Cardinals Pass First Test Against Dodgers
The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals Pass First Test Against Dodgers
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The defending world champions came to Busch Stadium on Friday night, carrying a lineup that tests a young club.
Before the game, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol knew what was waiting.
“It’s a really good challenge for our young group,” Marmol told reporters.
At least for one night, the Cardinals did more than meet the challenge. They answered it with authority.
Jordan Walker went 4-for-4, drove in two runs and scored twice, Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson supplied the power, and Matthew Liberatore earned his first win of the season as the Cardinals beat the Dodgers, 7-2, for their fifth consecutive victory.
Walker became the first Cardinal with a four-hit game against the Dodgers since José Martínez in 2019, and his performance gave St. Louis exactly the kind of middle-of-the-order presence it needed against one of baseball's heavyweight clubs.
For a team that spent April trying to find itself, Friday night looked like another step toward becoming something more than just competitive.
At the plate, the Cardinals wasted no time jumping on Los Angeles.
Walker singled and scored in the first inning when Gorman launched a two-run homer to right, helping St. Louis build a 3-0 lead before the Dodgers could settle in. The Cardinals also took advantage of a throwing error and a balk in the inning, turning early pressure into an early cushion.
Burleson added to the lead in the third with a solo home run to right, pushing the Cardinals in front 4-1.
Walker kept coming. He singled again in the third, doubled in the fifth, and then put the game away in the seventh with a two-run double that highlighted a three-run inning. He later scored on a groundout by Nathan Church.
It was the kind of night that reminded everyone why the Cardinals have remained patient with Walker. When he is locked in, the ball comes off his bat with a different sound.
JJ Wetherholt went hitless in four at-bats, ending his six-game streak with at least one extra-base hit, but the Cardinals’ offense had enough depth to keep rolling without a big night from their rookie spark plug.
The win also moved the Cardinals into a positive season run differential. Through 32 games, St. Louis has scored 162 runs while allowing 160.
On the mound, Liberatore earned his first victory in his seventh start of the season, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He scattered five hits, walked two, and struck out four.
It was not always clean, but it was competitive, and against a lineup like the Dodgers, that matters.
His biggest moment came in the sixth inning, when Los Angeles loaded the bases and threatened to climb back into the game. Liberatore retired Kyle Tucker on a sacrifice fly, limiting the damage and keeping the Cardinals in control.
From there, the call to the pen, George Soriano, Gordon Graceffo, and Matt Svanson protected the lead.
The four Cardinals pitchers also combined to hold Shohei Ohtani hitless in five at-bats, no small feat against a hitter capable of changing a game with one swing.
The Cardinals hit two more home runs Friday night, giving them 43 through their first 32 games. That total ranks third in the National League, just two behind the Dodgers and Braves.
St. Louis has now homered in seven consecutive games and has hit at least one home run in 23 of its first 32 games. It is also the Cardinals' highest home run total through 32 games since they hit 44 in 2016.
For a club that entered the season with plenty of questions about offensive consistency, the power surge has become one of the more encouraging early-season developments.
Prior to the game, the Cardinals announced that Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in September after being selected by fan vote.
They will be joined by Bill Sherdel, a pitcher on the Cardinals’ first World Series championship team in 1926.
The induction ceremony will take place Sept. 12 before the Cardinals' game against the White Sox. This year's ceremony will be moved from Ballpark Village to Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals also made roster moves on Friday. With the club not needing a spot starter for at least a week, Hunter Dobbins was optioned to Memphis after Thursday's start. Left-hander Jared Shuster rejoined the Cardinals, and St. Louis opened a roster spot by designating Luis Peralta for assignment.
Coming up, Michael McGreevy will start Saturday night in the second game of the series against the Dodgers.
The game will be televised nationally on Fox.
The Cardinals have taken the opener. Now comes the next test, in front of a national audience.
The Cardinal Chronicle in association with Gateway Sports