PREMIUM
Rogers' Interleague Total MASSACRE >> SWEPT Sunday! +$28,152 Since May 1st!
(MLB) St. Louis vs. Kansas City,
Total: 9.00 | -115.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 9.00 | -115.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: This year's I-70 Series comes with plenty on the line, as both the Royals and Cardinals enter the four-game home-and-home series Monday at Kansas City with hopes of making a playoff push.The 57-53 Royals are just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central plus currently own the AL's second wild card spot (two games back of the NYY and a half-game up on TB). The 55-56 Cardinals sit eight games out in the NL Wild card race but in the tight NL Central, trail the first-place Cubs by just 3 1/2 games, so the Cards are far from "out of it!"
The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (7-9 & 3.59 ERA) starts for St. Louis and Ian Kennedy (4-7 & 4.60 ERA) for Kansas City. Martinez surprised many winning 14 and 16 games the last two seasons, moving form the bullpen to the starting rotation. However, his 2017 season has begun to unravel lately, with just two quality starts over his last six outings, while posting a 5.82 ERA (he's 1-2 and StL 2-4). Kennedy has just four wins in 20 starts here in 2017 (team is 10-10) but is off a solid month of July, when the Royals won four of his five starts (3.68 ERA). However, his first start in August was a rough one, allowing four runs on eight hits over four-plus innings in a 7-2 loss at Baltimore last Tuesday.
The pick: Kennedy is 3-5 with a 7.20 ERA in eight starts against the Cardinals (teams are 3-5), but hasn't seen them since 2015. As for Martinez, has made one start and one relief appearance against the Royals in his career and has not allowed a run in eight combined innings. This series doesn't have the importance of the 1985 World Series, when the Royals rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cardinals in seven games (Game 6 is the stuff of controversial legends!) but the stakes are high, with both teams flirting with the 2017 postseason. Both offenses are mediocre, with St. Louis averaging 4.47 RPG (21st) and KC averaging 4.37 RPG (22nd). Make the Under an 8* play.
The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (7-9 & 3.59 ERA) starts for St. Louis and Ian Kennedy (4-7 & 4.60 ERA) for Kansas City. Martinez surprised many winning 14 and 16 games the last two seasons, moving form the bullpen to the starting rotation. However, his 2017 season has begun to unravel lately, with just two quality starts over his last six outings, while posting a 5.82 ERA (he's 1-2 and StL 2-4). Kennedy has just four wins in 20 starts here in 2017 (team is 10-10) but is off a solid month of July, when the Royals won four of his five starts (3.68 ERA). However, his first start in August was a rough one, allowing four runs on eight hits over four-plus innings in a 7-2 loss at Baltimore last Tuesday.
The pick: Kennedy is 3-5 with a 7.20 ERA in eight starts against the Cardinals (teams are 3-5), but hasn't seen them since 2015. As for Martinez, has made one start and one relief appearance against the Royals in his career and has not allowed a run in eight combined innings. This series doesn't have the importance of the 1985 World Series, when the Royals rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cardinals in seven games (Game 6 is the stuff of controversial legends!) but the stakes are high, with both teams flirting with the 2017 postseason. Both offenses are mediocre, with St. Louis averaging 4.47 RPG (21st) and KC averaging 4.37 RPG (22nd). Make the Under an 8* play.
