Twins and Cardinals Face-off in Surefire Thriller
The St. Louis Cardinals are set to host the Minnesota Twins on Friday night to begin a three-game inter league series. This game will take place just after the Trade Deadline has passed and each team could look much different by the first pitch. Keep reading on Twins and Cardinals Face-off.
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Minnesota has been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season, and they were never able to recover from a slow start. The Twins come into this game with a record of 43-60, and they are buried in the AL Central standings.
St. Louis has not been much better, and it doesn’t appear as if the Cardinals are going to have enough time to make a series run at the playoffs. The Cardinals are just 51-51 on the season, and trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 9.5 games in the NL Central Division.
The Minnesota Twins are the betting favorites at -121 over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Berrios on the Move?
Jose Berries is scheduled to start on Friday night for the Twins, but he is also rumored to be on the move to other teams. Berrios has gone 7-5 with a 3.48 earned run average this season, and he has the ability to completely shut down an opponent.
The Twins have a team ERA over 5.00 and that has been the major issue with this team so far in 2021. The bullpen has been coughing up some sizable leads, and they just don’t have enough starting pitching depth to contend.
Minnesota has put up some big offensive numbers so far this season, but a lot of that damage was done by Nelson Cruz. Cruz was traded earlier this month, taking out the biggest bat in the lineup.
Shortstop Jorge Polanco now leads the team with 51 RBIs, and he will be a big key for the Twins for the remainder of the year.
Cardinals Must Find Offense
The St. Louis Cardinals just have not been a good offensive team so far this season, and that will likely keep them out of the playoffs. St. Louis is in the bottom third of the league in nearly every offensive category, and several of the top players have slumped all season long.
Nolan Arenado leads the Cardinals with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs, but he could be out of the lineup due to injury. Paul Goldschmidt has got his batting average all the way up to .269 on the season, but that is still well below his career mark.
Starting pitching has been another big issue for the Cardinals as they just can’t seem to keep their starters healthy. Wade LeBlanc is scheduled to make a spot start on Friday night and he has gone just 0-1 with a 3.45 ERA this season.
Twins Can’t Overcome Lack of Pitching
If Jose Berrios were to make this start of Minnesota then it would be a huge advantage for the Twins, but it’s hard to see that happening. Without Berrios, Minnesota will be forced to find another starting pitcher, and pitching has already been a major problem for this team.
The Cardinals are not a great offensive team, but they do have a few players that have started to turn things around a bit of late. This is a time of desperation for the Cardinals, and they are going to have to find a way to string some hits together.
Look for this to be a high-scoring affair as both teams will have some struggling starting pitchers on the mound. The Cardinals have the advantage of playing at home, and that should allow them to win this game.
Bet the St. Louis Cardinals money line over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
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