On March 16th, Miles Mikolas said the following in regards to opening vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers: “We’re not exactly a low payroll team, but you got the Dodgers playing checkbook baseball. We’re going to be the hardest working group of Midwestern farmers we can be. … It would be great to stick it to the Dodgers.”
Safe to say he ate his words.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman homered in the third inning, and Tyler Glasnow pitched six innings of two-hit ball for the Dodgers. One week after Los Angeles began the season with two games in South Korea, the club showed off the talent in the most expensive and star-studded roster in baseball. The lineup was headlined by three former MVPs at the top of the batting order.
Glasnow (1-0) was sharp in his home debut for Los Angeles, striking out five batters and allowing just one run over 81 pitches. The lone bright spot for St. Louis was first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt hitting a home run off Glasnow.
Mikolas (0-1) yielded seven hits and five runs for the Cardinals, who managed just three hits on their opening day.
“There’s things (Mikolas) is going to continue to work on, but that’s a really good lineup across the way,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said following the game. “(Our) offense will come together. Today wasn’t the day for it. They’ve got some good pitchers.”
It doesn’t help the Cardinals with the fact that several key players are on the injured list to start the season, including prized free-agent signing Sonny Gray, reliever Keynan Middleton and starting outfielders Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson.
(Photo credit: B/R)
Totally predictable outcome from a team with cheapskate owners who are not committed to winning. After the 2023 disastrous season of finishing last, Cards ownership were going “all in” on pitching. They then cut payroll by $15M and signed one #2 pitcher and a bunch of retreads. Owners milking Cardinal brand- need to be traded for owners more deserving of Cardinal brand which current ones are trashing.