LDN - Sports

Preview: Cardinals at Red Sox

[August 15, 2017] The Boston Red Sox are enduring a tough stretch of schedule but are having no trouble holding their own against a series of teams fighting for playoff spots. The Red Sox will greet another such club when the St. Louis Cardinals visit on Tuesday for the opener of a two-game interleague series.

The Cardinals had an eight-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday against Atlanta, but sit 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central and are happy about their improvement. "We're a better team than when we started," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny told reporters. "I believe we're going to be better as we move along, too. (We've) just got to continue to work to figure out the holes we've got to continue to fix. I don't see this as a streak. I see this as a level of expectation of how we should play every game as we go forward, as long as they let us play." The Red Sox are seeing their own improvements, going 10-2 in their last 12 contests to lead the second-place New York Yankees by 4 1/2 games in the American League East despite falling to AL Central-leading Cleveland 7-3 on Monday. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello will try to keep Boston rolling along when he goes up against Cardinals righty Mike Leake on Tuesday.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Mike Leake (7-10, 3.48 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (6-14, 4.63)

Leake is winless in his last three starts and was knocked around for five runs - four earned - and 11 hits over five innings against Kansas City on Wednesday. The Arizona State product did not complete six innings in five of his last seven starts. Leake is 6-10 with a 4.04 ERA in 28 career interleague starts, including 0-1 with a 4.26 mark in three chances against Boston.

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Porcello is enjoying a two-start winning streak and finally starting to get some support from his offense, which totaled 17 runs in his last two outings. The New Jersey native is still struggling with the long ball and surrendered a pair of solo home runs on Wednesday at Tampa Bay to bring his season total to a career-high 28 allowed. Porcello is 17-8 with a 4.17 ERA in 35 career interleague games, including 1-1 with a 3.38 mark against St. Louis.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals 3B Jedd Gyorko (knee) sat out the last two games but is expected to return on Tuesday.

2. Boston LF Andrew Benintendi is 14-for-32 with five home runs and 12 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.

3. St. Louis INF Paul DeJong recorded multiple hits in each of his last four games and is batting .400 over his last 10 contests.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Cardinals 3

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