Cardinals vs Astros: Power Bats Clash

0:00It's April 17th. Welcome to MLB News today, powered by AI and ready for first pitch. St. Louis Cardinals, sitting at 10 and 8 and 4th place in the National League Central, head to Houston to face the 8 and 12 Astros, also 4th in the American League West. First pitch is Friday at 8.10pm, Eastern kicking off a 3-game series. Cardinals Kyle Leahy gets the nod 1 and 2 with a 5.14 ERA. Astros counter with Peter Lambert, still 0 and 0. Astros boasts a 7-3 home record and rank 5th in the AL with 21 home runs. Cardinals hold a 3-3 mark on the road, 5th in the NL with 20 homers at 1.1 per game. This marks their first clash this season, setting up some fresh interleague fireworks. Stars to watch include Houston's Jordan Alvarez, slashing 328 with 7 jacks and 6 doubles. Jose Altuve has been hot lately, 12 for 42.

1:00For St. Louis, Alad Burlson's at 279 with 14 RBI's, while Jordan Walker's crushed 6 homers over his last 10 games. Last 10 games tell a tale, Astros 2 and 8, outscored by 25 runs with a 6.61 ERA. Cardinals 6 and 4 holding steady. Houston's injury list is brutal. Jeremy Pania, Josh Hader, and a slew of pitchers on the shelf, while cars have just a couple sidelined. Betting odds favor the Astros minus 139 with over under at 8.5. Powerbats could light it up, but St. Louis might exploit that depleted Houston staff for an early series edge.