The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t even expect to have pitcher Lance Lynn in the starting rotation this season. That is one more reason why it is so ironic that Lynn leads the club in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, and is one of just two pitchers in the majors to reach 10 wins. The combination of excellent per head play from Lynn out of the bullpen during last year’s World Series run and an injury to ace Chris Carpenter opened a spot for Lynn in St. Louis’ rotation, but now that the 25-year old has proved what he is capable of providing, the Cardinals might not have a choice but to leave him in the rotation.
The Ole Miss. product is coming off his most dominant outing of the season, a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox in which he threw a career-high 12 strikeouts in 7.1 shutout innings. Lynn became the first pitcher since Carpenter to throw at least 10 strikeouts in back-to-back games for St. Louis, and he has allowed more than three earned runs against in just one of his 13 starts. A model of consistency so far, Lynn’s emergence has helped fill the void left by Carpenter’s absence, and made it an easy decision to sacrifice what he brings to the bullpen in exchange for his MLB betting numbers as a starter.
The difficult decision for the Cardinals will be what to do once Carpenter is ready to return. The veteran starter threw his first pitches from the mound before Lynn’s last start, and told reporters they can definitely expect him back this season. With Lynn so dominant in a starter role, and Kyle Lohse now 6-1 with a 2.90 ERA, a healthy and capable Carpenter will solidify the top three arms in the St. Louis rotation. Jake Westbrook, Jaime Garcia, and Adam Wainwright have all struggled with consistency this Betonline season, and one of those three might end up being the odd man out once Carpenter is ready to come back.
Of course, having too many potential quality starting pitchers is never a bad problem for a manager to have, and when you consider that the Cardinals rank second in the majors in team batting average and third in runs, this online MLB betting option clearly once again has a dangerous blend of pitching and offense. Carlos Beltan hit his league-leading 19th home run of the season in Lynn’s last start, and is one of three St. Louis batters hitting north of .290 along with Yadier Molina and Rafael Furcal. The Cardinals have quality depth in almost every area, and there always remains the potential to make a move during the season to help fill whatever area management may feel the team needs to improve.
The Cardinals currently rank third in the NL Central behind the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, however considering last year’s Cinderella run to the World Series, the team has to be feeling confident in where it stands so far. St. Louis has benefited from the excellent play of Lynn so far this season, and with Carpenter on track to return, a consistently productive offense, and last year’s World Series experience to look back on, the Cardinals have to be feeling confident about their online betting chances to repeat.
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