First pitch: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Line: St. Louis +100, Kansas City -110, Total: 8.5

The Cardinals will be looking to earn a big road victory when they face the Royals on Monday.

St. Louis is coming off of an 11-6 victory on Sunday, but the team had lost its previous two contests. The Cardinals had struggled offensively in those two defeats, scoring just seven total runs. Putting up 11 on Sunday will, however, give them some confidence and the team will be looking to carry its momentum into this meeting with Kansas City. The Royals had also been struggling before picking up a 6-1 victory on Sunday. They had lost four straight heading into that one and were performing poorly in every aspect of the game. The starters in this one are set to be RHP Adam Wainwright (6-4, 4.73 ERA, 65 K) for St. Louis and LHP Danny Duffy (2-1, 3.38 ERA, 71 K) for Kansas City. One trend that favors the Cardinals in this game is the fact that they are 11-4 against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The Royals, however, are 38-14 against the money line in home games versus a bullpen whose WHIP is 1.250 or better over the past two seasons.

Adam Wainwright got off to a miserable start to the season, but he has bounced back nicely and has now allowed three earned runs or less in four straight starts. Even more importantly, the Cardinals have emerged victorious in eight of his past 10 appearances. One key for Wainwright will be avoiding walks in this one. He has walked six batters over his past two outings and it’d be big if he can keep that number under two on Monday. Offensively, it’d be huge for the Cardinals if OF Stephen Piscotty (.292, 8 HR, 39 RBI) can find his groove again. Piscotty is St. Louis’ best hitter, but he has seen his average drop from .303 to .292 over the past 10 contests. He would really be helping to spark his team if he can get on base a couple of times in this one. Another guy to keep an eye on for St. Louis is 3B Matt Carpenter (.300, 13 HR, 47 RBI). Carpenter has been hitting the cover off the ball lately. He had two homers in Sunday’s win over the Mariners and has seen his average rise from .288 to .300 over the past 10 games.

Danny Duffy has transitioned nicely into his role as a starter for Kansas City, but his past two outings have been a bit rough. He has allowed six earned runs over the past two games, but has only pitched 9.2 innings total. If the Royals are going to come away with a victory on Monday then they’ll really need him to work a bit deeper into this game. If Duffy is not able to pitch at least six innings in this one then it’s important that he allows something like two runs or less. Offensively, SS Alcides Escobar (.255, 1 HR, 19 RBI) is a guy to keep an eye on in this game. He is 8-for-26 with a double and an RBI against Wainwright in his career and it’d be big if he can find his way onto the bases in this one. 1B Eric Hosmer (.310, 12 HR, 46 RBI) will, however, need to figure it out against the Cardinals pitcher. He is just 1-for-13 against Wainwright in his career and the Royals will need him to change that on Monday. He is the best hitter on their team and likely can’t afford to struggle in this one.