The Astros and Cardinals will clash Monday as two clubs initially projected to win their respective divisions, but both hang below .500 in early June.
As the summer begins heating up, these are two teams that will need to evaluate whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
This pressure opens the stage for Justin Verlander, who is in the final guaranteed season of his two-year contract with Houston.
Even though he would have to waive his no-trade clause, the veteran righty is looking to compete at 41 years old.
Verlander is certainly not his prime self, but he is still competing at an above-average consistency considering he’s averaging more than 94 pitches per start.
He can still be as tough to hit as anyone, boasting a hard-hit percentage in the top 4 percent of MLB, according to Statcast.
Verlander’s strikeout and walk rate has taken its expected regression through the years, but he’s produced three outings sending seven-plus batters packing against weaker lineups.
The Cardinals come to town as one of baseball’s most inept teams at generating runs.
They don’t jump on inviting pitches, owning the highest meatball percentage in the league.
The Cards also struggle with making hard contact, ranking within the bottom seven teams in both hard-hit and barrel rate, which offers Verlander more upside.
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Houston has had some bad luck on offense, but it still is a discerning lineup at the plate with the highest zone contact and second-lowest whiff percentage.
Kyle Gibson faces the Astros with some tenacious starts under his belt, but the measly run support behind him, his 5.22 xERA and his susceptibility to hard contact leans me toward the favorite.
THE PLAY: Astros (-164 FanDuel)