Albert Pujols is making his long-awaited return to Busch Stadium in St. Louis this weekend, but things have not gone well for his Angels team. Pujols is a Cardinals legend, but his former team has taken the first two games from the Los Angeles Angels in this three-game series. The series finale will be featured on Sunday Night Baseball, and the Cardinals will be looking to complete the sweep.
There hasn’t been a ton of scoring in this series by either team, but the Cardinals have had the much better pitching. St. Louis has now won five of its last seven games and is charging up the standings. The Cardinals are now just one game out of first place in the NL Central with a 40-36 record. Los Angeles has lost three straight games to drop its record to 38-40 on the season. The Angels sit in fourth place in the AL West and are 10 games out. St. Louis is -125 over the Angels on Sunday night to complete the sweep.
Angels Looking For Offense
If the Los Angeles Angels are going to salvage the final game of this series, they are going to need to find some offense. The Angels have scored just three runs in their first two games in St. Louis, and that won’t get the job done. Pujols belted a home run on Saturday to provide a lift, but the Angels are struggling of late. Mike Trout leads the Angels with 22 home runs and 56 runs batted in, but he needs some help and protection from the rest of his teammates.
The Angels will have a hot pitcher on the mound for them on Sunday night, which could take some pressure off the offense. Left-hander Tyler Skaggs will take the ball and will be looking for his third straight win. Skaggs comes into this game with a record of just 6-6 and does sport an ERA of 4.61.
Cardinals Need Mikolas To Pitch Better
The Cardinals have been getting great outings from their pitching staff of late, but all eyes will be on Miles Mikolas on Sunday night. Mikolas signed a huge extension in the offseason but hasn’t pitched like the All-Star he was just a season ago. The veteran right-hander has gone just 5-7 with a 4.48 earned run average this season, although he did look sharp in his last outing. The Cardinals won’t be going to the playoffs this season unless Mikolas starts to turn things around.
Marcell Ozuna had a rough year in 2018, but he is carrying the Cardinals offense this season. Ozuna leads the team with 20 home runs and 62 runs batted in and has provided great production for the other sluggers in the Cardinals lineup. St. Louis has just four guys with at least 10 home runs this season, but they do have a solid top four in their lineup. The Cardinals hit much better at home and should have a good performance on Sunday night.
Cardinals Complete Three-Game Sweep
This has been an emotional weekend for Albert Pujols and the Cardinals, but St. Louis has been better in terms of winning the games. The Cardinals have been a great home team all season long, and they should complete the three-game sweep on Sunday night. Los Angeles just isn’t hitting well at all, and Mikolas will take advantage. Bet the St. Louis Cardinals -125 over the Los Angeles Angels.
