San Francisco at St. Louis

I had the OVER in this same series last week and it cashed comfortably, with these two clubs combining for thirteen runs in the finale. Landen Roupp and Quinn Mathews squared off six days ago and turned in a tight, low-scoring duel, so I won't pretend that pairing hasn't worked before. But that was one game sandwiched between two shootouts in the same set, and neither the Giants nor the Cardinals have shown the kind of pitching depth this month to keep a number this low intact for nine innings. San Francisco is buried near the bottom of the league standings and St. Louis isn't far ahead of them, and both clubs are leaning on bullpens that have had their share of September innings already with nothing but pride on the line. Roupp has been solid but not overpowering his last few turns out, and Mathews is still working with a small sample this year that includes an outing where he needed four walks just to get through five innings. Both lineups have shown they can put a crooked number on the board against a tiring pen, and that's how this total gets there tonight. Take the OVER tonight.