Before the online betting season started, everyone assumed that the Washington Nationals had the best starting rotation in baseball, but that has not as of yet, turned out to be the case. The best rotation to this point in the season belongs to a team who everyone assumed would power their way to the top of the division. We are talking about the St. Louis Cardinals, who will be hosting the second of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Free MLB Pick on Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Saturday, May 02, 2015 Time: 2:15PM Venue: Busch Stadium Opening Line: St Louis -121
Andrew McCutchen has had one heck of a start to his @Pirates career. pic.twitter.com/9j5aJbTbpH
— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) April 30, 2015
The Cardinals (15-6) pitching staff has been nothing short of phenomenal through the month of April. They have posted combined 2.43 ERA through those first 21 games, but it will be interesting to see if they can maintain that lofty standard with the news that Adam Wainwright is done for the season with an Achilles heel injury. The Cards don’t really seem to be missing a step, though, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including a 3-game win streak that they are carrying into this series. What’s all the more worrying for all the other teams in the NL is that the Cardinals are also flashing some real power, and have built up a +37 run differential through April. John Lackey (1-1, 4.21 ERA) will get the start for St. Louis on Saturday. Lackey surrendered 9 hits and 3 runs in his last outing versus the Phillies, taking the loss in the process.
The Pirates (12-10) did not get off to the best start this season, as the Reds swept them in their opening series. They have worked their way back into things quite nicely, though, and their team pitching ERA is second only to the Cardinals. Their recent surge is a little unexpected given how Andrew McCutchen has been struggling at the plate over the past couple of weeks. He will break out of that slump sooner rather than later, at which point you get the sense that this Pirates team might be ready to take a serious run at St. Louis and the division lead. Left-hander Francisco Liriano (1-1, 2.22 ERA) will take to the mound for the Pirates on Saturday. He pitched pretty well through his first 3 games, but his last outing was a gem, going 6.1 innings and giving up 0 runs.
