Cardinals Without Stalwart Molina Again
The Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals will battle on Monday when they meet at New Busch Stadium. This interleague contest will take place with the Cardinals all kinds of banged up.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS North (Minnesota), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Fernando Romero (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH John Gant (1-0, 0.00)
Oddsmakers opened the Cardinals as -137-moneyline favorites versus the Twins, while the game’s total opened at 8.5. The line has held pretty steady. The moneyline is not Cards -134 and the total is still 8.5.
Molina Out 4 Weeks for Cardinals
St. Louis continues a journey of at least four weeks without its All-Star catcher Monday. Yadier Molina is a workhorse. He started 30 of the Cardinals’ first 31 games before being felled by a foul tip to the groin in the ninth inning Saturday. How they respond without him could tell if they can challenge for a National League Central Division title. At 20-12, the Cardinals leads the division by 1 1/2 games over the Brewers. Molina helped get it off to the fast start. He was hitting .272 with six homers and 17 RBIs while helping the pitching staff rank among the top five in the majors in earned run average. The Cardinals have won five in a row, but their bullpen was decimated by 10- and 14-inning games to end the Cubs’ series.Twins Look to Take Advantage of Banged up Cardinals
Minnesota seeks a season-high fourth consecutive victory tonight. They won the final three of its four-game series against the White Sox in Chicago. Max Kepler snapped a tie with an RBI ground out in the eighth inning. Eddie Rosario belted a solo homer in the ninth to give the Twins a 5-3 triumph on Sunday. It was their fourth victory in five games following a stretch which they lost 11 of 12. Logan Morrison delivered a two-run double on Sunday to finish the series 5-for-16 with two homers and five RBIs. Romero was pretty impressive in his major-league debut on Wednesday. He scattered four hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win against Toronto. The 23-year-old Dominican registered five strikeouts. He issuing three walks and hit a batter after being recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Romero made three starts and a relief appearance for the Red Wings. He was 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21 frames. Rosario is riding a six-game hitting streak during which he is 13-for-30 with four homers and 12 RBIs. Eduardo Escobar has gone 5-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs over his last three contests.Cardinals Twins MLB Betting Trends
Cardinals and Twins MLB Betting Trends
| St. Louis | Home | Over is 4-1-1 in Cardinals last 6 home games with the total set at 7.0-8.5. | 80.00% (6) | 4|1 | 1 | | |
| St. Louis | Home | Over is 4-1 in Cardinals last 5 games a home underdog of +151 to +200. | 80.00% (5) | 4|1 | 0 | | |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Twins are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague games as a favorite of -110 to -150. | 80.00% (5) | | | 0 | 6|0 |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Twins are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague games as a favorite of +110 to +150. | 80.00% (5) | | | 0 | 0|7 |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Twins are 4-1 in their last 5 games with the total set at 9.0-10.5. | 80.00% (5) | | | 0 | 6|0 |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Over is 4-1 in Twins last 5 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. | 80.00% (5) | 4|1 | 0 | | |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Twins are 8-2 in their last 10 games as a road favorite of -201 or greater. | 80.00% (10) | | | 0 | 8|2 |
| Minnesota Twins | Away | Over is 8-2 in Twins last 10 games as a road favorite of -151 to -200. | 80.00% (10) | 8|2 | 0 | | |