The St. Louis Cardinals (3-6, 4-5 RL, 3-6 O/U) meet with the Colorado Rockies (4-6, 2-8 RL, 5-5 O/U) in the first of a three-game series on Monday evening. The Cardinals will send the veteran Steven Matz to the mound. The Rockies will respond with German Marquez. The Cardinals posted a 4-2 record against the Rockies last season.
Steven Matz will make his second outing of the season. Matz did not look good in his season debut, squandering four runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings against the Braves, and was charged with the loss. The veteran left-hander had a decent season in 2021 but was poor in his first year with the Cardinals last season, reporting a 5.25 ERA but did manage a 1.25 WHIP in only 48 innings of work due to injury. Matz has logged horrible numbers against the Rockies, posting a 7.22 ERA in 33.2 career innings pitched.
The Cardinals resume a six-game road trip. They won the first series against the Blue Jays but have since lost back-to-back series. They were issued a home sweep by the Braves, and dropped two of three in Milwaukee this week, scoring only seven runs in the series. Paul DeJong remains out of action.
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Career home run number 300 for Nolan Arenado! pic.twitter.com/SN53bq3fKa
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 8, 2023
The Cardinals are always dangerous at the plate when you have sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in the middle of the lineup. Goldschmidt is reaching base, sporting a .333 average with two RBIs and a .948 OPS. Goldy was dominant against the Rockies last year, hitting .450 with eight RBIs and a 1.40 OPS.
The offense has been inconsistent so far, averaging 4.00 runs per game, ranking them 24th. The pitching has been subpar, recording a 4.78 team ERA, placing them 19th.