Cardinals at Yankees
The New York Yankees look to continue a perfect homestand when they play the second of three straight games against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. The Yankees followed up a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium with a 4-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday in the Bronx.
Starlin Castro and Austin Romine both homered and closer Aroldis Chapman got the final out with two men in scoring position as New York won its fifth straight overall. The Cardinals are going the other way with losses in seven of their past nine games and new addition Dexter Fowler is not helping the cause all that much. The center fielder made the final out in Friday's loss to finish an 0-for-5 showing and he is 3-for-27 with seven strikeouts over his last seven games. St. Louis will try to turn a corner behind Opening Day starter Carlos Martinez, who opposes Yankees southpaw CC Sabathia.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Carlos Martinez (0-1, 3.65 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (1-0, 1.64)
Martinez followed up an impressive debut with a rocky outing Sunday against Cincinnati, giving up six runs (five earned) in five innings of an 8-0 loss. He has walked just one batter in 12 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old has two scoreless innings of relief in his career against the Yankees, but has seen plenty of Castro (1-for-11 against Martinez) and Chris Carter (2-for-8).
Sabathia will be making his home debut after he allowed two earned runs in 11 innings over two road starts to begin the year. He has walked six while striking out five in that span but all nine hits he has surrendered have been singles. The 36-year-old, who is aiming for career win No. 225, is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Yankees are 4-0 at home against the Cardinals, having also swept a three-game series in 2003.
2. Castro has two homers and a double during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. Cardinals 3B Jhonny Peralta is 1-for-17 with five strikeouts against Sabathia.