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| 4:10 PM PT5:10 PM MT6:10 PM CT7:10 PM ET19:10 ET23:10 GMT7:10 4:10 PM MST6:10 PM EST6:40 PM VEN3:10 UAE (+1)5:10 PM CT, May 26, 2023 Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 31,303 |
Busy Cardinals open weekend set vs. rested Guardians
St. Louis Cardinals at Cleveland Guardians
- Cleveland is 20-13 (.606) all-time versus St. Louis, its best record versus any club it has faced at least 20 times in franchise history. The Cardinals have won two and split two of the five series between these clubs since 2015 after Cleveland won each of the first seven.
- St. Louis went 2-2 in its four-game series in Cincinnati extending its streak of series either winning or splitting to five, tied with the Orioles for the longest active streak in the majors. The Cardinals are an NL-best 12-5 (.706) in that span, which began on May 8.
- Nolan Gorman is the second Cardinal since 1980 to record a hit in 15 consecutive games at 23 years old or younger, along with Albert Pujols, who did so twice (17 in 2001, 30 in 2003).
- The Guardians dropped two of three at home to the White Sox, scoring five runs over the three contests. It marked Cleveland's third three-game home series this year plating five or fewer runs, the most such series in MLB. All other teams combined have seven.
- Shane Bieber posted his fifth career complete game on Sunday but took the loss for the second straight game, his first time losing back-to-back games since August 14 and 20, 2019. He has won both of his two career starts versus St. Louis, yielding one run over 6.0 innings in both 2018 and 2021.
- Matthew Liberatore is making his first start away from home this season after going 0-2 with an 8.24 ERA in five road starts last year. He threw 5.0 shutout innings against Milwaukee on May 17 in his only start of 2023.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who are thriving amid a hectic portion of their schedule, bring their hot streak to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians beginning Friday night.
Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright could be forgiven for thinking a day off was due ahead of the trip to Cleveland.
Wainwright was dressed in his smart traveling attire Thursday morning and ready to check out of his Cincinnati hotel when a Cardinals broadcaster reminded the 18-year veteran that St. Louis still had another game to play against the Reds that day.
The Cardinals then played for the 14th time in an ongoing stretch of 19 games, beating the Reds 2-1 to improve to 10-4 in that period.
St. Louis' last day off was May 11. The team then had a three-game series in Boston, hosted the Milwaukee Brewers for three games and the Los Angeles Dodgers for four before arriving in Cincinnati for four.
The Cardinals don't get a break until May 31, when they get a rare two-day hiatus after finishing their test of endurance with the three games against the Guardians and then two home games against the Kansas City Royals.
The scheduling quirks prompted St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol to rest three of his top batters -- Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras -- on Thursday as the Cardinals rode Miles Mikolas' seven shutout innings to a tight victory over the Reds.
"It's tough and you start to wear some guys out," Marmol said of the busy slate, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But it's putting our A-lineup out there every day. Guys are worn down. It's a lot of games. We still have several to go, so we've got to dig deep and find a way."
Now the Cardinals face a Guardians team that will be rested after a day off Thursday.
The grind certainly hasn't affected the hitting of St. Louis infielder/designated hitter Nolan Gorman. His eighth-inning double drove in the first run of the Thursday game, and he on a passed ball later in the frame.
Gorman has registered 19 of his 40 RBIs in the eighth inning or later, and he is riding a 15-game hitting streak in which he is 20-for-53 (.377).
"Nolan is just taking good passes at balls and not taking any at-bats off," Marmol said.
Meanwhile, the Guardians continue to struggle on offense. Cleveland has scored four or fewer runs in 19 games of 21 games this month, and the Guardians rank last in the majors with 169 runs.
"I think we're all getting tested, all the way through the dugout and clubhouse," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "I may have to change a few things, move some guys around the lineup."
On Friday, St. Louis will send rookie left-hander Matthew Liberatore (1-0, 3.00 ERA) against Cleveland ace right-hander Shane Bieber (3-3, 3.08) in the series opener.
Liberatore has never faced the Guardians. Bieber, the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner, is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two career appearances against the Cardinals, having struck out 10 and walked three in 12 innings.
--Field Level Media
Updated May 26, 2023
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