Kansas City (40-36) at St Louis (40-36)
When: Wednesday, June 29th 2016
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Time: 8:15 ET | TV: FSN Kansas City, FSN Midwest
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The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals will shift their interstate four-game home-and-home series to Busch Stadium on Wednesday after the split a pair on the West side of the state. Matt Carpenter homered, doubled and drove in a pair of runs in Tuesday’s 8-4 victory for St. Louis as the Cardinals open a nine-game homestand tonight. St. Louis is only 15-21 at home this season while the Royals are a dreadful 13-25 on the road. The Cardinals will try and break a five-game home losing streak. Kansas City has lost five of seven overall and may have suffered a costly injury when center fielder Lorenzo Cain was forced to leave Tuesday’s game with a left hamstring strain. “We don’t know what’s wrong with Cain yet. We’re hoping the best,” Royals left fielder Alex Gordon said. Cardinals SS Aledmys Diaz, who was hit in the face by a ball he fouled off at the plate, suffered no structural damage but is dealing with inflammation around his eye. The two teams will come into tonight’s game with identical 40-36 records.
Pitchers: Royals – Edinson Volquez (7-7, 5.15 ERA) | Cardinals – Carlos Martinez (7-5, 3.02)
Edinson Volquez will try to regroup after one of the worst starting pitching performances in the history of Baseball. He was hammered for 12 runs (11 earned) and failed to retire a batter in the second inning of a 13-4 loss to Houston. Volquez managed to come away with a win despite giving up five runs to Detroit in his previous start following seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against Cleveland on June 13th. Volquez is 5-6 lifetime against St. Louis.
Carlos Martinez will get the ball for St. Louis and he’s pitching like the ace of the staff right now. After a 4-0 start to the season, Martinez was rocked in his next five outings before turning it around nicely in his last five. He has allowed a total of five runs and pitched at least seven innings four times in his last five turns. Martinez has struggled along with the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, posting a 3-4 record and 4.21 ERA in eight starts.
The loss of Cain will be a big blow to the Royals lineup, but I don’t think he would even help them tonight. Martinez is on a roll right now and Volquez has been dreadful. St. Louis might not be the best home team, but the Royals are one of the worst on the road. I’ll take the Cards to roll tonight.
Pick: Cardinals -1.5 +135
