Teams coming off three-game sweeps meet in St. Louis Cardinals on Monday when the Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants in the opener of their four-game series. St. Louis began a stretch of 16 of 19 at home by sweeping a three-game series with Milwaukee. The Cardinals, who have won five of six overall, scored 18 runs in the set while limiting the Brewers to four.
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The National League West-leading Giants capped a three-game steamroll over the Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday. San Francisco, which maintained its one-half game division lead over Los Angeles, scored 35 runs in the series after crossing the plate a total of 19 times in its previous eight contests. The Giants have won seven of nine on the road, scoring at least six runs in each victory.
Giants Cardinals Betting
When: 8:15 PM ET, Monday, August 6, 2012
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Matt Cain (10-4, 2.82 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (10-8, 3.79)
After winning eight consecutive starts from May 12 to June 18, Cain has just one victory in his last seven outings. The 27-year-old suffered a loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday despite allowing only two runs in five innings. Cain evened his career record against St. Louis at 2-2 on May 17, when he yielded four runs over six frames.
Westbrook is coming off his third straight victory, a triumph at Colorado on Wednesday in which he surrendered five runs over six innings. The 34-year-old has won four of his last five starts at home and has worked at least six frames in 10 consecutive outings overall. Westbrook is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in three career starts against San Francisco.
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1. Giants RF Hunter Pence was 2-for-5 with three RBIs on Sunday after going 2-for-17 over his first four games after being acquired from Philadelphia at the July 31 trade deadline.
2. St. Louis SS Rafael Furcal figures to be back in the starting lineup a day after getting a partial rest. Furcal, who made two straight starts following a five-game absence due to back stiffness, was kept out of the lineup Sunday but appeared as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and remained in the game at shortstop.
3. San Francisco 3B Pablo Sandoval, who is sidelined with a strained left hamstring, is on pace to be activated from the disabled list in about a week.
