Not that his run was very long there, or that revered, but Carlos Beltran returns to San Francisco as his St. Louis Cardinals begin a three-game series with the Giants on Wednesday night.
Beltran spent the last half of 2011 with the Giants after being traded, but couldn’t stay in the lineup due to multiple injuries. He’s still dealing with those problems after signing with the Cardinals, but will be in the lineup tonight.
St. Louis is a 1 1/2-run favorite, according to Bovada’s Cardinals vs. Giants Betting Lines, with a -105 moneyline.
Beltran had been out for the last two games with an ailing knee, but was available to pinch hit last night in a 7-6 win against the Chicago Cubs. The win helped St. Louis snap a four-game skid and get back into the race for baseball’s best record. They still trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games for the best record, but will meet them later in the week.
Same story for the Giants, who are looking up at the Dodgers in the NL West standings by six games after losing to the Rockies on Tuesday.
They have been playing better as of late, and seem to have found a leadoff hitter in Gregor Blanco. According to Covers, Blanco has taken the starting right fielder role from Nate Schierholtz permantly after going 6 for 11 with four RBI in his last three games. When he leads off an inning, Blanco is hitting .458, a stat that could help bettors early on. Bovada’s Cardinals vs. Giants Team Props have San Francisco a +125 underdog to score the first run of the game, and Blanco could be the key to that.
Jaime Garcia starts for St. Louis, trying to get back on track aftergiving up 10 runs in his last 11 2/3 innings.
“I’m just frustrated, because I want to do better than just battling and staying focused,” Garcia told the league’s website. “I want to go and give my team a chance to win.”
Facing the Giants could help. He’s 1-0 lifetime against San Francisco with a 1.29 ERA in three meetings.
Madison Bumgarner gets the ball for the Giants and has been unbeatable recently at home, winning each of his last eight starts at AT&T Park. Another win tonight will make him the fourth pitcher in team history to win nine in a row.