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The 20-18 Boston Red Sox close out their mini two game set with the 21-16 St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri today. The first pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled to be thrown at 8:00 PM ET. The betting line for this game is listed at pick’em on most betting sites with a few sportsbooks starting to show slight favoritism to the visiting Sox with some -120’s on their boards. The O/U line for this match is offered at 8 runs.
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<p>
In Game 1 of this series yesterday the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 6-3. In the game the Red Sox scored six runs on six hits and the Cardinals scored three runs also on six hits.
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This season the Red Sox rank tied for 15th in the Majors in runs scored and 11th in team ERA.
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The Cardinals rank tied for 15th in the Majors in runs scored and 4th in team ERA.
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<h2>
Pitching Match Up<br />
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<p>
Boston: Rick Porcello (2-5, 4.01 ERA)<br />
St. Louis: Mike Leake (4-2, 1.94 ERA)
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<p>
Rick Porcello goes for the Red Sox tonight and in his last start he went six innings and gave up three earned runs in a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston has lost five of his last six starts and after giving up eight runs in the first loss in that span he has given up seven runs in the four other losses, but did not get much run support. In two career starts against the Cardinals Porcello is 1-1 with a solid ERA of 2.13. Boston has won six of his last eight road starts and have won 11 of his last 16 starts against a team with a winning record.
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Mike Leake gets the starting nod for the Cardinals and he gave up two earned runs in six innings in his last outing, which was a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He still leads the NL in ERA, but the Cardinals have lost two of his last three starts and in his last two starts he has given up five earned runs in 13 innings of work. In two career starts against the Red Sox Leake is 0-1 with an ERA of 5.25. In Leake’s first five starts of the season he did not give up a HR, but has given up three in his last two outings. St. Louis is 1-6 in his last seven home starts and they have lost their last six home games with him on the hill facing a team that has a winning record.
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<h2>
Betting Angles<br />
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<p>
In the last 7 games between these teams in St. Louis the Under record is 5-1-1.
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In the last 6 games between these teams in St. Louis the Under record is 5-1.
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This season the Cardinals are 10-9 at home and the Cubs are 11-9 on the road.
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<h2>
Straight Up / Over/Under / Run Line Records<br />
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Chicago Cubs: 20-18 SU / O/U 17-19 / Run Line W/L 19-19<br />
St. Louis Cardinals: 21-16 SU / O/U 22-13 / Run Line W/L 19-18
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<h2>
Boston at St. Louis Key Betting Trends<br />
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<ul>
<li>
BOS is 1-4 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter
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BOS is 2-9 in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
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BOS has an Over record of 7-1 in their last 8 games
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STL is 6-1 in their last 7 games vs. a right-handed starter
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STL is 18-6 in their last 24 overall
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STL has an Over record of 16-5 in their last 21 games
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<h2>
Key Player Injuries<br />
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<b>RED SOX</b><br />
[P] 03/30/2017 - David Price 10-day DL (4/1) ( Elbow )<br />
[1B] 05/16/2017 - Hanley Ramirez "?" Wednesday vs. St. Louis Cardinals ( Trapezius )<br />
[P] 05/15/2017 - Drew Pomeranz "?" for next schedule start ( Tricep )<br />
[P] 05/06/2017 - Tyler Thornbur 60-day DL (4/1) ( Shoulder )<br />
[SS] 05/04/2017 - Marco Hernandez 10-day DL (5/3) ( Shoulder )<br />
[P] 04/03/2017 - Carson Smith 60-day DL (4/1) ( Elbow )<br />
[P] 04/03/2017 - Roenis Elias 10-day DL (4/1) ( Oblique )<br />
[P] 05/01/2017 - Steven Wright 10-day DL (4/30) ( Knee )<br />
[3B] 04/25/2017 - Pablo Sandoval 10-day DL (4/24) ( Knee )<br />
[LF] 04/21/2017 - Brock Holt 10-day DL (4/21) ( Vertigo )
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<b>CARDINALS</b><br />
[RF] 05/07/2017 - Jose Martinez 10-day DL (5/7) ( Groin )<br />
[RF] 05/06/2017 - Stephen Piscotty 10-day DL (5/5) ( Hamstring )<br />
[P] 05/03/2017 - Tyler Lyons 10-day DL (5/2) ( Side )<br />
[3B] 04/20/2017 - Jhonny Peralta 10-day DL (4/20) ( Respiratory )<br />
[P] 04/18/2017 - John Gant 10-day DL (3/30) ( Groin )<br />
[P] 04/10/2017 - Alex Reyes 10-day DL (3/30) ( Elbow )
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