MLB Game Preview: Atlanta Braves (41-52) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (50-45)

Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
First Pitch: 2:15 PM ET
Broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports South, MLB.tv

Game Overview

The St. Louis Cardinals (50–45) host the Atlanta Braves (41–52) in Game 2 of their weekend series, with both teams looking to gain ground in their respective divisions. Atlanta took the opener 6–5 behind a two-homer performance from Sean Murphy, snapping a six-game series losing streak. St. Louis, meanwhile, remains in the thick of the NL Central race and will look to bounce back with Erick Fedde on the mound.

Starting Pitchers Breakdown

St. Louis Cardinals – Erick Fedde (3–9, 4.79 ERA)

• Veteran right-hander making his 19th start of the season
• Has allowed 3+ earned runs in 4 of his last 5 outings
• Opponents hitting .259 against him
• Owns a 5.5 K/9 and 1.47 WHIP, ranking in the bottom third of MLB starters
• Allowed 3 ER in 1.1 IP vs Cubs in last outing

Atlanta Braves – Nathan Wiles (First MLB Start)

• Making his season debut after struggling in limited relief appearances
• Carries a 27.00 ERA in 1.2 innings pitched
• Projected to allow 3.0 ER over 5.1 innings based on analytics models
• Extreme flyball pitcher, which could be risky in hitter-friendly Busch Stadium

Key Players to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

• Willson Contreras: .256 AVG, 12 HR, 53 RBI — riding a 5-game hit streak, batting .389 over that span
• Lars Nootbaar: 12 HR — batting .294 over last 5 games with 2 doubles and a homer
• Brendan Donovan: Team-best .296 AVG — consistent contact hitter with 35 RBI

Atlanta Braves

• Matt Olson: 17 HR, 58 RBI — ranks 28th in MLB HR, 17th in RBI
• Austin Riley: .273 AVG, 14 HR — leads team in batting average, hitting safely in 5 of last 6 games
• Marcell Ozuna: 12 HR, 63 walks — power threat with plate discipline
• Ozzie Albies: .221 AVG, 7 HR — extreme flyball hitter, may struggle vs Fedde’s pitch profile

• Cardinals are 24–18 when favored at home
• Braves are 4–15 as underdogs this season
• Over has hit in 5 of Cardinals’ last 10 games
• Braves are 2–8 ATS in their last 10 outings