St. Louis Cardinals (35-33) vs. Atlanta Braves (30-35)
June 18, 2021 7:20 pm EDT
The Line: Atlanta Braves -185 / St. Louis Cardinals +170; Over/Under: +9
(Get latest betting odds)
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves meet Friday in MLB action from SunTrust Park. This will be the second installment in a four-game weekend set between these teams. In the Thursday opener, the Braves posted a four-run shoutout victory. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
St. Louis had a nice series versus the Marlins this week, winning 4-2 Monday, 2-1 Tuesday and 1-0 Wednesday. In the Thursday game versus Atlanta, the Cardinals couldn’t find any offense in a 4-0 defeat. Starter John Gant went 5.1 innings with four hits and three earned.
For the starter job in the Friday game, the Cardinals are sending out Carlos Martinez. Over his 65.0 innings this year, Martinez has 58 hits, 43 runs (40 earned), four homers allowed, 22 walks, 44 Ks and a 5.54 ERA.
Over on the Braves’ side, they didn’t have any luck versus the Red Sox this week, falling 10-8 Tuesday and 10-8 Wednesday. In the Thursday game, Atlanta held the Cards to three hits for the win. Charlie Morton posted 7.2 innings with no earned and seven strikeouts on three hits.
For the starter job in the Friday game, the Braves will send out Max Fried. Across 50.2 innings of work this year, Fried has 55 hits, 28 runs (26 earned), six homers allowed, 18 walks, 49 Ks and a 4.62 ERA.
The Cardinals are 5-1 in their last six versus a lefty starter and 5-2 in their last seven road games versus a left-handed starter. St. Louis is 11-5 in their last 16 in game two of a series and 1-4 in their last five Friday games.
Meanwhile, the Braves are 1-5 in their last six in game two of a series and 12-4 in their last 16 versus the NL Central. The over is 16-3-2 in Atlanta’s last 21 Friday games and 5-2 in their last seven in game two of a series.
PICK: I’m going to stick with the Cardinals, but probably staying away. Fried posted three earned with two homers allowed in 6.0 innings his last time up. As for Martinez, he had a nice outing versus the Cubs (no earned in 7.0 innings) in his last start but prior to that had coughed up 15 earned in 4.2 innings. Martinez does a decent job versus the Braves in general (3.90 ERA in 11 games) so I think he’ll be okay here as well.
