The St. Louis Cardinals are in dire need of some offense and manager Oliver Marmol is attempting to shake things up with a revamped lineup. After the offense continued their struggles in a 3-1 loss in game one against the Reds, Marmol is moving around some pieces to try to breathe some life into the offense.

Behind lead-off hitter Lars Nootbaar is shortstop Masyn Winn, who has batted ninth in every game he has played in this season. Since his slow start to the season, Winn is hitting .294 with a .754 OPS and has been more patient at the plate. With Noot’s ability to get on base, moving Winn up to the two-hole could open up more opportunities to push the envelope with hit and runs or working deep into counts to start the game.

This move pushes Willson Contreras to the fifth spot in the order, where he has only hit once this year but had decent success in his limited opportunities in that slot in the 2024 season. Alec Burleson, despite his total loss of power since last All-Star break, will get the opportunity to bat against the right-handed Brady Singer with Nolan Gorman slotting in behind him. The sixth spot in the lineup has been the most successful for the lefty second baseman thus far in his career as Marmol hopes to tap into his light tower power in the small confines of the Great American Ballpark.

Yohel Pozo will jump back into the starting nine, giving Pedro Pages his first day off in four games with speedster Victor Scott II taking his usual spot at the bottom of the order. Scott’s ability to get on base and wreak havoc on the bases could create more run-scoring opportunities for the top of the order once the lineup flips back to Nootbaar.

First pitch for the second game of the series is scheduled for 5:40pm as the Cardinals look to even the series at one game apiece.