Cardinals Look to May to Even Series in Miami

The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals Look to May to Even Series in Miami
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

MIAMI — The good clubs don’t stay down long. The St. Louis Cardinals will try to prove that again Tuesday night.

After having a five-game winning streak snapped, the Cardinals (13-9) send right-hander Dustin May to the mound looking to even their three-game set with the Miami Marlins (11-12) at loanDepot park. First pitch is set for 5:40 p.m. CT.

On the surface, May’s 6.98 ERA doesn’t turn heads — but watch the games, not just the numbers. The 28-year-old right-hander has quietly begun to settle in, delivering back-to-back quality starts with six innings and one earned run against both Boston and Cleveland. He’s walked just four hitters while striking out 15 in 19⅓ innings, and more importantly, he’s starting to look like a pitcher finding his rhythm rather than searching for it.

That matters right now.

Because this is the stretch where rotations either stabilize… or start to wobble.

May will be opposed by Miami right-hander Chris Paddack (0-3, 5.59 ERA), who has had a tougher road out of the gate. Paddack has allowed four home runs in his first four starts and carries a 1.45 WHIP — numbers that suggest opportunity if the Cardinals stick to what’s been working: patience, pressure, and making pitchers work.

And that’s been the identity so far.

Even with Monday night’s 5-3 loss, St. Louis has shown an ability to win on the road (6-3) and manufacture offense in different ways. They don’t rely on one swing, one inning, or one player. They grind. They take walks. They force mistakes.

Old-school baseball still works.

The Cardinals rolled into Miami riding the momentum of a three-game sweep in Houston — outscoring the Astros 23-14 — before the Marlins slowed them down with timely hits and a bullpen that didn’t crack. That’s baseball. You tip your cap and come back the next day.

And that’s where this one sits.

For St. Louis, the path is pretty clear:
Get to Paddack early. Don’t let him settle in. Force Miami into its bullpen before the game reaches the late innings.

For Miami, it’s the opposite:
Stay close. Let May’s early-season inconsistency show up again. Hand it off late and squeeze it.

But the real story tonight isn’t just about the lineup or the standings.

It’s about Dustin May.

If what we’ve seen the last two outings is real — and not just a brief stretch — then this rotation starts to take shape in a very different way. A third straight strong outing doesn’t just even a series… it sends a message.

And for a club sitting right in the middle of the National League Central race, those messages matter.

The series wraps Wednesday afternoon before the Cardinals head home to Busch Stadium to open a weekend set against the Seattle Mariners.

A split keeps things steady.

A win tonight keeps the momentum alive.

And for a team that’s been playing clean, disciplined baseball most of April, this feels like one of those quiet tone-setters.

Not flashy.

Just important.

The Cardinal Chronicle in association with Gateway Sports