Series Preview: Guardians at Cardinals
Cleveland will try to clinch the AL Central in St. Louis this weekend
The Guardians and Cardinals will meet this weekend for a three-game series between two franchises who are perennial contenders, one celebrating another playoff appearance and the other searching for some answers as their incredibly slim playoff hopes dwindle.
The Guardians are 89-65 with a +81 run differential, 16th in MLB in team wRC+ at 100, 18th in baserunning runs above average at -1.9, 3rd in Defensive fWAR at 15.9, 22nd in starting pitcher SIERA at 4.24, and 2nd in bullpen SIERA at 3.36.
The Cardinals are 77-76 with a -57 run differential, 20th in MLB in team wRC+ at 96, 19th in baserunning runs above average at -2.1, 17th in Defensive fWAR at -17.2, 16th in starting pitcher SIERA at 4.16, and 15th in bullpen SIERA at 3.74.
Matchups:
Game One: Ben Lively, RHP (4.52 SIERA) vs. Kyle Gibson, RHP (4.35 SIERA) 8:15PM EST
Game Two: Matthew Boyd, LHP (3.58 SIERA) vs. Mile Mikolas, RHP (4.29 SIERA) 7:15PM EST
Game Three: Gavin Williams, RHP (4.12 SIERA) vs. Andre Pallante, RHP (4.20) SIERA) 2:10PM EST
Analysis: I like the pitching matchups for the Guardians and I hope they show no intention of slowing down after clinching a playoff spot. The Cardinals are still a decent team, so they need to lock in and get a series win here and secure the division. Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan and Ivan Herrera are the main hitters to watch out for.