These teams don’t play against each other often, being in opposite leagues. The Cardinals took Friday’s series opener 5-1 with five unanswered runs. St. Louis sends RHP Jake Woodford (2-2, 4.25) to the mound against Twins RHP Bailey Ober (1-1, 5.19).
Twins Trade Away Two Starters at Deadline
Mired in a season-long slump, the Twins traded away starting pitchers Jose Berrios and J.A. Happ on Friday for prospects. Berrios went to the Toronto Blue Jays while Happ merely switched clubhouses and joined the Cardinals. Minnesota picked up reliever John Gant and minor leaguer Evan Sisk from the Cardinals while added two Blue Jays prospects.
The Twins offense had nine hits on Friday night, but they came from just three players. Jorge Polanco, Willians Astudillo, and Andrelton Simmons all had three hits for the Twins. Simmons gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second inning, but two relievers combined to allow four runs on six hits over three innings.
Ober has never faced the Cardinals in his 10 MLB outings. Last time out, he allowed two runs on three hits over 5 ⅓ innings against the LA Angels on Sunday. He has four strikeouts and one walk in each of his last two outings and has gone at least five innings in three of his four July starts.
Cards Add Pitching, But Is It Too Late?
The Cardinals not only added Happ but also brought in veteran lefty Jon Lester at the deadline. Both hurlers have struggled this season, but the Cardinals need inning-eaters until Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas return from the injured list. Pitching has let the Cardinals down all season with injuries and control issues, and they are just 21-27 since the end of May.
The Cardinals’ offense came alive in the middle innings on Friday, punctuated by a bases-clearing go-ahead double from Tommy Edman. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado both had two hits, while red-hot Harrison Bader added an RBI single.
The St. Louis bullpen put together 3 ⅓ shutout innings to preserve the lead as three different hurlers took the mound. Starter Wade Leblanc allowed one run over 5 ⅔ innings with three strikeouts.
Woodford made his MLB debut last season and pitched out of the bullpen earlier this season. He moved into the rotation on July 19, and this will be his third start. Last time out, he allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings in a loss at Cincinnati on Saturday.
Betting Analysis
- Cardinals ML -110. Run Line -1.5 (+160)
- Twins ML +100. Run Line +1.5 (-140)
- Total Runs: 9.5 Over -110, Under +100
Both pitchers are untested, and this could be a game where the offenses set the tone early. Minnesota is 19-31 on the road this season, while the Cardinals are 29-20 at home. The over has hit in an impressive 60 Twins games this season with a 60-38-5 mark.
FREE PICK: Over 9.5 runs (-110)