On Thursday, two of the senior members of the St. Louis Cardinals turned back the clock to lead the way in a 13-0 shellacking of the Colorado Rockies – and to complete a three-game series sweep. Adam Wainwright, 40, threw seven sparkling innings, and Albert Pujols came off the bench to hit a pinch-hit grand slam and ended up driving in five runs. Pujols came on to pinch-hit in the third inning, and his slam was the first by a pinch-hitter in the first three innings of a game since BoAccording to the Elias Sports Bureau, this was the first time in MLB history that a team had had a player at least 40 years of age pitch seven shutout innings and another player at least 40 years old hit a grand slam. St. Louis has now won four games in a row and 12 of their last 13 at home. This weekend, the Houston Astros visit the Atlanta Braves in an interleague matchup between the American League West leaders and the defending World Series champions. Check out our MLB betting predictions for each game.
MLB News: Top Betting Series of the Weekend
Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
Friday, August 19 (7:20 pm ET)
Lance McCullers Jr (1-0, 0.00 ERA) (HOU) vs Kyle Wright (14-5, 3.14 ERA) (ATL)
Lance McCullers Jr made his 2022 debut on Saturday at home against the Oakland A’s, and he cruised, throwing six innings of shutout bal, scattering two hits and four walks while striking out five. The walk number was a little high, but that was the only sign of rust that McCullers showed during his outing. The Braves have a better hitting lineup than the A’s do, but if McCullers stays this sharp, the Braves will have to scrape together runs any way they can.
Kyle Wright got shelled for six runs on six hits, including four home runs, in a 6-4 loss to the Mets in New York on August 4. That was his only start since mid-July when he permitted more than two earned runs. He did bounce back last Wednesday with six strong innings in Boston, holding the Red Sox to one run on six hits, striking out five while walking one. He will be pitching on eight days’ rest, so he should be able to go deep against the Astros.
Final Score Prediction: Atlanta 3, Houston 2
Saturday, August 20 (7:15 pm ET, FOX)
Cristian Javier (7-8, 2.96 ERA) (HOU) vs Spencer Strider (7-4, 3.04 ERA) (ATL)
Cristian Javier’s record looks spotty, but much of that comes from bad luck with offensive support. On August 7, he threw six innings in Cleveland and only allowed the Guardians a run on a solo shot, among six hits, but the Astros did not muster a single run in a 1-0 loss. Javier’s last outing was also strong, as he threw six shutout innings against the Oakland A’s on Sunday. The Astros gave him some run support in a 6-3 win; the six runs that Houston scored in that game equaled the runs they had scored in his last four starts combined.
Three of Spencer Strider’s last four starts have been elite, as he permitted one earned apiece in team wins over the Mets and the Phillies (twice). He pitched 17 ⅔ combined innings, striking out 23 while walking just three. The outlier came on August 7 in New York, when the Mets got to him early for four runs on six hits in just 2 ⅔ innings. I expect another pitchers’ duel, but Javier’s stuff and durability have been better than Strider’s lately.
Final Prediction: Houston 5, Atlanta 3
Sunday, August 21 (1:35 pm ET)
Jose Urquidy (11-4, 3.69 ERA) (HOU) vs Charlie Morton (6-5, 4.04 ERA) (ATL)
In three of Urquidy’s last five starts, he has either permitted zero or one earned run. The only game in which he was hit hard in that stretch came on August 9, when the Rangers slugged three home runs among five hits to log five earned runs in five innings, but the Astros’ offense took advantage of the Texas pitchers in a 7-5 win. His last start was terrific, as he went 7 ⅔ innings in Chicago, holding the White Sox to a single run on six hits, striking out four without a walk.
In Charlie Morton’s last five starts, he has alternated shutout outings with starts in which he got hit hard. The two tough starts came in Philadelphia and in Boston, as he gave up 10 earned runs in 11 innings, permitting three home runs among 12 hits. In the other starts, against the Angels, Phillies and Mets, he struck out 27 in 19 ⅓ innings, scattering eight combined hits and five walks. The shutout starts came at home, and I like Morton to continue that on Sunday.
Final Prediction: Atlanta 3, Houston 1
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