ODDS ANALYSIS
The three-game series over the weekend in Philadelphia was an anomaly for the Cardinals, with the team’s cashing the over every time. Prior to that set the Cards played below the scoreline in eight consecutive games and 11 of 12 with the under at 42-25-2 for the season.
The Cards took advantage of Philly’s woeful staff to score 22 times over the first two games of the series, but failed to get the sweep with Sunday’s 9-2 loss. The Cards remain the most profitable team in the majors, up 17.41 units on the moneyline overall but are in the black just 0.92 units on the road.
Miami returns home following a 1-4 road trip that had them down 2.85 units on the moneyline. The Marlins are a break-even team at home with a 17-17 record but are 9-2 in their past 11 home games. Miami is 14-19 since Dan Jennings took over as manager back on May 18, a one-game improvement from the 16-22 record Mike Redmond had when he was let go. The Marlins are in the red 13.0 units overall on the moneyline and 4.01 units at home while cashing the under in each of Jose Urena’s last five starts.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Carlos Martinez (7-3, 2.80 ERA) gave up two runs – one earned – on five hits with six punch-outs in 6.2 innings but took the loss Wednesday at Minnesota. He’s pitched into the seventh inning in six consecutive starts registering a quality start in each with a 0.89 ERA in 40.1 innings over the six-game stretch.
Martinez will face the Marlins for the first time in his career and only one Miami player – second baseman Dee Gordon – has ever hit against him.
The Cardinals will get their first look at Jose Urena (1-3, 4.18 ERA), who labored through six innings in his last outing giving up six hits and two runs but walked four and threw just 50 of his 96 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old continues to make strides even though he comes off a loss at the Yankees. In four June starts he’s 1-2 but his ERA is 2.55. He’s gone at least six innings in four straight starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“They’ve done it this far. Why can’t it be sustainable? I get it that there’s a lot of numbers that say it would be hard to, but I don’t want them even glimpsing at that.” – Cardinals’ manager Mike Matheny on his staff’s league-leading 2.71 ERA. No team in the majors has posted a season ERA below 3.00 since 1989.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Cardinals’ top ranked pitching staff will have to contend with speedy Dee Gordon at the top of the Marlins lineup during this three-game set. Gordon enters the week tied with Paul Goldschmidt with a .356 average and leads the majors with 26 infield hits. Gordon hits even better at home, boasting a .365 average at Marlins Park and has four hits in eight career at-bats against Carlos Martinez. Gordon’s ability to run is a unique element that has confounded opponents this season. When he gets on base he steals bases, ranking second in the majors with 24, and he forces opposing infielders to get him out with baseball’s highest ratio of groundballs to flyballs.
PROP TALK
The Cardinals have been waiting for Jason Heyward to flash the tools that made him such a hot commodity when he was in Atlanta. St. Louis thought so much of him they dealt potential ace Shelby Miller to get him. He’s been paying the Cards back recently, going 11 for 20 with two home runs and five RBIs five games into the team’s eight-game road trip. Heyward had a memorable weekend in Philadelphia with eight hits in 14 at-bats collecting a pair of doubles and a homer. He’s scored a run in four straight games.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Cardinals’ starter Carlos Martinez was battling for the fifth spot in the rotation during the spring but with Adam Wainwright out for the year and Lance Lynn on the DL, he’s throwing like the ace of a staff that leads the majors with a 2.71 ERA. Martinez has been filthy over his last five outings giving up just four earned runs and 26 hits over 40.1 innings. If Martinez can get around Giancarlo Stanton in the middle of the Marlins lineup, he has a great chance of shutting them down. And as good as he’s been lately, we see that happening.
St. Louis 5, Miami 2
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the St. Louis Cardinals versus the Miami Marlins will commence Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at 7:10 p.m. ET at Marlins Park. The contest will be televised nationally on FS1.
