The St. Louis Cardinals (68-51) go for the sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks (55-65) Sunday in the finale of a 3-game set at Chase Field. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.
Season series: Cardinals lead 4-2
The Cardinals are clicking on all cylinders with 6 wins in a row. They mashed their way to victory Saturday night in a 16-7 rout that saw DH Albert Pujols hit career home runs No. 691 and 692. The Cards have won 16 of 20, and it will take a buzzsaw to slow them down.
The D-backs have played inspired ball with a 16-14 record in the last 30 games, despite dropping 2 in a row in this series. They’re 32-31 at home, which is good for a team 10 games below .500. Arizona is 17-15 against left-handed pitchers, which is what it’s up against Sunday.
Cardinals at Diamondbacks projected starters
LHP Jose Quintana vs. RHP Merrill Kelly
Quintana (4-5, 3.38 ERA) makes his 24th start of the season. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 in 120 IP.
- Is 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 in 3 starts with Cardinals
- Has a 4.93 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 7.1 K/9 on road vs. 2.42 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 8.4 K/9 in home games
Kelly (10-5, 2.81 ERA) makes his 25th start of the season. He has a 1.12 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 7.6 K/9 in 144 1/3 IP.
- Has a 1.53 ERA in his last 7 starts
- Allowed 2 H in 7 shutout IP with 4 K April 20 vs. the Cardinals
Cardinals at Diamondbacks odds and lines
- Money line (ML): Cardinals -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Diamondbacks +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals -1.5 (+130) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-160)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
Cardinals at Diamondbacks picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 3, Diamondbacks 2
Money line
Kelly has been phenomenal over the last 6 weeks, but he’s facing a different kind of beast in St. Louis. Cards 3B Nolan Arenado is 5-for-10 (.500) with 4 doubles in the 2 games of this series. He’s 3-for-7 (.429) with a double and a homer against Kelly in his career and worth consideration for a prop bet once they become available closer to first pitch. Take the CARDINALS (-130) for the sweep.
Run line/Against the spread
The Diamondbacks are worth a look here on the run line because Kelly has been so good and shut down a lesser version of the Cardinals in April. The D-backs are 35-28 on the RL at home this year, but are just 15-22 in 1-run games. The Cards emptied their pen Saturday and are without closer Ryan Helsley. Thus LEAN DIAMONDBACKS +1.5 (-160) for a HALF-UNIT.
Over/Under
I like the Under here, but as mentioned, the bullpens are pretty weary. The Under is 4-0 in the Diamondbacks’ last 4 games with the total set between 7.0-8.5. The Under hit Friday, and after the explosion from Saturday, pitching is bound to reel things in LEAN UNDER 7.5 (-108).
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