Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Cardinals Sweep Their 2nd Double Header Of The Week!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Michael McGruevy and some stellar defensive play saves the day for the Cardinals as they sweep their second double header of the week. Let's go. You are Locked-on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals. I'm J.D. Hafford and I am your host for Locktown Cardinals. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day. you can follow me on X at JD Sports Radio. You can follow the podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:37 And L.1 underscore Cardinals, we want to thank those of you who join us on YouTube. Make sure you stop by if you haven't already. Like, subscribe, and comment. Hit that notification button so you don't miss any new episodes. We're on TikTok and Instagram. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball, all of the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode brought to you by Monarch Money.

Starting point is 00:00:57 Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locks on MLB at Monarchumoney.com for 50% off your first year. All right. So first and foremost, happy Cinco de Mayo to everybody out there who celebrates. Get you, get you, I don't know, a margarita or something today. Enjoy some tacos or whatever it is you're going to do to celebrate a little tequila. That's cool. You know who could use some tequila?

Starting point is 00:01:26 St. Louis Blues fans right now. What a heartbreaker that was last night. against the Winnipeg Jets. Unbelievable. I was sick to my stomach watching that one last night. Brutal, brutal. But your St. Louis Cardinals actually did some good on Sunday. After a thrilling winning game one where what appeared to be a game well in hand became a sweaty, nerve-wracking victory, the Cardinals had a much tougher task at hand on paper in game two.

Starting point is 00:01:57 No longer would it be some rookie making their debut against them. Blayed Tedwell, but instead it was right-hander, Tyler McGill, who had been outstanding so far this season. I mean, to put it bluntly, I mean, the dude came into that game, three and two, 1.74 ERA, opponent's hitting just 198 against him. Guy had been shoving. So this was no slouch they were going up against it. And on the mound for the Cardinals, he had Andre Palante,

Starting point is 00:02:26 who, to put it, light leave, has been inconsistent, right? that that's saying it in a friendly way, right? Inconsistent. Seven shutout innings against the Phillies back on April 11th, which was great. That was followed by a start against the Mets where he went six innings, but a lot of four runs on seven hits, only struck out two. Then in Atlanta, it was a worst start where he only lasted four and a third four runs seven hits, only struck out one plus he had three walks. He was better in Cincinnati. Give him credit there. Quality start, he goes six sittings, the last three runs on six hits, fourth case, two walks.

Starting point is 00:03:00 He's allowed home runs in all but one start so far this season, six home runs total. So obviously there's room for improvement. And you were hoping to see that in game too. But again, Palante wasn't really that sharp in this one. Andre lasts just three in the third innings. He allows four runs on nine hits. He walks forward. He strikes out just one.

Starting point is 00:03:23 And the Mets clearly knew what was coming. Like they knew exactly what Andre Palante was about. He likes to keep the ball low. and he wants you to hit ground balls. And they were keying in on those low pitches, got some good swings, and let them up. Palante lives down in that zone with the sinker.

Starting point is 00:03:39 Normally, when things are going very well for Andre, those sinkers are getting driven into the ground right in front of home plate. And you see him getting a lot of ground balls. He induces 11 ground balls in this game. So he was getting them. But the Mets only had three swing and misses against them, which is a problem. They hit five fly balls.

Starting point is 00:03:58 They had four line drives. And again, three and third innings. You know, this is the fly balls and line drive totals are something you normally would see if it's in an Andre Palante start. That's over like six innings, not here. And what almost half the time, he was giving up what is normally a full games worth for him. So it was clearly not the best day for Andre Palante.

Starting point is 00:04:23 Clearly he was not going to go far in this one as long as this score was close. Now, things have gotten out of hand, they probably wouldn't let him keep going and stretched them out even further. But the Cardinals, they were competing in this one. They actually jump out to a lead in the second inning. Alex Berlinson connects on his first home run of the season, certainly a side for sore eyes. Burley hadn't homered in a regular season game since August 17th of last season. So 68 games and 224 bats without a home run, which is quite a drought considering that he's got pop, it is bad.

Starting point is 00:05:00 This is not a guy that is just, you know, a singles hitter who, you know, just relies on speed and stuff. No, Burley has got pop. And for whatever reason, just was not getting the ball over the wall. That's a long time. Recently he said he was starting to feel good like he was getting closer and there you go. He gets a hold of one, finally caught one to make it two to nothing good guys. Palante, though, would cough up the lead as the Mets plate four in the third.

Starting point is 00:05:26 five singles, five singles to make it four to two, but the Cardinals would answer right back with two more in the bottom half to tie it up. Newton Mason would get the walks. Nato gets that rare infield single because we all know how much speed Nolan Aronado has, right? You know, nobody's really signing him up for sprinting contests anytime soon, but he gets that rare infield single. And then the red hot Wilson Contreras singles up the middle.

Starting point is 00:05:53 Bang, we got a four to four ball game. We got a four to four game. But right away, the Mets would begin to threaten once again against Andre Palante to get a single. And then another walk, which brought up the always dangerous Juan Soto. And that's where this game would change. It would change in favor of the Cardinals. Thank you to Victor Scott, the second, who made a play that I'm sure had Jimmy Edmonds smiling somewhere. as salty as he may be against the Cardinals right now.

Starting point is 00:06:27 Somewhere Jimmy Edmund saw this, was watching live or saw the replay in a smile and ear to ear watching this one. And we've also got a brilliant performance from Michael McGreevy, the 27th man. He was on fire in this one. So we're going to get to all of that and how those two guys in that play in particular

Starting point is 00:06:46 led to this victory for the Cardinals. That's coming up next on Lockdown Cardinals. Ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go? Between dining out online shopping and entertainment, it's very, very easy to lose track of where your money is headed. That's where Monarch Money comes in to help you out. They're going to be your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. It's not just a budgeting app. Monarch Money is a complete financial command center where you can track all of your accounts, your investments, and spending and do it all in one place. so you can stop managing your money and actually start building wealth. And as convenient as it is to get things delivered, whether it's groceries,

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Starting point is 00:08:03 Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use the code locked on MLB at Monarch Money.com for 50% off your first year. That's Monarch Money.com code locked on MLB, L-O-E-D-O-N-M-L-B for half off your first year. Thanks again for making a lock on Carlos for first listen every day. Leave your comments on YouTube as well as on action. time you want the feedback is always welcome and encourage. A lot of positive things to say about the Cardinals in the comments section. The last, I don't know, a few hours after watching these two games against the Mets because there was a lot of good things going on, you know, despite Andre Palante struggling

Starting point is 00:08:46 in this one, this game is knotted up. It's four to four. And unfortunately, the Mets are set up to have a big inning, right? runners are out first and second. There's nobody out. Juan Soto is at the dish. And Andre Palante is hanging on by a very thin thread in this one. He is one big swing away from seeing this game get really out of control and just go off the rails.

Starting point is 00:09:16 Things are looking bleak, right? Here comes Soto. Two-one count. Palante throws a fastball up and in, tries to get one past him. And oh boy, Soto drives one to center field. And no lie, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I had no doubts that this thing was going to land halfway up for he's landing in center field. As soon as he hit it, the sound off the bat said, adios.

Starting point is 00:09:45 This one was not coming back. The way even Soto responded and reacted to after he hit it, it was like, all right, there it goes. But you then see Victor Scott. And it looks like he's got a beat on it, right? He's like he's going back on the ball. He's running back and he zeroes in on it. He has to turn his body to adjust to the flight pattern because he's going back looking over his shoulder,

Starting point is 00:10:13 going to his left and he has to kind of turn and go to his right instead. Leaps and holy crap makes the freaking catch. Rob's Juan Soto of a three-run shot. And we've seen Victor Scott come very, very close to grabbing a couple of these before. Like he looks like he's very close to grabbing a lot of these, but most of them just out of his reach and they land over the wall. Not this time. A massive play.

Starting point is 00:10:44 Because if that ball lands over that wall, the cartels are probably done, right? Let's just be honest about it. I don't want to be a Debbie down or anything, but that's going to put the Mets up. Seven to four. You would still have no. out and you'd be going uphill the rest of the game. The odds just wouldn't be in the Cardinals' favor. And I know that they come back from deficits.

Starting point is 00:11:06 I know, but odds are they're not against the Smet's pitching staff, which is arguably the best in baseball. But Victor Scott the second saves the day, keeps it tied, brilliant stuff. Nolan Aronado after the game even said, you know, this is coming from Mr. Platinum, Gold Glove winner over at third base, that that is like one of the best place he's ever seen a center fielder make. Like he, Adam Jones, he brought up, said he played with him who made a similar catch. He said that's the best player of center fielder has ever made.

Starting point is 00:11:42 That's huge words coming from somebody like Nolan Aranato, who's been in this league a long time, has seen a lot of baseball and has made some outstanding plays. He made a couple more in this game. one of them we'll talk about specifically in a little bit. But just you can't overstate it how big that play was. Runner on second ends up tagging up going to third base. Next hitter is Pete Alonzo. Andre Palante walks in, which part of me is like, okay, I don't care.

Starting point is 00:12:12 Because Alonzo is crushing the ball. He had a couple of doubles in that first game. So, so Ali finally comes out, pulls the trigger, pulls the plug, and calls upon the 27th man for the doubleheader, Michael McGreevy. All right. Now, some fans wanted to see McGreevy start the game in the first place. I saw a lot of that chatter online. But instead, the Cardos decided that they didn't want to alter their rotation,

Starting point is 00:12:35 which is probably the smart thing to do. But talk about throwing the guy into the fire, right? Basis loaded, one out. You got the cleanup hitter, Mark Viantos coming up at the plate. And reminiscent of his debut last year, Michael McGreevy comes in and just shuts the Mets down. He strikes out Viantos on three pitches, just dots low in the zone, beautiful stuff. And then Brandon M.O actually, you know, he rips one to right field.

Starting point is 00:13:04 Jordan Walker makes the catch, has to kind of make this sort of dive because he didn't see it very well. I don't know if he got stuck in some sort of the lights that might have been on the way. I don't know. He was having trouble seeing the ball, but ends up making the catch. innings over, McGreevy gets them out of it, and what a turning point this was for this game. It was huge. And it gave the Cardle's life because even though the game was tied, every part of you fell, every fiber in your body felt like that was going to be the end of it right there. It was going to one big play like that and, you know, a big hit by the bets.

Starting point is 00:13:42 And this game was shot and the Cardinals weren't going to come back. but the defense steps up, Victor's catch, Jordan's catch, McGreevy comes in and strikes out the intos, it was beautiful. And if that wasn't enough, if McGreevy, even if that had been all McGreevy had thrown, you'd been like, dude, beautiful. But instead he just goes out and throws five shutout innings. He just continues to be insanely good at the major league level. Five shutout innings allows just one head.

Starting point is 00:14:10 He walks one. He strikes out five. He was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. once again for the Cardinals and rescues them from burning through their bullpen in this game, which had to use four pitchers from the pen in game one to complete the victory because they used they used Leahy, they use Mayton, Romero, and Helsley to get the victory in the first game. So you're not going to, you know, warm them back up.

Starting point is 00:14:39 So you're like, oh gosh, now it's like, you know, the guys that aren't your best pitchers that are left to get you through game two. And instead, Michael McGreevy just shows up like a hero, sent from above and rescues them. He retires the last 10 hitters that he faced to pick up the win. And now at the major league level, his stats are just stupid. He's four-to with a 1.57 ERA. He's thrown just under 30 innings. He's held his opponents to a 168 batting average. He has struck out 23 hitters and walked just three. And what is so impressive about this is that you might be thinking, because every time you've seen him at the major league level,

Starting point is 00:15:22 he's been really, really good. You would think he would have similar numbers for the Memphis Redbirds. And he doesn't. Before getting added on Sunday, his record was three and one, but the ERA 4.08 in six starts. He'd only thrown over five innings once thus far. and in his last outing on April 27th, he lasted just three and two-thirds innings

Starting point is 00:15:47 that allowed three runs on four hits. He had walked three, struck out four. So it's not like McGreevy is just dominating down at AAA and that the Cardinals are just wasting him down there. No, he's had some struggles. Like his first start of the year wasn't very good. Has had a couple of good games. Don't get me wrong.

Starting point is 00:16:07 But what you see him do so far, the major league level is it's mind boggling because that's not the same guy you see in Memphis all the time. But for whatever reason, he continues to find success at the big league level, which is great. I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing it out that it's not like we've got this, you know, phenom down at AAA who is, you know, five and one and has like a two ERA. And it's not. That's not what he's been down there. But, you know, if when someone in this rotation goes down because an injury is more likely to happen than not, somebody will miss some time.

Starting point is 00:16:49 It always happens. McGreevy will be the first guy on the speed dial. He certainly earned it. And when you think about the future with Michael McGreevy and the Cardinals rotation, if the Cardinals don't hang around in the playoff hunt this year, you certainly could see the Cardinals shopping. Stephen Mats and Eric Fetty, they're likely going to get moved because they're coming to the end of their deals. Perhaps letting Grandma's Michaelis have a change of partner. Like, yeah, you know, I don't mind. They'll remove the no trade clause and be willing to get moved.

Starting point is 00:17:25 And those are some spots that the greedy could slide into. But like right now, it's just a full rotation. Everybody's healthy right now, which is great. Keep it that way. I don't want anybody to get hurt. But when I think of next season, I think of 2026, right now you would have Sunny Gray still. You would have Matthew Libertor, who's been awesome in the rotation. You would get McGreevy.

Starting point is 00:17:51 You'd still have Palante. Hopefully Quinn Matthews, who's been dealing with that shoulder soreness so far this year. Hopefully he's fine and ready to rock and roll in 2026. That would be kind of your top five in the rotation. Maybe guys like Teen Kent or Tocco Robi, who looked really good this spring or Gryphos, Roberts. There's a number of different names that could make a push for a spot in the rotation as well, but McGreevy's going to be back at some point. He's got to be back. All right. This is not a case of the Cardinals not trying to win. It is the fact that they have got guys on guaranteed deals that

Starting point is 00:18:26 need to be pitching as well. That's just the way it is. So and McGreevy apparently understands this. He understood the numbers crunch of the rotation and why he wasn't going to be. up in St. Louis to begin this year. But he'll be back. You watch. He'll be back. So after McGreevy settles things down and gets him out of that pickle, the Cardinals were able to push another run across in that sixth inning. Victor Scott comes up huge, two out double, scores Pozo, who had two hits and did a lot of running on the base pass in this game. We got to see him trucking around the bases a few times, which, you know, big guys running makes a lot of people smart, right? Pozo hitting 3.40.

Starting point is 00:19:08 since coming up for the injured, Ivan Herrera, who continues to rehab and is trying to get back from that bone bruise. Has had some soreness and stuff going on still. But it's okay. Like, just let's ride it out and just make sure he's 100% before you bring him back up. There's no need to push it. Nolan Arnado mentioned him earlier. Had a couple of more hits. He had four on the day in the double header.

Starting point is 00:19:32 Also made this brilliant basket catch and foul territory where he, He caught it and then went tumbling into the netting and landed on some fans, gave the baseball to the kid because Nato's a good guy. He's so good defensively. And the offense hasn't been what you wanted the last couple of years, but he seems to be turning things around once again. He had the big walk-off home run already this year. And defensively, though, he's been right there the whole time. Has it missed a beat. Mason Wynn had to come out of the second game.

Starting point is 00:20:07 after spraining his left ankle during the Nolan Aronado infield single. He was trying to avoid the third baseman on the play and stay on the bag. He just kind of turned his ankle. We'll see how severe that turns out to be. I'm somebody who has rolled their ankle a million times, and it's never fun, the swelling, the stiffness, sticks around for a few days. So we'll see how bad it is by what we see for tonight's lineup against the pirates.

Starting point is 00:20:35 Because if he's okay, he'll be in there. If not, he needs a day or two. You got Jose Barrero. You got Jose Barrero, who came in after Mason went left, started at shortstop in that first game. So there is somebody there. You don't have to bring in Britt and Donovan. But it might happen.

Starting point is 00:20:53 We'll see what happens. You know, they do have a righty on the mound tonight. The Cardinals win this one by a score five to four. They sweep the doubleheader. They win the series over the Mets. They've now defeated the Mets, the Phillies, the Brewers, the Twins. and the Astros in their series at Bush Stadium. The only series they've lost at Bush so far this year was against the Angels,

Starting point is 00:21:15 and they should have won that series. Like when you go back and look at it, how they lost those two games, like they should have won those, right? Home record is now 12 and 6. The only teams with more wins in the league at home are the Dodgers, who are 15 and 3. The Padres are 14 and 4. The Mets are 13 and 3, and then the Phillies at 13 and 6.

Starting point is 00:21:36 that's it. Those are the only people who have more home wins. The boys are playing fun and exciting baseball at Bush Stadium. If they could somehow take that onto the road with them, they might be on to something, but that 413 road record is obviously a glaring, ugly spot on the sheet right now, which has them at 16 to 19 overall, three games under 500. They're five back in the division of the Chicago Cubs who continue to just play excellent baseball. We're going to preview their series because the pirates are in town next. We'll talk about that coming up next on Locked on Cardinals. Scaling your business requires the right expertise at the right time. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more. Experts ready to

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Starting point is 00:23:35 and check out the all-new lockdown MLB game nine, every game, every night all season long, get local analysis on a national scale. MLB Game Night on Locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast. Once again, I am one of the hosts of MLB Game Night. So if you want to come out and check it out and support, I would appreciate that. We would love to have you. The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently 12 and 23 on the year, which is the second worst record in the National League, third worst record in baseball.

Starting point is 00:24:05 They just got swept at home by the San Diego Padres. They've lost four in a row, eight of their last 10. They're not in a good spot. and out. They're just not. This right here is a prime situation for the Cardinals to add a couple of wins and bury Pittsburgh even further in the NL Central. This is a situation that the Cardinals need to take advantage of. They've got to. When you go and you play inferior teams, and that's what the Pittsburgh Pirates are compared to what the Cardinals not only do at home, but just in general. Look at the rosters.

Starting point is 00:24:47 The Cardinals have a better team. Sure, a couple of the names on the Pirates roster pop off the screen at you, like Paul Skeet. But the rest of them do not. And they're not doing very well right now. They're in a bad spot. Take advantage. The Pirates did take two or three from the Cardinals earlier this year when they beat Matthew Libertor in his first start.

Starting point is 00:25:06 They lost a sunny gray with Paul Skeins on the mound. Remember, Cardinals beat him again, scored five against him. And then you had that ridiculous 13 inning game where the Pirates outlasted the Cardinals and ended up winning that one, two to one. I still have a hard time believing that the Cardinals lost that game. Eric Fetty was brilliant, six no-hit innings. You had the stupid base running going on. It was just a mess.

Starting point is 00:25:32 Should have won that one, too. Cardinals would love to get a payback in this series, if at all possible. Monday's pitching matchup. He got Miles Michaelis against the guy who beat the Cardinals in that first game. Carmen Maginsky is not spelled that way, but it's pronounced Magensky. That has been his only win of the season so far. He is 1 in 3, the IRA 6.58. Hopefully the Cardinals learned a thing or two after seeing him that first time around.

Starting point is 00:26:00 Meanwhile, Michaelis has pitched extremely well in his last couple of outings. hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts. And since that debacle in Boston, he's allowed just five earned runs over 21 innings since an ERA of 2.14. He did not pitch against Pittsburgh in their previous series. Am I telling you to believe in Miles Michaelis? No, I'm not telling you that, but I am telling you that he has been a hell of a lot better. And the numbers are obviously inflated by what happened in that massacre in Boston. But he has been really, really good. then. So I hope the trend continues. Rest of the series, you've got Skeens against Libertor on Tuesday. That's a pretty sexy

Starting point is 00:26:40 matchup. Then it's Mitch Keller and Sunny Gray on Wednesday. Keller was the one who was pitch to pitch with Eric Fetty in that 13 inning game. Obviously, he's a very good pitcher. So, you know, that should be a good duel as well on Wednesday. It's a day game. Pirates offense, this is where the Cardinals got to take advantage. The Pirates offense as the second worst batting average in the National League, they're also second to last in the NL in runs score. Their offense is bad. They're last in home runs.

Starting point is 00:27:09 They don't hit home runs. What you have to be careful of is you do not want to give these guys free passes because when they get on base, they're going to run because they can't do anything else. So they take advantage of the speed that they have in their lineup, their third of the National League in stolen bases. Do not walk these guys. Make them hit to get on base. that is my key to a victory in this series.

Starting point is 00:27:38 No free passes. Because when they get on, they're going to run, and they're going to turn walks into doubles, and then stupid crap is going to get the run in. You know how it is. There's going to be dumb infield singles. There's going to be bloops, and eventually those walks are going to come around and score.

Starting point is 00:27:56 That's the only way the pirates should be able to beat the Cardinals in this series. Okay? Because the Cardinals are a much better option. offense. They're playing good defense. And right now they've got some good pitching going on. Got to make sure the bullpen can handle it. You know, game one was very, very sweaty. You're not going to have Michael McGreevy to throw five innings again for the bullpen in this series. So let's keep the Pirates bats cold, no free passes, and keep the good vibes flowing. You know, that's what we need to do. I don't want to hear about any cannonball crap.

Starting point is 00:28:31 I don't want to hear about Jolly Rogers waving. I don't want to hear any of that. Cardinals need to take care of business. They need to get at least two of three. Obviously, a sweep would be preferable. But I'm not trying to get too greedy. Not trying to get too greedy. So any of that's what's happening with this series.

Starting point is 00:28:48 Thanks for making a lockdown cardinals. Your first listen every day, if you haven't already. Give us follow on exit, L.O. underscore Cardinals in JD Sports Radio, TikTok, and Instagram and Lockdown Cardinals. Like, subscribe on YouTube and help our channel. and our love for the Cardinals grow. You guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason, and we will see you next time on Locked on Cardinals.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Cardinals Sweep Their 2nd Double Header Of The Week!

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