Media by Associated Press – St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday, June 27, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A pair of National League teams battling to chase down division leaders meet on national TV Sunday night as the Philadelphia Phillies (41-38) host the St. Louis Cardinals (44-36).
The Cardinals have jumped out to early leads in both games of the series, but Sunday’s game is the rubber game of the series after the Phillies rallied to win on Friday. Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. ET on ESPN from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The Cardinals send veteran RHP Adam Wainwright (6-5, 3.07) to the mound against Phillies HP Zach Wheeler (6-4, 2.89). Their regular-season series is tied 1-1, with the winning run scoring in the ninth in both games, and the teams will meet for four games in St. Louis next weekend. Last year the Phillies won the series 4-3 with a 2-1 mark at home, and Wheeler outdueled Wainwright 2-1 on April 26, 2021.
Arenado On Fire for Cardinals
St. Louis briefly got into first place in late June before going 5-5 over the last ten and now sit one game behind Milwaukee. They are 20-20 on the road this season and 35-29 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals are 15-15 in their last 30 games and 10-10 in one-run games.
Third baseman Nolan Arendo is having a monster series so far in Philadelphia. He hit for the 17th cycle in Cardinals history on Friday with three RBI. He followed with two more homers, including the game-winner in the ninth and three RBI on Saturday, making him 6-for-8 in the series with five extra-base hits.
St. Louis hit four straight home runs in the first inning on Saturday, with Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez, and Dylan Carlson all going deep. Paul Goldschmidt is 4-for-8 with four runs scored in the series. The Cardinals have six home runs in the series with ten extra-base hits.
Arenado is batting .291 on the season with 17 homers and 55 RBI, while Goldschmidt is hitting .346 with 19 homers and 65 RBI. Yepez has ten homers, while the Cardinals have five players with at least seven dingers and six with at least 25 RBI.
Wainwright has gone at least five innings in 13 of his 15 starts this season. Last time out, he was brilliant against Miami, with seven shutout innings and nine strikeouts in a win over Miami. He has struggled on the road this season, going 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA, and he’s winless on the road since May 20.
Wainwright threw a complete game against the Phillies on April 26, 2021, with eight strikeouts but lost 2-1. In his last five starts against Philadelphia, he is 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA. Rhys Hoskins has two homers against Wainwright with a .571 average, while Odubel Herrera is batting .417 with a homer, and Kyle Schwarber has a home run.
Phillies Torrid in June
The Phillies had the fourth-best record in the Major Leagues in June at 19-8, and they are 20-10 in their last 30 games to get back into the NL East race with Atlanta and the Mets. They are 21-20 at home this season and 27-27 against right-handed pitchers.
Schwarber has two hits in the series after leading the National League in home runs (12), BI (27), and runs scored (27) in June. For his efforts, Schwarber was named NL Player of the Month, and overall he is batting .216 with 23 home runs and 51 RBI. His production has helped offset the loss of Bryce Harper, who had 15 homers, 48 RBI, and a .318 average before his June hand injury.
Hoskins and Darick Hall have home runs in the series against the Cardinals. Philadelphia had 12 hits in the 7-6 loss on Saturday with multi-hit games from Nick Castellanos, Herrera, Alec Bohm, and Yairo Munoz. Hoskins has 16 home runs on the season with 41 RBI, and Castellanos has eight homers with 41 driven in.
Wheeler has gone at least 5⅓ innings in 11 of his last 12 starts. Last time out, he took a no-decision against Atlanta with three runs allowed on five hits over 6⅓ innings. At home, he is 4-2 with an impressive 1.85 ERA in eight starts this season while allowing just three homers in 48 ⅔ innings.
Wheeler beat the Cardinals last year with one run allowed on one hit over eight innings as he struck out nine. Wheeler has only faced four Cardinals, with Carlson and Tommy Edman both going 0-for-3. Arenado is 2-for-8 against Wheeler, and Goldschmidt is 4-for-17 (.235).
Betting Analysis
- St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-175) Moneyline +115
- Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (-+150) Moneyline -135
- Total Runs 7.5 Over -115. Under -105
The Cardinals and Phillies both have their aces on the mound for this Sunday night tilt, and while neither bullpen is well-rested, runs should be at a premium.
The Cardinals have used regular closer Ryan Helsley, in both games in the series, so they will need to be creative in the back end with the lead. Meanwhile, the Phillies haven’t had a good starting effort yet in the series and need one against the Cardinals Sunday night.
Betting Pick: Under 7.5 runs (-105)
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