The St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians are set to begin a series on Tuesday night at Progressive Field in Ohio. This is a matchup of two teams that could potentially get back in the playoff race with a big run in the second half.
St. Louis comes into this series with a record of 50-50, which has them in third place in the NL Central. The Cardinals were expected to be the division winners this season, but they just haven’t played up to their preseason expectations.
Cleveland got off to a great start in 2021, but things have started to fall apart for this team. The Indians are now 8.5 games out of first place in the AL Central with an overall record of 49-48.
The St. Louis Cardinals are the betting favorites at -177 for the series opener on Monday night.
Cardinals Can’t Score
The Cardinals added Nolan Arenado in the offseason, and they were looking to become a great offense this season. Arenado leads the team with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs this season, but there are just too many other players that are struggling.
St. Louis has scored just 403 total runs this season, which is 26th in the Major Leagues. The Cardinals do have some power in that lineup, but they just struggle to get on base and produce some runs.
Adam Wainwright is on the mound on Tuesday night, and that is usually a good thing for the Cardinals. Wainwright has gone 7-6 with a 3.56 ERA this season, but he has mixed in some dominating performances.
WE REPEAT…
There’s no one Bader than Harrison right now! pic.twitter.com/zWIA0Wf0qF
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 25, 2021
Indians Need Some Pitching
The Cleveland Indians are without their two best starting pitchers at the moment, and that has created a major problem. Cleveland currently has a team ERA of 4.49 on the year, and that has kept them from staying in the playoff race.
Cal Quantrill makes the start on Tuesday night and he has gone 2-2 with a 3.84 ERA this season. Quantrill is facing a lineup that struggles to score, and this could be a chance for him to turn things around.
Jose Ramirez leads the team with 20 home runs and 57 RBIs, but he has been a one-man show at times. The Indians are not much better on offense than the Cardinals, but they have been better at home.
Wainwright Wins it For St. Louis
The Cardinals have had to deal with a number of injuries in the starting rotation, but veteran Adam Wainwright has continued to lead the way. Wainwright always seems to deliver for his team when they need a great start, and that will be the case on Tuesday night.
Both of these teams have struggled to score runs, and this should be a low-scoring affair. Look for the Cardinals to find a way to pick up a big hit late in the game to pick up a much-needed win on the road.
Bet the St. Louis Cardinals -177 as they begin this series with a victory over the Cleveland Indians.