Cardinals ask bullpen to wake up vs. M’s
St. Louis can’t ask for much more from its starting staff. The bullpen, however, suddenly represents a huge area of concern.
Another ninth-inning meltdown by Trevor Rosenthal allowed Seattle to snag Friday’s series opener over the Cardinals, 4-3. The visitors get a chance to make things right tonight, with a 10:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Safeco Field. Online sports book Bovada.lv prefers the Mariners as 1.5-run favorites. Mike Matheny’s club, conversely, is a +116 underdog.
While Rosenthal absorbed last night’s loss, the Redbirds’ entire bullpen has been suspect in recent weeks. The relief corps carries a plus-4.00 ERA in June. That’s a bad recipe for a group facing two more games vs. Seattle’s potent lineup. Various injuries be damned, Scott Servais’ squad still paces the American League West in runs scored (359), homers (110), RBIs (347), slugging percentage (.437) and OPS (.764).
Can Mike Leake find a way to neutralize Robinson Cano and company later? The righty comes off a very pedestrian showing against Texas, having surrendered eight hits and three runs in six frames. He’s 5-1 since the beginning of May, however.
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Servais counters with Nathan Karns, whose command issues are well-documented. The Texas Tech product carries a 81-to-36 strikeout-to-walk issue on the season. Barring a miraculous turnaround from him, we should probably prepare for a second straight roller-coaster ride in the Pacific Northwest.
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