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The Philadelphia Phillies will return to Citizens Bank Park after avoiding a sweep against the San Francisco Giants, which improved their record to an MLB-leading 39-18. They will face the St. Louis Cardinals, who are on a two-game winning streak after defeating the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals are .500 with a 27-27 record on the season and trail the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
Phillies vs. Cardinals: Head-to-head records
Game 1 is set for 6:40 p.m. ET on Friday and can be watched on Bally Sports Midwest or NBC Sports. The online stream will be on MLB TV, and the game can be listened to on a radio broadcast via WDEL AM or 101.7 FM.
St. Louis and Philadelphia have met 18 times in the last three seasons, with the Cardinals winning five to the Phillies' 13. Overall, the Cardinals are 1,242-985 against Philadelphia.
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Phillies vs. Cardinals: Pitching matchups
Philadelphia will start Aaron Nola in Game 1, with the pitcher 6-2 on the season with a 3.04 ERA. Nola has a 1.06 WHIP with 65 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched and will look to improve on his numbers here.
The Cardinals will start Mike Mikolas and hope he can get some strikeouts to keep them in the game, with the pitcher having 45 on the year and a 1.36 WHIP. Mikolas has a 3-5 record this season with a 5.64 ERA across 59 innings pitched, which are worrying stats for Cards fans, considering Philadelphia's offense this year.
Phillies vs. Cardinals: Prediction
Despite being second in the NL Central, the Cardinals are an average team that struggles defensively. St. Louis is ranked No. 18 with a 4.11 ERA, which could be an issue against a team like Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, the Phillies have a 3.08 ERA, which ranks second in the MLB so this looks to be something of a mismatch. With their high-scoring offense facing Mikolas on the mound, Philadelphia should secure a comfortable victory in Game 1 and expect them to win by a handful of runs.
