Oakland Athletics on the money line
Money Maker
Game 928
12:35 pm pst/3:35 pm est
Yes, I know St. Louis took the first two games of this series. But today’s matchup is all about the pitchers. The Cardinals send Steven Matz to the mound, who is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The RH is coming off his roughest outing, where he allowed eight hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings against Arizona on Friday. And he has faced Oakland just twice in his career, both times as a starter, and was shelled for eight runs and 16 hits in 10 innings, going 0-1 with a whopping 7.20 ERA. The Athletics will counter with Paul Blackburn, who is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. The RH is the only major league pitcher to have opened the season without allowing a single run in three starts. He shutout the Guardians over seven innings, the Tigers in six, and the Nationals for 6 1/3. Blackburn has faced St. Louis just once in this career, tossing seven shutout innings in an 8-0 victory last August. And Oakland has won all three of his starts. I’ll take the Athletics with Blackburn on the mound. Play Oakland on the money line.