The Atlanta Braves got the best of the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 last night. With the win, they took another step closer to overtaking the New York Mets in the NL East race. They will look to keep the momentum going and hope to gain ground on the Mets by sending Drew Smyly to the mound. This season he has posted a 7-3 record with a 4.40 ERA and 83 strikeouts. Against the Cardinals, he is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA and nine strikeouts. The Cardinals season has not really turned out as expected and will look to get back into the win column by sending J.A. Happ to the mound. This season, he has posted a 5-6 record with a 6.77 ERA and 77 strikeouts. He has pitched well against the Braves in his career, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.72 ERA and 37 strikeouts.

The Braves are 7-2 in the last 9 meetings in St. Louis. Drew Smyly has allowed nine runs in his last 24.1 innings. On the other hand, J.A. Happ has given up 28 earned runs in his last 27.1 innings. Atlanta is just 2.5 games back of New York. They have gone 8-1 in Smyly’s last nine starts. Their offense is much better after picking up with Soler and Duvall at the trade deadline. You get the better team with something to lay for at a decent price.

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