The chase for win number 200 continues for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright as he gets that start on Thursday in Atlanta against the Braves.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves (-298, 10.5)
It has been a 2023 season to forget for Wainwright as he enters having allowed at least three runs in 16 of his 18 starts this season, posting an 8.10 ERA with 1.7 home runs and 3.6 walks per nine innings allowed while getting only 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Wainwright has the task of shutting down the league’s top lineup, in which is leading the league with 5.8 runs per game with a home run in five percent of plate appearances. By comparison no other team has a home run per plate appearance percentage of four, as their 263 total home runs entering Wednesday were 49 more than any other team in the league.
The Cardinals do not back Wainwright with a bullpen that has been trustworthy either as their 4.65 bullpen ERA ranks 13th among the 15 National League teams this season.
For the Braves, Max Fried gets the start on the mound and in his six starts since coming off the injured list in early August, has a 2.86 ERA due in large part to enduring soft contact with opponents hitting .263 in that stretch, but allowing just under 0.8 home runs per nine innings.
Fried faces an offense that overall this season entered Wednesday 17th in the league in runs per game with just over 4.5 runs per game, but are eight in home runs per game but had scored at least five runs in five of their last six games
In 13 games without Lars Nootbaar to end August, the Cardinals averaged just over 2.8 runs per game in his absence. In the first four games with Nootbaar in the lineup in September, the team is averaging six runs per game and will need him in a game that sets up for a lot of scoring with Wainwright getting the start
The Play: Cardinals vs. Braves Over 10.5
