St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 14th 2024

Preview and Prediction

On Saturday afternoon, St. Louis Cardinals' right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson will look to continue his success against the Toronto Blue Jays as the two teams face off in the second game of their three-game series. In the opposing dugout, right-hander Jose Berrios will aim for his seventh consecutive win and to add to his career-high number of victories.

The Cardinals (74-73) will need to capitalize on their strong pitching by finding timely hits. In the series opener on Friday, they went 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners stranded, resulting in a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in 11 innings.

Manager Oliver Marmol acknowledged Toronto's (70-78) solid defensive plays, but also recognized his team's missed opportunities, stating, "You don't deserve to win when you go 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position."

Gibson (8-6, 4.20 ERA) had a successful season against the Blue Jays last year as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, going 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three starts. He joined the Cardinals as a free agent in the offseason and holds a career record of 8-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 starts against Toronto. In his six starts at Toronto, he boasts a 4-1 record with a 4.29 ERA. In his last four starts in Canada dating back to 2017, he has a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.75 ERA.

Berrios (15-9, 3.52 ERA) has a 2-0 record with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against St. Louis. He has been dominant at home this season, with a 9-2 record and 2.81 ERA in 13 starts. In his last six starts overall since August 9, he is 6-0 with a 1.55 ERA.

Gibson is currently part of the Cardinals' six-man rotation, leaving former Blue Jays left-hander Steven Matz in the bullpen for the time being. Matz warmed up in the bullpen during Friday's game, but Marmol explained that they want to give Lance Lynn another start and continue to develop Andre Pallante's consistency.

Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese has made a strong impression since his major league debut on Tuesday. He recorded his first two hits and RBI on Thursday and hit his first home run in the eighth inning on Friday to tie the game at 3-3.

Saggese commented on his performance, saying, "We lost, so I'm kind of more thinking about that, but pretty cool to do it in that moment to tie the game." He also made some impressive plays in the field, but his efforts were overshadowed by Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who made several key plays at third base and first base, as well as hitting an RBI double.

Jays manager John Schneider praised Guerrero's performance, stating, "He was kind of on full display today. Those plays were obviously huge for us." Guerrero was intentionally walked in the 11th inning, and teammate Alejandro Kirk hit a walk-off RBI single, his first career game-winning hit. Kirk also had a run-scoring single in the fourth.

Toronto has a record of 18-26 in one-run games this season, while St. Louis holds a 27-19 record in such games.

PREDICTION

St. Louis Cardinals

4

5

Toronto Blue Jays

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Recap SEP 14TH 2024