2019 MLB – St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves taking place? Wednesday 9th October, 2019 – 22:02 (UK)
Where is St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves taking place? SunTrust Park
What is the expected weather for St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves? Partly cloudy, 26c
What television channel is St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves on? BT Sport 1 in the UK / TBS, TBS-INT in the US
Where can I stream St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match live via the BT Sport website or app in the UK / MLB.tv in the US
Where can I get tickets for St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves? https://www.mlb.com/tickets/season-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Atlanta Braves 4 – 5 St. Louis Cardinals
THE TEAM NEWS
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
- The Cardinals had to work extra time to secure a win during Game 1 of the NLDS, as they evened things up in the eighth inning and later walked it off with a sac fly from Yadier Molina. Now St. Louis will face another elimination game, but it will be on the road where they went 41-40 during the regular season.
- Marcell Ozuna and Paul Goldschmidt have carried the Cardinals so far this series, and that was the case again in Game 4 since they combined for five hits and three RBI. They are hitting .471 and .438 during the playoffs, respectively.
- Jack Flaherty will get the start for the Cardinals in Game 5 and this will be his second career postseason appearance after he was charged with the loss in Game 2, where he allowed three earned runs in seven innings during Game 2 of the NLDS. During the entire season, he went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA.
ATLANTA BRAVES
- The Braves had a golden chance to clinch the NLDS on the road and were just a few outs away from the win, but they allowed the tying run in the eighth inning and later lost on a sac fly during extra innings. Atlanta have the home-field advantage on their side and that could be a huge. Aside from the fact the Cardinals barely played .500 ball on the road in 2019 (41-40), Atlanta registered the second-best home record in the National League with 50 wins and 31 losses.
- Johan Camargo, Chris Martin and Ender Inciarte are all dealing with injuries and while none of them will be available for this pivotal Game 5, all three could eventually be available for the NLCS if the Braves go through. Ozzie Albies was the undisputed hero for the Braves in Game 4 after driving three runs, but he’s hitting only for .250 during the playoffs thus far. That’s not a good average for the hits leader in the National League during the 2019 season.
- Mike Foltynewicz will get the start for the Braves in Game 5 and he is coming off one of the best starts of his career in Game 2 of the NLDS where he threw seven scoreless innings. He finished the regular season with a 4.54 ERA, but he posted a 2.65 ERA in his last 10 regular season starts.
THE PREDICTION
This one is going to be as close as it gets because aside from the fact that these two franchises have traded wins in the NLDS, neither team has looked noticeably better than the other. If home-field advantage means something, based on both teams’ records during the regular season, then Atlanta could have the edge here. They also have the form in the pitching department following Foltynewicz’s gem in Game 2, and they have averaged 4.0 runs per game in the NLDS so far (against St. Louis’ 3.25). All signs point towards the Braves being favourites ahead of this game.
