The St. Louis Cardinals (60-49, 59-50 RL, 50-55-4 O/U) battle the Colorado Rockies (49-63, 61-51 RL, 54-53-5 O/U) in the three-game series finale on Thursday evening. The Cardinals will send out Dakota Hudson. The Rockies counter with German Marquez seeking his first win of the month. The Rockies earned a wild 16-5 victory in Tuesday’s series opener.
Dakota Hudson will get the nod for the 21st time of the year. Hudson wasn’t at his best last time out, conceding three runs in four innings against the Yankees, escaping with a no-decision in a game the Cards rallied to win. The veteran right-hander hasn’t been effective recently, allowing nine runs in his last 15 innings, and has recorded a 4.20 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP accompanied by a 6-6 record in 105 innings pitched on the season. Hudson features strong numbers against the Rockies, holding them to five runs in 14.1 innings with a 2-2 record.
The Cardinals are building a lead atop the NL Central. They have won seven of their last eight games entering Wednesday propelled by consistent run production and now stand one game ahead of the rival Brewers. The Cards are a solid 3-2 in their last five road games.
Nolan Arenado continues to dazzle, accumulating nine RBIs and a stunning 1.3 OPS on the month. The 31-year-old third baseman is enjoying a marvelous season, launching 22 homers with 69 RBIs and a .919 OPS. Arenado went 6 for 26 against the Rockies last year 1 for 4 in Tuesday's loss.
The Cardinals are posting an average of 4.70 runs per game, ranking them eighth overall. The pitching staff has filed a 3.91 team ERA, good for 16th in the big leagues.