BenFred: What Cardinals lineup vs. Dodgers says about struggles of team's young sluggers
Much of the reason this Cardinals season has reached the flashing-lights danger zone with 40 games to go can be traced back to one costly conclusion.
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A $60 million duo has disappointed.
Veteran cornerstone infielders Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have gone from the winner and third-place finisher in 2022 National League MVP voting to, at best, league-average producers of offense.
The regression has been startling because of the speed with which it’s happened, but not entirely unpredictable. Goldschmidt turns 37 next month. Arenado, 33, plays a physically demanding position at third base, and he’s logged a lot of mileage in his 12 seasons.
When your highest-paid and most-proven performers struggle at the same time, it’s hard to overcome, and there’s really not much a hitting coach, manager or front office can do other than hope (and pray) two potential Hall of Famers snap out of dueling career-worst seasons before it’s too late.
And if this fact was the only problem holding back this Cardinals offense, it would be a lot easier to simply throw up hands and claim bad luck.
But while that’s the biggest reason the Cardinals find themselves here, trying to keep a season from reaching mathematical elimination, it’s not the most concerning problem moving forward, and concerning the way this season is trending, forward thinking now seems fair.
In addition to two key veterans struggling, three young hitters the Cardinals needed to take meaningful steps forward and planned to count upon for seasons to come have regressed in what should be building phases of their careers.
Friday night’s lineup illustrated the point. Desperate team. Dangerous opponent.
“You either step up to the challenge, or you’re done,” manager Oli Marmol said before first pitch. “There’s no other way of looking at it. There’s no other way of talking around it. Super simple. You’re playing tough teams. You step up and do what you have to do — or you go home early.”
Now, look at that lineup.
Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman weren’t in it, even with Matt Carpenter hurt. Jordan Walker was in it, but only because the starting pitcher, Justin Wrobleski, was left-handed, making Walker the platoon fit for right field. Imagine if I told you this when the season started in Los Angeles months ago. Would you have believed it? You probably would have assumed the rising young sluggers were hurt. But that’s not the case.
Nootbaar, who turns 27 next month, has in his fourth season regressed to his second-season batting average (.226). He’s at his rookie-season on-base percentage (.317). He’s never slugged so little (.370). He’s walking a little less than before, striking out a little more often than before and hitting an increased number of groundballs, in part due to a career-low average launch angle.
Gorman, 24, leads the Cardinals in strikeouts (148) despite ranking sixth in at-bats. After leading the team in home runs last season despite battling back issues, Gorman’s third year in the majors has featured improved health but worse production as his search for consistent mechanics continues. He entered this series with career-lows in batting average (.204), on-base percentage (.274) and slugging percentage (.406). Gorman’s hard-hit percentage (39 percent) has dropped by nearly 10 percent from last season. He’s walking less often and his strikeout rate (37.6 percent) is among baseball’s worst percentile.
And then there’s Walker, who we should still remember is the age, 22, of some of the prospects just drafted. But still this season has been a frustrating one for both him and the Cardinals, as he’s needed most of it to chase steady production in Memphis. He entered Friday’s game with only 63 major league at-bats this season. That’s 15 percent of what he got last season, which despite ups and downs produced a .787 on-base plus slugging percentage that ranked sixth among major league rookies who totaled 400 or more at-bats.
If I’m Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., who is quick to remind fans the goal is always to be a draft-and-develop organization, I can understand players tailing off, even surprisingly so, in their middle and late 30s. It’s a risk that comes with the territory. But I’d be worried and pretty frustrated about this trio of young sluggers hitting a wall, especially after the Cardinals had to punt on Dylan Carlson. We’re not talking about brand-new players. Nootbaar debuted in 2021. We’re not talking overhyped low draft picks. Gorman and Walker both were first-round picks. So was Carlson.
I’d want answers. Better yet, solutions. It’s great that Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn have burst onto the scene. Surprises like that are how a good team can turn great. But where is the slug that was expected from the young guys who had bigger offensive expectations? Saving aging veterans sometimes can’t be done. Rescuing talented young hitters, though, shouldn’t be impossible.
You can’t really be a draft-and-develop team if you don’t.
Here’s why the Cardinals leaned on Miles Mikolas against the Dodgers, and how it went wrong
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol tried to wring one more out from starting pitcher Miles Mikolas’ start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Marmol desperately wanted to get his starter through the sixth inning and keep the club’s slim lead intact.
Dodgers star Mookie Betts got a hold of a Mikolas pitch for a solo home run, but then Mikolas got within one out of getting through the frame with a one-run lead. When the Dodgers scratched out a pair of two-out singles, Marmol couldn’t wait any longer to turn to his bullpen.
By trying to get Mikolas through the sixth, the Cardinals ended up turning to the bullpen with runners already on base and precious little wiggle room. Ultimately, the Dodgers turned that into a five-run inning and grabbed the lead for good.
The Cardinals will never know exactly how things would’ve unfolded if they’d gotten to the seventh inning with a one-run advantage and all their bullpen options available.
Instead, they’ll have to try to shake off a 7-6 loss to the Dodgers in front of an announced crowd of 38,485 at Busch Stadium for the first game of a three-game weekend series.
The loss marked the fifth in a row for the Cardinals (60-62) as they fell 10 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division.
“Every out we could get out of him today was important,” Marmol said of Mikolas. “If you look at our 'pen over the last stretch, they’ve done a lot to get us here.”
The bullpen has been the strength of the Cardinals this season. That group played a critical part in their having 32 of their 60 wins in games decided by two runs or fewer.
Andrew Kittredge entered the night tied for the major-league lead in holds (30), while JoJo Romero ranked second in NL in holds (28) and All-Star closer Ryan Helsley was tied for the MLB lead in saves (37).
However, Friday night Marmol proceeded as though he felt confident with his bullpen’s ability to cover the final three innings— the seventh, eighth and ninth— but he had trepidation about covering the sixth.
Bridging to the seventh
Left-hander John King has had success inducing weak contact for the most part this season, but he’d allowed as many earned runs in his last four appearances (two) as he had in his previous 11. His ERA and WHIP have also climbed since the start of August.
Kyle Leahy allowed one earned run in seven innings over four appearances in July, but he’d allowed three earned runs in his past five games (4 1/3 innings).
Shawn Armstrong, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, has allowed runs in three of his six outings since he joined the Cardinals.
So Marmol leaned on Mikolas to get through the sixth.
“He was throwing the ball well,” Marmol said. “If you’re just reading the game, you know what’s coming out of his hand— you’re liking the way it’s moving and what he’s able to do with the ball. He’s kind of freezing guys on the corners and not giving in a whole lot. So you trust him to get one more out there, not knowing what it’s going to look like if you go to the pen.
“So you give him every opportunity to get out of that. After the two base hits, at that point you’ve got to go get him.”
The inning gets away from the Cardinals
Mikolas threw 100 pitches (76 strikes) for the second time this season. He filled up the strike zone early and often. He threw first-pitch strikes to the first 12 batters he faced. Five of his strikeouts came on called third strikes.
“As far as my last couple of starts go, this is the best I’ve felt in a while,” Mikolas said. “I had a good long bullpen session the other day. We had some extra days in between. I was able to do a little bit more in my bullpen, talking with (pitching coach) Dusty (Blake) and trying and get things buttoned up. It showed.
“I thought I pitched really well. A couple bad pitches I wish I could take back. A couple little bleeders through the infield get me in trouble there in the last inning, but as far as how I threw the ball and how I felt, it was pretty good.”
Through five innings, Mikolas allowed two runs on four hits. From the end of the second inning through the fifth inning, he retired 10 consecutive batters.
Betts homered to start the sixth and made the score 4-3. That caused the Cardinals to get Fernandez warming up in the bullpen. As the inning continued, Kittredge also started warming up.
Marmol later said that if he had to remove Mikolas with no outs or one out, Fernandez would’ve entered to finish the inning, leaving Kittredge available for the seventh. Once Mikolas got two outs, Kittredge became the option out of the bullpen to finish the inning and come back out in the seventh.
After Betts homered, Mikolas got the next two batters out on a fly ball to center and a grounder to third base.
Then Gavin Lux’s roller up the middle snuck under the dive of shortstop Masyn Winn. The next batter, Will Smith, hit a slow roller up the middle that Winn gloved a step or two onto the outfield grass. The slow roller left Winn no chance to throw Smith out at first base.
Smith’s single prompted Marmol to turn to Kittredge with two men on base and two outs.
“I’m never going to say I don’t have gas in the tank,” Mikolas said. “I train all winter and all year to be out there. But if you were to ask me, ‘Hey, we’re going to bring in Kitt’ or anyone out of that bullpen, I’d say go ahead. Our bullpen has been lock-down air-tight all year.”
Kittredge left a sinker in the middle of the plate that Miguel Rojas lined up the middle for an RBI single.
Then with Smith and Rojas on base, Kevin Kiermaier belted a slider in the middle of the plate from Kittredge 415 feet to right-center field for a three-run home run. Kiermaier’s fifth home run of the season gave the Dodgers a 7-4 lead.
Kittredge made just his fifth career appearance without recording an out. He said he was disappointed with the location of his pitches, but he expressed confidence in the bullpen as a unit.
“I think guys are throwing the ball well,” Kittredge said. “Our bullpen has been pretty good all year. Tonight seems like the worst-case scenario for where we’re at right now. We need to win as many games as we can. To give up a lead like that stinks.”
Mikolas finished his outing having allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-high seven batters. Three of the seven hits he allowed came in the sixth inning. Two of the runs charged to him scored after he’d exited the game.
Matthew Liberatore (1 1/3 innings), Fernandez (1 1/3 innings) and Romero (2/3 innings) provided scoreless relief down the stretch.
The Cardinals got the tying run on base twice in the final three innings via walks, but they did not have a hit in those final three innings.
“They’re going to continue to take the ball, they have to and they’re willing to,” Marmol said of the relief corps. “But it’s just a matter of you’re reading the game going 'What’s going to be more effective here based on what you know and how the ball coming out your starter’s hand?'
"Today, I felt like (Mikolas) was throwing the ball well enough to get Smith. A couple feet to the left and we’re talking about a groundball to short.”
Fernandez gets back on track
Fernandez hadn’t pitched since last Saturday in Kansas City when he allowed three runs on four hits in 1/3 innings, the third consecutive outing when he’d allowed runs.
Friday night, Fernandez said he located his slider better than in recent outings, which he described as “a big step.” He also said his fastball had more “ride” and better command than his previous outing in Kansas City.
Fernandez also acknowledged that he’d pitched through lower back stiffness in recent weeks. It was significant enough that it caused him pain to even bend down.
However, Fernandez made it a point to say he’d told the coaching staff he was available, and he made the decision to pitch through the tightness.
“That’s why I didn’t try to blame that outing on my back, because I thought I was good enough to pitch without it affecting me,” Fernandez said. “I don’t want to make an excuse about that, but there definitely were some days there that my back was pretty tight and hurting in the morning and loose in the afternoon.”
Andre Pallante, Cardinals try to snap skid vs. Dodgers: First Pitch
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The Cardinals, losers of five straight, continue a home series Saturday against the Dodgers. First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m.
The game airs exclusively on Fox, KTVI (Channel 2) in Ƶ.
Right-hander Andre Pallante (4-6, 4.21) will take the mound for the Cardinals.
Pallante allowed two runs, one of them earned, in 5 2/3 innings at Kansas City last Saturday.
Since joining the rotation in late-May, Pallante has been the team's third-best starter, just behind Miles Mikolas, by Fangraphs wins above replacement.
For the second straight day, the Dodgers are calling up a pitcher from Triple-A to start. On Saturday, it's right-hander Bobby Miller (1-2, 8.07).
Miller's first start of the year was against the Cardinals. He didn't give up a run, allowing just two hits in six innings and striking out 11 in what was the best start of his short career.
Tyler Glasnow was originally scheduled to start Saturday, but he was placed on the injured list Friday with tendinitis.
Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is batting seventh for the first time since late July.
The Cardinals are 60-62, a season-worst 10 games out of first and four games out of the final wild-card spot.
Ƶ is 4-10 since the start of August. The Redbirds have 14 games remaining this month and are in danger of putting up their first losing calendar month of the season.
The Dodgers are 72-51, first in the NL West and 9-4 in their last 13 games. They've moved within 1/2 game of Philadelphia for the National League's best record.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Alec Burleson, DH
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Brendan Donovan, LF
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B
6. Lars Nootbaar, RF
7. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
8. Nolan Gorman, 2B
9. Victor Scott II, CF
P: Andre Pallante, RHP
DODGERS
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Will Smith, C
5. Gavin Lux, 2B
6. Miguel Rojas, SS
7. Andy Pages, LF
8. Kevin Kiermaier, CF
9. Enrique Hernández, 3B
P: Bobby Miller, RHP
Injury report
Matt Carpenter (back soreness): Carpenter, diagnosed with a sore lower back, was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. He was going to be out entirely for the series in Cincinnati, and the Cardinals are hopeful he'll require only the minimum days on the IL.Updated Aug. 12
Lance Lynn (knee strain):Veteran right-hander is penciled to throw a session of live batting practice on Tuesday after his Friday bullpen, which had an intended intensity of about 75% of a standard bullpen session, went well. He recovered well from his bullpen Monday at Great American Ball Park. He was eligible to come off the IL on Friday and the Cardinals do not yet know if they're going to ask him to go on a rehab assignment.Updated Aug. 17
Steven Matz (lower back stiffness):Leftycompleted 4 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out six on 76 pitches in his rehab start with Class AAA Memphis on Friday. He was said to have exited the start feeling well and was expected to rejoin the Cardinals for their weekend series against the Dodgers. Once he rejoins the club, he will be reevaluated to determine the next steps, which could likely be an additional rehab start as he nears a return.Updated Aug. 17
Michael Siani (oblique strain):Siani was cleared to begin swinging a bat starting Saturday. Before getting reevaluated on Friday, Siani had already begun throwing and doing limited, reduced-torque movements. How quickly Siani progresses will be determined once he begins a swing program. Updated Aug. 17
‘To give up a lead like that stings,’ Cardinals reliever Andrew Kittredge says after loss to Dodgers
Oli Marmol: Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas threw the ball well, got unlucky vs. Dodgers
Shildt, fired by Cardinals, smokes replacement Marmol in betting odds: Caesar's Better Bettor
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Editor's note: This story originally appeared Friday. It has been updated to reflect developments over the weekend.
The Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt after the 2021 season, in which they had a 17-game winning streak in September to make the playoffs in a season in which they won 90 games. They were victorious 91 times in the other full season in which he led them, 2019.
He also had a combined record of 71-56 in the two partial seasons he was at the helm — 2018, after he took over in midstream for Mike Matheny, and 2020, when the schedule was truncated because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So his bottom line was 252 wins and 199 losses, with three postseason appearances albeit advancing to the next round only once. Then shortly after the club’s 2021 run ended, “philosophical differences” with the front office led to his shocking ouster.
His replacement, Oliver Marmol, got off to a soaring start by winning 93 games in 2022 but the Cardinals were swept in their only playoff series. They followed that last year with a generationally bad season, finishing last in the National League Central Division, and after an earlier surge this season they have fallen fast. The Birds lost two of three games to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend and now have dropped 11 of their last 16 contests to become a massive underdog to make the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Shildt resurfaced this year as manager in San Diego. The Padres, despite dealing superstar Juan Soto in the offseason to the New York Yankees and now being without fellow standout player Fernando Tatis Jr. for nearly two months and counting because of a thigh ailment, are soaring.
Shildt’s Padres, despite a blip in Denver over the weekend, have won 20 of their last 25 games and along with the also red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks are giving the heavily favored Dodgers a run for supremacy in the National League West. The Padres, who are set to be in Ƶ Aug. 26-29, finished the weekend leading in the battle for the NL’s three wild-card playoff spots, 5½ games ahead of the first team below the cut line.
Shildt’s former team, meanwhile, has staggered to 11 games behind NL Central leader Milwaukee and five games out of a wild-card spot — with two teams ahead and two others right on the Cardinals' tail in the skirmish to climb above the cutoff line.
The betting odds certainly correlate to the on-field performances of Shildt’s current and previous clubs. At the three area walk-in sportsbooks as of early Monday morning, San Diego’s odds to win the NL pennant ranged from 7-1 to 8½-1. The Cardinals? The were as high as 120-1, at DraftKings.
DraftKings was the only area brick-and-mortar shop to have posted prices on the Cardinals’ playoff chances across the last few days before the trade deadline arrived late last month, and the change in their odds is graphically telling.
On the morning of July 30, several hours before it was announced the Cards had acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and starting pitcher Erick Fedde and traded infielder-outfielder Tommy Edman, they already were underdogs to make the playoffs. A bettor would have had risk $250 to try to turn a $100 profit if wagering on them to miss the postseason. Conversely, those backing them to make it into the field would have reaped a $200 profit for a $100 risk.
The Redbirds went 2-3 in their first five games after that dealing and the odds followed suit, with their “no” price for the playoffs strengthening to -425 (bettors would have to risk $425 to try to win $100), whereas the get-in payout was +320.
Then the Cincy shellacking last week really had their playoff prices moving. After the Cards’ loss to the Reds on Monday, “no” for them making the playoffs was -700, “yes” was at +500. Another defeat Tuesday sent “no” to -1,100, “yes” to +700.
The Reds completed the series sweep Wednesday, outscoring them 19-4 in the three games, and after a day off Thursday the Cards entered their weekend series at home against the Dodgers officially in longshot territory to be playing in October. A risk of $1,800 was needed at DraftKings to try to win just $100 if betting that they’ll miss the tournament. Conversely, at $100 bet that they will get in would reap a $1,000 profit.
By early Monday morning, after losing two out of three over the weekend, the hammer really had hit hard. DraftKings was requiring bettors to put up $2,500 to try for a meager $100 return if betting the Cards will not be in the playoffs. On the other end, a $100 bet on them to get in would be worth a $1,200 profit.
Meanwhile, FanDuel (horse track in Collinsville) had odds posted on who will win the NL manager of the year award.
Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy was the heavy favorite, at -410. Shildt was next, at a little over 3½-1. Marmol was at 33-1.
DraftKings: Never mind about winning-bet fees
After further — and fast — review, DraftKings has backed off a recently announced plan that it intended to add a 3.2% surcharge to winning bets placed in states in which the company is taxed at more than 20%.
That would have been implemented in January and included Illinois, which recently raising its tax on sportsbooks’ adjusted gross revenue from 15% to a progressive rate ranging from 20%-40% based on the each shop’s adjusted gross revenue.
But after rival bookmaker FanDuel announced it was not going to also implement fees on winning wagers, and an outcry from some DraftKings customers, DK reversed course.
“We always listen to our customers and after hearing their feedback we have decided not to move forward with the gaming tax surcharge,” the company said in a statement issued Tuesday.
The higher tax will eat into the bottom line for sportsbooks, which figure to reduce perks to customers such as free bets or have less-favorable odds. That was addressed by Peter Jackson, CEO of FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment, in an with financial analysts.
“We believe that moderating our levels of generosity or reducing local marketing efforts is a more effective response to higher tax rates,” he said. “We have no plans to institute a surcharge for winners.”
Missouri betting update
DraftKings is making an additional major financial commitment in trying to have sports betting legalized in Missouri. The company, as well as FanDuel, already had invested significantly in the effort to get a proposal to approve such wagering on the state’s November ballot.
That endeavor was fruitful, as secretary of state Jay Ashcroft announced Tuesday the campaign to put the proposal before voters had secured enough valid signatures to be certified.
Post-Dispatch colleague Kurt Erickson reports that DraftKings since has made a $3.5 million contribution to the campaign to push for legalization. The Missouri tax rate on the bookies would be 10%, in the lower tier of the states that have legalized sports wagering.
Jordan Walker looks to stay ready and deliver in a platoon role new to him: Cardinals Extra
For Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, the platoon role he’s found himself in upon his return to the majors is one he said he’s given little time to examine.
Instead, the 22-year-old outfielder is focused on what he needs to do when that opportunity comes up.
“It’s an adjustment. … It’s definitely tough, but I’ve got a job to do, and I need to do it well, so I have to always be ready,” Walker said on Friday while standing in front of his locker.
The former top Cardinals prospect was recalled to the majors Monday ahead of the Cardinals’ three-game road series against the Reds. Before the call-up, Walker played in 78 games with Class AAA Memphis and batted .257 with a .426 slugging percentage, and a .747 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). The 22-year-old clubbed nine homers and produced a .343/.400/.687 slash line in 16 games from July 24 to Aug. 11.
His return to the majors provides the Cardinals with a right-handed outfield bat that can start in games when opposing teams have a left-handed starter and be used off the bench as a counter to southpaws from the bullpen.
With the Dodgers starting left-hander Justin Wrobleski in Friday’s series opener against the Cardinals, Walker started in right field and batted seventh in Ƶ’ lineup. The appearance on Friday was Walker’s first game at Busch Stadium since April 23.
“I haven’t really thought much about this, to be honest,” Walker said when asked about the platoon role. “As soon as I got the call, I just thought about playing in the big leagues again. That’s pretty much as simple as I can get to it. Plans and everything like that really haven’t come across my mind. The only thing I thought about is that when I get time to play or get time on the field, I just want to perform.”
The platoon role is one Walker, a former first-round pick, is yet to experience at any level of professional baseball. It’s one he said he’d have to “predict” when he could be deployed off the bench when he doesn’t start and use the indoor batting cages to get ready for the moment he comes into a game.
“Obviously, it’s tough, man, mentally and physically. It’s the big leagues,” he said.
After making his minor league debut in 2021, Walker became an everyday player — at third base and eventually in right field after a positional switch during the 2022 season — as he rose to prominence as one of the top prospects in baseball.
While in the minors, the 22-year-old adjusted his stance and setup, which allowed him to cut down on his swing-and-miss rate after he opened his second MLB season with a .155 average and a .497 OPS.
Now that he has rejoined a Cardinals club looking to solve lefties and keep pace in the race for a spot in the postseason, could the platoon role be limiting Walker’s development?
“If you’re asking me this in May, I would say yes,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said to reporters. “I would say it’s a bad idea because you want to give them as much time down there uninterrupted to be able to develop. The minor leagues are built to feed the big-league team (with) what they need when it’s needed, and I just feel like we have a need at the moment that could change a week from now. But when you look at this series playing out the way we thought where we’d get two lefties, and we knew were going to get one in (Cincinnati). Every game matters.”
Players’ Weekend gets going
Friday kicked off a “reimagined” Players’ Weekend across Major League Baseball. This year’s version of Players’ Weekend featured specialty hats that included each player’s number stitched onto the right side in varying fonts. Players can utilize customized bats during games.
Lars Nootbaar’s custom bat featured his nickname, “Nooooot,” in red ink in contrast to the black barrel and had a photo of him and his mother, Kumi Nootbaar (nee Enokida), on the knob of the bat.
Extra bases
Lance Lynn threw a bullpen session Friday as he continues to rehab from right knee inflammation that landed him on the 15-day injured list July 31. Lynn, who is eligible to come off the IL as of Friday, said the intensity of Friday’s session was to be around 75% of a standard bullpen.
Michael Siani was set to get reevaluated Friday night to determine if he could get cleared to begin swinging a bat Saturday, Marmol said. Siani, who has been on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain, has been able to run, play catch and go through defensive drills.
Steven Matz (lower back strain) completed 4 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out six on 76 pitches in his rehab start with Class AAA Memphis. The rehab appearance was Matz’s fourth since resuming his assignment at the start of August.
Former Cardinals utilityman Tommy Edman is expected to be activated for the Dodgers on Monday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during his appearance on MLB Network radio Friday. Edman was dealt to the Dodgers as part of a three-team trade deadline deal that brought Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham to the Cardinals from the White Sox.
Six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and former Cardinals player Ray King threw out the ceremonial first pitches ahead of the series opener between Ƶ and Los Angeles.