#Twins vs. Cardinals: Starting pitchers’ history means plenty of runs

The St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins both are 2-1 and are looking to keep their solid offensive starts to the season going.

St. Louis’ Carlos Martinez will be making his first since 2018. He has a career 50-34 record as a starter with a 3.36 ERA, but now may not have as long of a leash with his pitch count as normal.

That is a bigger issue for Martinez than most. He’s issued an average of 4.2 walks per nine innings the past two seasons, which can lead to an elevated pitch count and taxation on a bullpen that is missing Jordan Hicks this season.

The Twins’ Homer Bailey is pitching for his fourth different team since the beginning of the 2018 season. While he had a 13-9 record with the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics in 2019, he still had a 4.57 ERA and gave up 1.2 home runs per nine innings in pitcher-friendly home parks.

Bailey is backed by a powerful lineup. Couple this with the Cards’ posting a team road ERA over a full point higher than at home in 2019, and it should lead to another slugfest for two teams that combined for five Overs in their first six games.

The Play: Cardinals-Twins, Over 10 ¹/₂ runs (-105).