Game one on Sunday will start at 2:10 p.m. ET, and Truist Park will be cleared out after the opener. The Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN is scheduled to start at 7:08 ET. The Cardinals will start Adam Wainwright (4-5, 3.95) in the opener against Atlanta’s Bryse Wilson (2-2, 4.36) with STL Kwang Hyun Kim (1-4, 3.72) in the nightcap against Braves Drew Smyly (3-3, 5.63).
Redbirds Struggling on Road
The Cardinals have lost the first two games of this series and have dropped six straight road games dating back to a June 1 win in Los Angeles. Against the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Braves over the last eight road games, they have been outscored 55-18 with just one win. The Braves have won the first two games of the series by scores of 4-0 and 9-1, while Charlie Morton took a no-hitter into the seventh on Thursday.
The Cardinals have fallen from first place to fourth place with a 5-11 June and a 5-13 stretch dating back to May 29. They have ace Jack Flaherty on the injured list along with starter Miles Mikolas, center fielder Harrison Bader, right fielder Justin Williams and closer Jordan Hicks. Kim and shortstop Paul DeJon just returned to action this week,
Wainwright was drafted by the Braves, and Sunday’s outing will be his first back in his home state since May 2019. He has 12 career outings in Georgia and 15 regular-season starts against the Braves. Freddie Freeman is 1-for-7 against Wainwright, Ronald Acuna Jr. is 0-for-2, and none of the current Braves have a regular-season home run against the veteran.
On Monday, Wainwright was good against Miami, with two runs allowed on four hits over six innings in a no-decision. In four road starts this season, he is 1-2 with an 8.20 ERA and six home runs allowed in 18 ⅔ innings.
Kim returned from the IL on Tuesday with a quality start as the Cardinals beat Miami. He struggled against the Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball, allowing four runs in 3 ⅓ innings back on May 16. Guillermo Heredia (0-for-1) is the only Braves batter he has faced.
Braves Bullpen Holding Team Back
The Braves have fallen 5 ½ games behind the New York Mets with a 4-6 stretch over the last 10. The Braves are second in the National League with 96 homers through 67 games, and they lead the league in slugging percentage and OPS. However, the team ERA ranks 11th, and the Braves have also allowed 83 homers thus far.
The bullpen has been a problem spot with closer Will Smith posting a 4.23 ERA. Setup men Josh Tomlin (4.85 ERA), A.J. Minter (5.04), Sean Newcomb (5.40), and Jacob Webb (4.29) have also struggled. Only Luke Jackson at 1.05 has an ERA under 3.45 for any reliever on the Braves roster.
Wilson has been in Triple-A since beating Pittsburgh on May 22. In five MLB starts this season, he has 15 strikeouts, seven walks, and six homers allowed in 24 ⅔ innings. Cardinals hitters are a combined 1-for-4 against Wilson, and the hit belongs to Tyler O’Neill.
Smyly pitched on Sunday with a win at Miami as he allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. On the season, he has allowed an alarming 15 home runs in 56 innings of work and has completed five innings just once in three starts this month.
The lefty is 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA in four home starts this season. He has allowed eight homers in just 19 ⅓ innings at Truist Park, where opponents are batting .300 against Smyly. Smyly has faced Nolan Arenado (1-for-3), DeJon (1-for-2), Paul Goldschmidt (0-for-1) and Yadier Molina (0-for-1).
Betting Analysis
The odds for these games were not yet available after the Saturday rainout. Look for the Cardinals to take the opener against an inexperienced Wilson, as Wainwright gives the visitors the advantage. Game two is a toss-up, and the over should be a good play, but keep in mind these are both seven-inning games.