Guardians (22-29) vs. Cardinals (23-30) Game Preview | SUN 1:40 PM. EST. 5/28

Game 3

3 things preview Guardians vs. Cardinals Game 3 :

1 – One run struggles

After last night’s defeat to the Cardinals, the Guardians are now 10-24 in one-run games.  Cleveland is 4-4 in extra-inning games. 

2 – Josh Bell one pitch swinging 

Josh Bell swung on the first pitch on three different at-bats ending in outs for the slugger.  Bell could use a day off as he is clearly pressing. 

3 – Hunter Gaddis 

Hunter Gaddis, who was wonderful in his last outing, is on the bump today for the Guards.  Lefty Jordan Montgomery on the bump for the Cards.

Guardians Notes

Hunter Gaddis has been doing an incredible job this year when diving into his Baseball Savant page as he is in the 99th percentile in barrel percentage. He also throws five pitches, three being thrown at least 17.3 percent of the time. Gaddis never faced the Cardinals in his young career so this should be an interesting test.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Hunter Gaddis

• Gaddis makes the start for the Guardians, his fifth of the season. He is 1-1 with a 5.26 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings pitched.
• The righty last pitched on Monday against the Chicago White Sox, when he went six scoreless innings while giving up two hits.
• Gaddis has pitched five or more innings in a game three times this year entering this game.
• The Guardians were the moneyline underdog for one Gaddis start this season — they lost.
• Gaddis’ team has compiled a 2-2 record over his four starts.
• Gaddis has had three starts that sportsbooks set a total for this season, and one of those matchups finished over the total.

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

• Jose Ramirez leads Cleveland with 47 hits and an OBP of .346 this season. He has a .266 batting average and a slugging percentage of .458.
• Among qualifying hitters, he ranks 69th in batting average, his on-base percentage ranks 57th, and he is 66th in slugging.
• Steven Kwan has an OPS of .678, fueled by an OBP of .341 and a team-best slugging percentage of .337 this season. He’s batting .254.
• Among all qualifying players, he is 89th in batting average, 68th in on-base percentage and 152nd in slugging percentage.
• Josh Naylor has collected 34 base hits, an OBP of .273 and a slugging percentage of .397 this season.
• Naylor has recorded at least one base hit in three games in a row. During his last five outings he is hitting .167 with a double and an RBI.
• Josh Bell is batting .220 with a .333 OBP and 21 RBI for Cleveland this season.

Cardinal Notes

Regarding pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals need improvement, currently ranking 19th in team ERA with 4.39 and 26th in WHIP at 1.45. Their starting rotation has only managed 11 Quality Starts, placing them 26th in that category, and their pitching staff allows opponents to maintain an average of .268 at the plate, ranking them 28th. Jack Flaherty leads the team in strikeouts with 54.

Cardinal Stats and Insights

CARDINALS PROBABLE PITCHER – Jordan Montgomery

• Montgomery and the Cardinals are 2-7-0 ATS this season when he starts.
• The left-hander gave up four earned runs and allowed seven hits in four innings pitched against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
• Montgomery has made eight starts of five or more innings in 10 chances this season, and averages 5.5 frames when he pitches.
• Montgomery’s team is 1-6 this season when he starts and they are the moneyline favorite.
• In games Montgomery has started, his team is 2-8.
• Games Montgomery has started this season hit the over four times in nine chances.

CARDINALS HITTING TRENDS

• The St. Louis Cardinals rank among the top teams in four key hitting categories. They hold the third spot in on-base percentage at .335, claim fifth place in both slugging percentage at .437 and runs scored with 266, and occupy seventh place in team batting average with .261. Leading the team in home runs is Nolan Gorman with an impressive 13, closely followed by Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, who have nine each. Gorman also leads in RBIs with 40, while Arenado is second with 35. On the other hand, the Cleveland team boasts six players with 21 RBIs or more. Throughout 53 games, the Cardinals have achieved 96 doubles, five triples, and 72 home runs.

Final Thoughts/Pick

This is extremely simple as the St. Louis Cardinals have shown the ability to score runs and actually hit while the Cleveland Guardians have not been able to prove either of those points consistently in 2023. There is a massive gap in the pitching splits as Jordan Montgomery is 1-3 with a 3.45 ERA and a .241 opposing batting average in five road starts while Hunter Gaddis is 1-1 with a .244 batting average against and a 6.55 ERA in three games (two starts) at home. All in all, go with the St. Louis Cardinals to pick up a road win here.

Our Pick: Take the Cardinals to beat our Guards 5-2 .