Yankees vs. Cardinals (August 6): Montgomery Meets Former Team in St. Louis Debut

Earlier this week, Jordan Montgomery was a part of the New York Yankees’ rotation.

Tonight, he will be making his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals against none other than his former team.

On Monday, the Yankees landed Frankie Montas from the Oakland Athletics, and Montgomery was rendered the most expendable member of New York’s rotation.

On Tuesday, the MLB trade deadline, he was shipped to St. Louis, who beefed up their starting rotation by adding Montgomery and Pittsburgh’s Jose Quintana.

Tonight, the experienced lefty will make his first start with his new team against the team with whom he made 97 starts and 98 appearances. Will his knowledge of the opposition lineup help him lead the Cardinals to a big series win?

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: New York Yankees (70-37, 29-22 away, 1st in the AL East) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (58-48, 33-20 home, t-1st in the NL Central)
• Venue & Location: Busch Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri)
• Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022
• Game Time: 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time (6:15 p.m. local time)
• Yankees vs. Cardinals TV Info: FOX

Yankees vs. Cardinals Pitching Matchup

• New York Yankees: Domingo German (2022: 3 starts, 1-1, 6.39 ERA)
• St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Montgomery (1st start for St. Louis, went 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts with the Yankees this season)

Yankees vs. Cardinals Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may also contain odds from other top online sports betting sites that we recommend.

Moneyline

• New York Yankees -104
• St. Louis Cardinals -112

Over/Under

• Over 8.5 (-122)
• Under 8.5 (+100)

Run Line

• New York Yankees -1.5 (+146)
• St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-178)

Will a Change of Scenery Bring Out Montgomery’s Best?

Typically, you would expect to see more than six decisions in 21 games for someone who has been exclusively a starting pitcher, but it is worth noting that he registered just 42 decisions (22 wins, 20 losses) in his 98 career appearances with the Yankees.

It wasn’t for a lack of pitching long enough in games, at least not this year. He pitched at least five full innings in 17 of his 21 starts this season, and he went six full innings or more in 11 starts, with nine of those starts being quality starts.

But he ended his time in New York having not won in any of his final eight starts, and in July, he was 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA. In his final two starts, he allowed five runs in 2.1 innings to the Mets on July 26 and four runs in four innings against the Royals on July 31.

Monthly Splits for Jordan Montgomery

• April (four starts): 0-1, 2.70 ERA
• May (six starts): 1-0, 3.24 ERA
• June (five starts): 2-0, 3.66 ERA
• July (six starts): 0-2, 4.91 ERA

But what is the most glaring thing from his final campaign with the Yankees? Of the 34 losses that they had when he was traded, only three were credited to him, but a dozen of them occurred in games that he started, including all six of his July starts.

Only part of that can be attributed to Montgomery, who allowed two or fewer runs 14 times in his 21 starts. It took 14 starts for him to finally allow more than three runs in a game, and after allowing three or more runs 16 times in 30 starts last season, he had done so only seven times this season.

But in his six July starts, the Yankees scored only 20 runs and lost two extra-inning games. And when one of his starts was decided by one or two runs, the Yankees were just 4-9 this season.

New York Yankees in One-Run Games in 2022

• In Games Montgomery Did Not Start: 17-8
• In Games Montgomery Started: 4-6

He’ll be facing his old team at the right time, certainly. The Cardinals rallied to pick up a 4-3 win in last night’s opener, which was the Yankees’ third straight loss and fourth in five games, and they are just 6-8 in the second half of the season thus far.

This is the third time that they have lost three in a row this season, but they have yet to lose four games in a row.

That could change tonight, if Montgomery can make the most of his knowledge of his former team, both in terms of what they offer at the plate and on the mound in German, who picked up his first win since May 20, 2021, on Monday against Seattle.

For what it’s worth, the Yankees entered today 21st in batting average against a left-handed starting pitcher, with their .235 average 15 points lower than their average against right-handed starters and their average against all lefties.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are sixth in the league in batting average against righty starters (.254), which is ten points higher than their average against southpaw starters.

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction and Picks

Yankees vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cardinals to win

Yankees vs. Cardinals Picks: Cardinals ML (Best Value: -110 at BetMGM) & team total over 4 runs (Best Value: -118 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Business is business, and baseball players at this level know that well. But Montgomery might feel like he has something to prove tonight after being this trade, especially when he had put up solid numbers in most of his starts this season.

Look for that fire to produce a winning debut for his new team tonight, with the Bronx Bombers taking a fourth straight loss for the first time this season.

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