The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers will take the field Friday at American Family Field for the first game of a three-game set. First pitch from Milwaukee, WI, is at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Brewers are -130 moneyline favorites and the game total is set at 8.5 runs.
St. Louis (2-4 SU and 3-3 ATS) was swept by Atlanta in its last series. The Cardinals will send right-hander Jack Flaherty to the mound in game one.
Milwaukee (5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS) swept the New York Mets in its last series. Winners of five straight games, the Brewers will turn to righty Brandon Woodruff on Friday night.
St. Louis took two of three from Toronto in its season-opening series but lost its momentum against fellow National League power Atlanta. The Cardinals were outscored 17-7 in the three-game set and will now hit the road for the first time this year. Can St. Louis find its groove in Milwaukee?
The Cardinals average 4.83 runs per game (14th) with a .324 batting average (1st) and a .864 OPS (3rd). They have eight home runs (12th) and three stolen bases (19th) this season. The St. Louis pitching staff has compiled a 5.33 ERA (22nd) and 1.57 WHIP (27th) through six games.
The Cards' lineup looks solid on paper, but it could underperform relative to expectations if sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado can't replicate their 2022 stats. While a steep dropoff isn't anticipated from the duo, it could be challenging for both to meet those high marks.
 ;
A moment that Jordan Walker will never forget! pic.twitter.com/kQVH9xbOWV
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 5, 2023
They certainly aren't the only hitters to fear in the St. Louis lineup, especially with the additions of longtime Chicago Cubs backstop Wilson Contreras (22 HRs in 2022) and 20-year-old rookie phenom Jordan Walker, who hit his first career long ball on Wednesday. Opposing pitchers will also have to navigate the bats of Tommy Edman, Tyler O'Neill, Brendan Donovan, and World Baseball Classic breakout star Lars Nootbar, although the latter recently went on the IL with a thumb injury.
Jack Flaherty hopes to play a full season after a few years of injury-riddled campaigns. He pitched five scoreless innings in his first start against the Blue Jays, allowing zero runs and zero hits. However, he also walked seven batters, hitting one, and struck out four. He didn't have his best stuff but gritted out a hard-earned win for the Cards. Friday's starter is 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 16 career appearances versus the rival Brewers, with 101 strikeouts and 31 walks in 77.1 innings pitched.
No House Advantage: Bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Click here to get a 1st deposit match up to $100 1st w/ promocode WandW!