against lefties, especially at home. Hudson has been much better at home on the season, but righties hit nearly .300 against him, and the Cardinals bullpen has been busy this week.
Betting Pick: Over 8.5 runs (-105)
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