The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals will continue their three-game series on Tuesday night from Busch Stadium. The Cardinals were able to make a late comeback to beat the Dodgers by a score of 4-3 in the opener. Both Los Angeles and St. Louis are expected to be playoff contenders this season, and these are two evenly matched opponents.
St. Louis improved their record to 5-5 on the young season with a victory on Monday night. The Cardinals are trying to keep pace with the Milwaukee Brewers in the very tough National League Central Division. The Dodgers saw their five-game winning streak snapped in the series opener, but they are off to a terrific start. Los Angeles is 8-3 on the season, and sit in first place in the National League West. The Los Angeles Dodgers are -130 on Tuesday night against St. Louis.
Goldschmidt Enjoying Time in St. Louis
St. Louis brought in Paul Goldschmidt in the offseason, and the All-Star first baseman has been carrying the offense so far. Goldschmidt leads the team with five home runs and nine runs batted in and scored the game-winning run on Monday night. Second baseman Kolten Wong has also hit well to start the season and leads the team with a .433 batting average.
The Cardinals will send young Dakota Hudson to the mound for the game on Tuesday night. Hudson is one of the many young pitching prospects that the Cardinals have, and he will be making his second start of the season. Hudson is 0-1 with a 5.40 earned run average so far in 2019, but he has all the tools to be a great pitcher.
Dodgers Can Mash
The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled to score runs at the beginning of last season, but that hasn’t been the case in 2019. The Dodgers lead the Major Leagues with 24 home runs already, and they have already hit eight in one game. Cody Bellinger leads the team with seven long balls and has also driven in 19 runs. Center Fielder A.J. Pollock has been great as well, pitching in with 13 hits and one home run.
Ross Stripling will make the start for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, and that should excite their fans. Stripling has a pair of no-decisions so far this season, but he has pitched well in both starts. The right-hander has allowed just three earned runs in 11 ⅔ innings pitched, and should fare well against the Cardinals lineup. Closer Kenley Jansen will be ready to pick up his 5th save of the season if the Dodgers can get a late lead.
Los Angeles Gets Some Revenge
St. Louis got the best of Los Angeles in the series opener, but that won’t happen again on Tuesday night. The Dodgers failed to hit a home run on Monday night, but expect that to change in this game. Los Angeles is one of the best teams in all of baseball, and they will show it in this game. Bet the Los Angeles Dodgers -130 over the St. Louis Cardinals.
