8:05 pm
September 22

Cardinals @ Royals

Who will WIN this matchup?

St. Louis Cardinals (26-24)

@ Kansas City Royals (21-32)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Gomber (STL): 0-1; 2.37 ERA

Singer (KC) 3-4; 4.14 ERA

 

Current odds:

St. Louis Cardinals: (-110)

Kansas City Royals: (-110)

 

• If you want to live on the edge, try suggesting to Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny that this final week of the 2020 regular season is meaningless, other than evaluating talent for the years to come. The Royals will try to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals for the second straight night Tuesday, after claiming a 4-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series Monday night at Kauffman Stadium. Matheny feels that his team has plenty to play for this season.

• The Cardinals (26-25) are now tied with the Reds for second in the NL Central, which carries an automatic playoff berth. They’re a half-game ahead of the Phillies and a game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants. The Cards will host the Brewers for a five-game series beginning Thursday. With the standings that tight, any loss is magnified.

• Shildt will send Austin Gomber (0-1, 2.37 ERA) to the mound Tuesday. Gomber is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances (one start) against the Royals. He threw 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief against the Royals on Aug. 24 and owns 6 2/3 scoreless frames versus Kansas City. Following this series, the Cardinals return home to face the Brewers, and then potentially a doubleheader in Detroit if the make-up games are necessary.

• The Royals (22-32) are all but eliminated from the 2020 postseason, but they still have the ability to affect the National League playoff race. The fact that the opponent is the club Matheny played for from 2000-04 and managed from 2012-18, makes any victory sweeter.

• But Matheny is focused on his current team and his current players, especially the young ones. One of the players who debuted in 2020 who almost certainly will be back, is Brady Singer (3-4, 4.14). Matheny will get to see Singer one more time, and that’s got to lift his spirits. In Singer’s last two starts, he has pitched eight and six scoreless innings, allowing one and two hits respectively, in victories at Cleveland and Detroit.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
St. Louis Cardinals
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