The Atlanta Braves will host the St. Louis Cardinals for game one of their three-game set this Tuesday from Truist Park.
Cardinals Preview & Projected Starter
St. Louis moved to 59-78 after dropping two of three to Pittsburgh. The Cardinals avoided being swept again by taking game three, and they now face an uphill battle this week in ATL. The St. Louis offense is scoring 3.97 runs per game, while batting .258, with a .328 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.64 ERA, with a 1.49 WHIP.
Miles Mikolas (6-10, 4.66 ERA, 103 Ks) will start for St. Louis. The veteran right-hander bounced against San Diego last week, tossing his third quality start of the month en route to a Cards win. It’s truly been an up-and-down season for Mikolas, who’s struggled with containment since the end of July, and he’ll really face a test here with this Atlanta lineup.
Cardinals Player Trends & Props
• Paul Goldschmidt has recorded a hit in six of the last ten games, and he leads St. Louis in hits (141), with splits of .274/22/70.
• Nolan Arenado has only tallied a hit in four of the previous ten games, but he still leads the Cards in home runs (26) and RBI (87).
• Wilson Contreras has totaled multiple bases in three of his previous four games, and he’s posting a line of .254/16/55.
• Nolan Gorman produced a pair of runs in the game three win, and he’s second on the team in homers (24), with 70 RBI.
Braves Preview & Projected Starter
Atlanta moved to 90-49 after taking three of four from Los Angeles. The Braves flexed in LA last weekend despite dropping game four, and they’ll look to get back into the win column here against STL. The Atlanta offense is scoring 3.83 runs per game, while batting .270, with a .339 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.67 ERA, with a 1.26 WHIP.
Atlanta has yet to name a starter for this contest, but it may wind up being Spence Strider on short rest, which will ultimately sway what this contest opens up at.
Braves Player Trends & Props
• Ronald Acuna Jr. homered in all three wins over LAD, and he’s leading Atlanta in batting (.335) and hits (184), with 32 HR and 85 RBI.
• Matt Olson snapped a homerless streak with a solo shot in the game four loss, and he leads the NL in home runs (44) and RBI (113).
• Austin Riley has tallied multiple hits in five of the last seven games, and he’s posting splits of .275/32/83.
• Marcell Ozuna has recorded a hit in nine of the previous ten games, and he’s posting a line of .270/32/76.
• Ozzie Albies has collected multiple hits in five of the previous nine games, and he’s leading all second basemen in homers (28) and RBI (90), while batting .270.
Corey’s Free Pick
If Spencer Strider gets the ball, it will alter the value on this contest, but even if he doesn’t go, this is still Atlanta’s game to win. The Cardinals have been extremely underwhelming this season, and they might simply be outmatched here in ATL. Mikolas containing this group returning home on the heels of a loss feels unlikely, so it truly feels like a spot to trust the Braves to be great in. Let’s back Atlanta for game one on Tuesday.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
