St. Louis Cardinals vs. Detroit Tigers Game 1 – 9/10/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-09-10 14:15:00 EDT
The Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals meet Thursday in MLB action from Busch Stadium.
This will be the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday before each team goes elsewhere for the weekend. The Tigers are coming out of a two-game set versus the Brewers. Detroit won 8-3 on Tuesday, but in the Wednesday game the Tigers got absolutely destroyed 19-0 in a stunning display of futility. As for the Cardinals, they just finished up against the Twins. St. Louis split those two games, losing 7-3 and winning 6-4. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Tigers posted one of the worst blowouts in the team’s long history in the Wednesday game with their 19-0 defeat. Detroit managed just two hits in that one, allowing a jaw-dropping 21 on the other side to the Brewers. Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd allowed a majority of the damage, but suffice to say the bullpen didn’t help. Boyd went 3.0 innings with eight hits, seven earned and four walks.
For the Thursday game one starting pitcher role, the Tigers will send out Tarik Skubal. In his four starts this year, Skubal is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. This is the 23-year-old Skubal’s first MLB season.
Over on the Cardinals’ side, they’ve had a few key bats help keep the team afloat this season. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .330 with four homers, 14 RBI and 22 runs. Kolten Wong is also doing well with a .274 BA, 21 runs, 29 hits and nine RBI. Brad Miller leads the team with five homers and 21 RBI, and he’s got 15 runs with a .282 batting average as well.
In the Thursday game one start, the Cardinals are going with Jack Flaherty on the mound. This year in his five starts, Flaherty is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 21.0 innings of work. Over his MLB career, Flaherty holds a 3.18 ERA with a 21-20 mark and 454 Ks in 390.0 innings.
The Tigers are 17-37 in their last 54 during game one of a series and 48-115 in their last 163 overall. Detroit is 15-39 in their last 54 road games versus a right-handed starter and 39-105 in their last 144 games as an underdog.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 10-3 in their last 13 Thursday games and 6-2 in the last eight opening games of a doubleheader. St. Louis is 36-15 in their last 51 versus a team with a losing record and 1-4 in their last five during game one of a series.
Pick: I’m going with the Cardinals here. That said, Flaherty needs to have a nice bounce-back start. He tossed 69 pitches in just 2.2 innings in his loss on Friday versus the Cubs and will have to get that efficiency back in check. Flaherty allowed three runs on four hits with two walks in that defeat but did strike out four batters. If he can post a quality start in this game, I like St. Louis’ chances at powering out a win.
