Baseball has not been very kind to Carlos Martinez since he returned to the St. Louis Cardinals rotation from the DL. In his three starts since getting back on the hill, Martinez has posted a 7.11 ERA – surrendering 10 earned runs in 12.2 innings – and has walked 18 batters. Martinez will look to recapture his early-season form when he takes the bump to challenge the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.
- Carlos Martinez has a 1.95 ERA in 25 career appearances – 14 starts – vs the Brewers.
- Brent Suter has a 4.98 ERA in his 5 career starts coming off 6 or more days’ rest.
- The Cardinals have scored 20 runs and hit 9 HRs in their last 4 games.
Martinez has Owned the Brewers
Martinez gets the luxury of facing the Brewers, a team he has dominated this season. In two outings against the Brew Crew, Martinez has a 0.63 ERA, giving up just one run – a solo home run – in 14.1 innings.
That was simply a continuation of Martinez’ excellent play against the Brewers. The Cardinals righty has a career 1.95 ERA and has given up less than a hit per inning against Milwaukee. The Brewers have not exactly been crushing it with their bats recently with the club scoring three or fewer runs in three of their last four. That span has seen the Brewers hit a mediocre .221 with 43 strikeouts. So, if Martinez can bounce back, it seems like Thursday will be the day.
Suter Pitches with an Extra Day’s Rest
The Brewers will start Brent Suter, who was supposed to get the ball on Wednesday before Milwaukee’s game vs Pittsburgh was rained out. The southpaw has actually struggled in his career with lengthy breaks between starts, posting a 4.98 ERA in five starts with six or more days’ rest.
Suter has had six-plus days’ rest once this season – a solid yet unspectacular outing against the Philadelphia Phillies in which the lefty allowed three runs in 5.0 innings.
Is the Cardinals Offense Waking Up?
The Cardinals’ biggest issue this season has been their offense. St. Louis is below the league average in hits, runs and batting average. However, things may be looking up for the Cards recently. Over the past four games, they have racked up 34 hits, 20 runs and nine home runs.
Specifically, Matt Carpenter has been swinging a big bat. In the last four outings, the 32-year-old is slashing .313/.421/1.000 with three home runs and three walks.
Cardinals-Brewers Rivalry One of the Most Competitive
If you are looking to recent history for an edge when the Cardinals and Brewers play, you are not in luck for this one. In nine games between the teams this season, Milwaukee is 5-4 but St. Louis has outscored its NL Central rival 40-32.
