The Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of slipping out of the NL East playoff race unless they can stop a slide that has seen them lose two straight and go just 5-5 SU in their past 10.
They’ll get a chance to do just that tonight when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium (8:15 pm ET, FOX).
Philadelphia (48-44 SU) has struggled recently, and are now in third place in the division, six games behind the leading Atlanta Braves. The only thing that has softened the blow for the Phillies is that the play of the New York Mets, who are in second but just a half-game ahead of Philly, have been even more inept at 3-7 SU in their past 10.
The Cardinals (52-41 SU), meanwhile, are in first in the NL Central, although their lead over the second-place Cincinnati Reds is just a half-game.
The Cardinals are a -180 moneyline favorite and the over/under is 8 in MLB Picks and MLB Odds at sportsbooks.
In the opener on Monday, Albert Pujols went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs batted in to lead the Cardinals past the Phillies 8-4 on Monday night. St. Louis covered as a -125 favorite, while the score went over the 9-run total.
Shane Victorino batted in two runs for Philadelphia, while losing pitcher Kyle Kendrick was rocked for seven runs over five innings.
Philadelphia will start lefthanded pitcher Jamie Moyer, who is 9-9 with a 4.88 ERA this season. St. Louis will counter with ace righthander Chris Carpenter, who is 10-3 with a 3.16 ERA.
