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The St. Louis Cardinals will host the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday (October 7) afternoon for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card round.
The Cardinals finished at 93-69 on the year. Meanwhile, the Phillies ended at 87-75, narrowly edging out the Milwaukee Brewers on the final day for the final wild card spot.
St. Louis has been great at home this year and went 53-28 at Busch Stadium. Meanwhile, the Phillies finished at 40-41 on the road, so we'll see how much the home crowd can impact the series opener.
The Cardinals will send out lefty Jose Quintana for Friday's matchup. He went 6-7 with a 2.99 ERA over 32 starts this year. Quintana posted a 2.01 for the Cards this year in 12 starts after coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he's rightfully earned a Game 1 start.
He'll be tasked with stopping a very solid Phillies lineup that scores the seventh-most runs per game. Quintana will undoubtedly have to be sharp once again.
The veteran left-hander has been flawless in recent times, sporting a 0.40 ERA in his past four outings. The Cardinals' lefty also pitched to a 1.86 ERA at Busch Stadium this year, but he's only made three career postseason starts and will have to stay composed.
Meanwhile, Zack Wheeler will be on the hill for the visitors on Friday. He went 12-7 with a 2.82 ERA in 26 starts on the year.
The right-hander has been excellent for the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the playoffs, giving up just one earned run in his past 15 frames. Wheeler tossed 14 scoreless innings against St. Louis this year in two starts and will be high on confidence heading into this game.
The Cardinals have a great lineup, as they finished fourth in runs and third in OPS. They don't strike out a lot either, which is always a plus in the playoffs. We'll see if Wheeler can continue dominating Cardinals hitters on Friday, or if the pressure of the moment gets to him.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Match Details
Fixture: Philadelphia Phillies @ St. Louis Cardinals.
Date & Time: Friday, October 7, 2:07 p.m. EDT.
Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Odds
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Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Prediction
The St. Louis Cardinals have lost seven of their previous eight playoff games, but they'll be much more confident with their current roster.
Their lineup is deep and they have Paul Goldschmidt, the NL MVP frontrunner, in the middle with Nolan Arenado, the likely runner-up. Additionally, Quintana has been amazing in a Cardinals uniform and they're at home, which should let them get out to a lead after five frames.
Wheeler and Quintana have thrown 19 2/3 total innings against these opposing lineups, and neither has surrendered a run. The total has gone under in each of the last four meetings in St. Louis, so expect little to no scoring while these starters are in.
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals First 5 Innnings ML (+100) & First 5 Innings Under 3.5 Runs (-130)
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