Previewing Upcoming Three-Game Series Between Cardinals and Braves

The St. Louis Cardinals (22-19) and Atlanta Braves (21-20) have had up-and-down starts to their season. Both have looked like teams who can win their division, while also playing like teams who could finish towards the bottom.

St. Louis ended their homestand by losing the final three games of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Atlanta finished their road trip by winning three-straight against the Arizona Diamondbacks once manager Brian Snitker shook up the lineup.

These two clubs are evenly matched, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Pitching will be key, so without further ado, here's a preview of the upcoming pitching matchups in this series.

Tuesday, May 14th: RHP Jack Flaherty vs. RHP Mike Foltynewicz

Jack Flaherty has shown flashes of being a top-of-the-rotation starter, but to start this season, he's been inconsistent and in his last two starts to begin the month he's walking way too many batters (seven walks over 10.2 innings). In eight starts on the season, Flaherty holds a 3-3 record with a 4.32 ERA.

How worried are you about Mike Foltynewicz? https://t.co/O68fUqmDxL
— 92.9 The Game (@929TheGame) May 8, 2019

Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz began the season on the injured list, but now he's back and it hasn't been pretty, as he holds an 0-2 record with a 5.94 ERA in three starts. He didn't have a spring training, so you can chalk some of this up as rust, but he'll need to start turning it around quickly.

Wednesday, May 15th: RHP Michael Wacha vs. RHP Mike Soroka

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha has been the benefit of a lot of run support this year, as he has yet to lose a game but has a 5.35 ERA over his first seven starts. Wacha did go on the injured list with a knee injury in late-April, and since he's come back he's allowed 12 runs over his last 15.2 innings.

Since earned runs became an official stat in 1913, Mike Soroka is the only pitcher in MLB history to allow one earned or none in eight of his first ten career starts.#Braves @680TheFan https://t.co/FHklDQusqk
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) May 10, 2019

Braves rookie starter Mike Soroka appears to be the genuine article, as he's been dominant over his first five starts this season, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.21 ERA. He's yet to have a start this season where he's allowed more than one earned run, and he'll look to continue that against a top-notch offense.

Thursday, May 16th: RHP Adam Wainwright vs. RHP Julio Teheran

Adam Wainwright is coming back home and is coming off arguably his best start of the season against the Pirates where he tossed seven innings of one-run ball and eight strikeouts. It's been a mixed bag for Wainwright, who in eight starts owns a 4.15 ERA over 31.1 innings.

Wainwright strong but Cards miss their chances in loss to Pirates https://t.co/OEx730UYbB
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) May 11, 2019

Julio Teheran has kicked off the month of May in great fashion, allowing just one earned run in two starts that span over 12 innings. On the season, Teheran has made nine starts and holds a 2-4 record with a 4.26 ERA and has 52 strikeouts over 50.2 innings.