This may not appear to be an ideal spot to fade one of the hottest teams in baseball, as the Dodgers send their ace, Clayton Kershaw, to the hill. However, a deeper look indicates that the price is more than fair to support the underdog Cardinals on Tuesday night.
L.A. took the opener of this series in somewhat surprise fashion as Zack Greinke outdueled Adam Wainwright in a 3-2 victory.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that the Cardinals are still a terrific home team at 32-18 this season. While they were slumping last week, that's not the case now, as they've gone 3-2 over their last five games, plating a whopping 41 runs in those three victories.
As I mentioned, L.A. will hand the ball to Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday. He was the pitcher of the month in July, and for good reason. However, he's by no means invincible, as the Dodgers have gone just a modest 13-10 in his 23 starts so far this season. That includes a loss to the same Cardinals he'll face tonight, suffered back in late May in L.A. In fact, the Cards are 2-0 in their last two games against Kershaw, roughing him up for 14 hits and 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.
Joe Kelly will counter for St. Louis. He's been pitching very well lately, but he's been doing it well beneath most bettors' radar. Since joining the rotation a week-and-a-half ago, he's made two starts, tossing 12 1/3 shutout innings of 10-hit ball. The Dodgers did get the better of Kelly in his two starts against them last year, but it's not as if they crushed the right-hander, scoring only five earned runs in 11 innings.
While
the Cardinals continue to soldier on without one of their best players,
Yadier Molina, the Dodgers are also playing without a key cog in Hanley
Ramirez, who is expected to miss his second straight game on Tuesday
due to a shoulder injury. I feel these are two very evenly matched
clubs, and while Clayton Kershaw offers the Cardinals a daunting task, I
believe they'll be up for the challenge. Take St. Louis.
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