Roger Arrieta
A rematch of last season’s NLCS features a pair of second-place teams. The St. Louis Cardinals are in second in the NL Central by 4.5 games with a 43-36 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are three games back in the NL West with a 44-36 record. Now the Cardinals are on the Dodgers schedule for a four-game weekend slate, starting tonight. But the rematch hasn’t been enough to raise ticket prices in LA. Dodgers tickets are down 29 percent for an average of $40.75 for the series.
6/26 STL Adam Wainwright at LAD Josh Beckett | Avg. Price: $71.01 | Get-in Price: $26
The first game of the series is the only one over the $57.42 Dodgers’ season average at $71.01. That probably has something to do with who is on the mound for the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright has been stellar once again this season, leading his team in pretty much every major category. He has a team-leading 10-3 record with 108.1 innings pitched, a 2.08 ERA and 2.8 WAR. While Josh Beckett has been no slouch for the Dodgers, even with a 2.28 ERA, his numbers come nowhere close to touching Wainwright. The get-in price is the only game over $10 at $26.
6/27 STL Carlos Martinez at LAD Hyun-Jin Ryu | Avg. Price: $28 | Get-in Price: $5
Friday’s game is the cheapest of the series with an average ticket price of $28. St. Louis pitcher Carlos Martinez certainly isn’t drawing a crowd to the field, making only his third start of the season after being stretched out from the bullpen. While he probably has a bright future, he has yet to pitch past the fifth inning and walked an obscene amount. Meanwhile Dodgers’ pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu has been their best pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw. He is second on the team in WAR and FIP and is tied for the lead with nine wins.
6/28 STL Lance Lynn at LAD Zack Greinke | Avg. Price: $31 | Get-in Price: $5
Lance Lynn is second on the Cardinals with eight wins and 99.1 innings pitched, but prices don’t go up much for Saturday’s game. Los Angeles Dodgers vs St. Louis Cardinals tickets are averaging $31 with the same $5 get-in price. Zack Greinke is pitching for the Dodgers, and has nine wins as well. He also leads the team with 96.2 innings pitched, and has a sub-3.00 ERA at 2.89.
6/29 STL Shelby Miller at LAD Clayton Kershaw | Avg. Price: $33 | Get-in Price: $7
Prices jump up a bit for the final game of the series, but just to an average price of $33 and a get-in of $7. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound, and hasn’t given up a run in his last two starts, which encompasses 17 innings, after he pitched a 15-strikeout perfect game against the Colorado Rockies. Shelby Miller is the unlucky Cardinals pitcher who opposes him, and in 16 starts he has easily been the Cards’ worst pitcher, ranking below replacement level in terms of WAR.
