Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Nootbaar And Matz Lead The Way To A Series Win

Starting point is 00:00:00 The St. Louis Cardinals take two of three from the Astros, thanks to two big days from two of the most injury riddle guys on the roster who are finally healthy. 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 Locked on Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day. You can follow me on Exitjadjani Sports Radio. You can also follow the podcast at L0.1 or square Cardinals. We're on YouTube. Make sure you like, subscribe, comment, hit that notification button so you know when the new shorts and when the new episodes are dropped each and every week.

Starting point is 00:00:45 Also available on TikTok and Instagram, Lockdown Cardinals. 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 GameTime, download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code Lockdown MLB. you're going to get $20 off your first purchase. All right, if you're on YouTube, you're seeing it. Taking this shirt 2-11.

Starting point is 00:01:06 That's right. The loud, ugly shirt is here. The Cardinals, victorious, over the Houston Astros on Wednesday. They ended up defeating the Astros by a score of 4 to 1. They take 2 out of 3 in the series. All is well in the world. Pretty good homestand for the good guys as they finish it up, 4 and 2.

Starting point is 00:01:27 And the St. Louis Cardinals, I want to focus on what happened in Wednesday's game mostly. Tuesday I don't even want to talk about. Shut out, 2 nothing. Not really a whole lot to go into that one. Sometimes the bats get silenced. That happens. But the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday,

Starting point is 00:01:44 and they were silenced for a while. Let's be honest, they were getting no hit there for a few endings. But the St. Louis Cardinals have been waiting for the real Lars Neut bar to please stand up, M&M style. And when you do find, stand up Lars New Bar. Don't get hurt when you do it.

Starting point is 00:02:02 Because the idea of Lars Newt Bar has always been a good one, right? Great arm, good speed, good defender. The stat cast numbers are always off the charts, lots of red, which is a good thing in case you've never been on baseball savon. Plus you've got that infectious attitude and energy, the smile, the tongue. Everything about Newt Bar you love. except his injuries, which is a big deal. That's been the problem with Lars Neupar over the years.

Starting point is 00:02:34 He always gets hurt. That's been the issue. A number of nagging injuries of Captain Newt's potential value limited because you just didn't see him out on the field enough. You would see hints of what he could be here and there. And you're like, oh my gosh, here he goes. And then something happens, right? And you're like, oh, man, now we got to start a little.

Starting point is 00:02:56 over again. And this offseason, I remember actually running a poll asking fans if Newt was good or overrated because I myself was a little bit conflicted. But the majority were feeling like I was feeling at the time where it's like, I feel like Newt's a little bit overrated because it has nothing to do with him as a player like that he's a bad player. It's just that you can only hear the, you know, he's so good if conversation so much before you kind of. chalk it up as a lost cause. You know, the last one that comes to mind for the Cardinals where it was a similar situation where, man, this guy's really, really good if he could stay healthy.

Starting point is 00:03:40 Was pitcher Alex Reyes, all the talent in the world, right? One of the highest rated right-handed pitchers in the minor leagues coming up. Huge prospect. And the injuries ruined him. We never saw a full season of a healthy Alex Reyes as a starting. pitcher. The one time that he was healthy for an entire season was he was an all-star, but he was a closer at the time, right? And then it just gone. He's out of baseball, never, never to be heard from again. We felt this way with Jack Flaherty. That was another one.

Starting point is 00:04:16 Jack Flaherty, so good, when healthy. And then he went through those years where like he just could not stay healthy. It was always something nagging. Couldn't keep him on the been healthy the last two years now that he's out of St. Louis and has looked really good in Detroit wins a ring with the Dodgers last year. He's back with Detroit now. You know, we wish we had had that healthy Jack Flaherty while he was in a Cardinals uniform more often and he may not have ever left. He might be in a Cardinals uniform to this day. But it's been the same with Newt. When he's out there, you love him. And so far this season, he's been out there day in, day out, at the top of the order, and it's been awesome.

Starting point is 00:04:58 New was one for three on Wednesday with the game changing three-run shot in the fifth inning that gave the Cardinals that three-to-one lead. Third home run of the season. You always love to have some threat of power at the top of your order if you can find it. So you love to get the pop right there. But he also did. It wasn't just that swing. He also did what he does better than anyone else on this roster, and that's take walks. Two more of those today. He's now walked 15 times on the season in 17 games.

Starting point is 00:05:31 That puts him second in all of Major League Baseball behind former Cardo, Marcel Ozuna, and Cubslugger Kyle Tucker. Now, these are different types of hitters, right? Ozuna, Tucker, you're talking middle of the order guys with tremendous power. So they're big power threat. So you can see why pitchers a little more careful with those. guys, which leads to walks. But with Newt, he's a lead off-pitter. He's the last guy that opposing pitchers are trying to walk and be careful around because he's right in front of the heart of the

Starting point is 00:06:02 Cardinals order. And yet he's so good. Like, he's so good. He takes such good at bats as such a great eye at the play. When ABS becomes a thing at the major league level, and it should, and it will, because we're seeing some horrendous games from some horrendous umpires. So, part this year. I'll just get all worked up if I go into that. So I don't want to do that. But like, we're going to see this coming. It's going to happen. It worked awfully well in the spring. I loved it. I know some purists hated. I'm sorry. The game has changed and these umpires, some of them just don't deserve to be back there anymore. And when they screw up calls over and over and over, it should be able to be fixed. And it can be. So when New starts tapping that helmet,

Starting point is 00:06:49 look out home plate off fires because his eye is so good and he earns these walks over and over and it's making such a difference for this offense as you saw today if you make a mistake he can also burden you with his power because he can hit it a long way to three run dinger today hit it out to dead center field 108.4 off the back 418 feet and this was on a curve ball guys a curveball. This wasn't him turning on like a 98 mile an hour fastball in the inside part of the plate and ripping it down the line. This is a curve ball. This is a Blanco curveball, one of the better curveballs in the game. Not a lot of people had success against that pitch. And he took it out to freeze landing in center field, a rocket. Now bet in 284. Nute's got an OVP of 422, 8th in the

Starting point is 00:07:42 National League, three home runs, 10 RBIs, 12 runs scored, a couple of stolen bases, just outstanding stuff from Lars New Park. Great to see him healthy. I hope it stays that way. I hope it lasts. Because he's already gone through one of those cold spells too, right? Remember he started off just like red hot to the season and then hit a little spell there where he wasn't getting on base much, wasn't walking, wasn't getting the hits, and now you're starting to see it turn around again. And he's getting hot again. out to Victor Scott the second in this game with the, thanks for picking it up button single.

Starting point is 00:08:18 It started this rally in the fifth inning. Esock for 80s, a little quick on the draw there, grab the ball before it looked like it was going to go foul, but hey, we'll take it. Then Thomas to Jacey, two for four in Wednesday's game with a big at bat right ahead of Newt Farr's home run where he had a seven pitch at bat,

Starting point is 00:08:35 fouls off four pitches before dumping the ball into right field to make it first and third before Newt's big swing. Cardinals just continue to be a pesky group at the plate. They've got to be one of the more annoying teams to face right now because they're working counts, they're fouling pitches off, they're not chasing much, they're taking walks when they can,

Starting point is 00:08:56 and they're just wearing down starting pitchers. Even when the starting pitchers seem to have a really good, you know, three, four innings like Blocko did today, they wear them down and then they strike. and they take advantage of them. And it's, it's been great. They just look so much more prepared this season. Like they look like they have a really good idea of what's coming at them this year,

Starting point is 00:09:22 where last year it looks like they were just flailing away, hoping to put the ball in play. Like it has been night and day what this team looks like now with the same, majority of the same guys compared to what they looked like last year. So credit to Brand Brown and the staff and to the players for this turnaround offensively. Now, pitching was on point in this series, and Stephen Mats was on the mound on Wednesday, making his first start of the year. And we're going to talk about how good he was next on Locked on Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:11:36 Price Fix, run your game. Thank you again for making Locktown Cardinals your first listen every daily. comments on YouTube as well as on X anytime you want. Your feedback is always welcome and encourage. And of course, we love it after a series victory or just, you know, one win in general because most of the comments are pretty good, pretty happy for the most part. Although lately, I'm noticing not as much negativity coming from the normal trolls who are out there. Most of them are kind of like, well, you know, it's not that bad, I guess. People are starting to buy in a little bit. And buying into something like Stephen Mats being your sixth guy in the rotation,

Starting point is 00:12:20 probably not an easy pill to swallow. When it was first announced that the Cardinals at some point would go to a six-man rotation, Stephen Mats was going to be in it. I think most people were like, oh, gosh, what are you guys doing? You're trying to reinvent the wheel. What is this? But Stephen Mats, dude was excellent in his first start of the season. And five innings, he allows just one run, which came in that first inning, two hits,

Starting point is 00:12:47 both of them came in the first inning, first two hitters. And then he struck out five without walking a hitter. He was excellent. He was excellent. And similar to the idea of, you know, of the idea of Lars Neupar, where, you know, you're starting to see what he can be because he's healthy. On the offensive side of things, the idea of Stephen Mats is also one of those dangling. carrots that's just like right in front that the cardinals keep grabbing at hoping to finally, you know, take a bite out of because more times than not, when Stephen Mats is fully healthy,

Starting point is 00:13:24 he's usually pretty good. Now, the problem has always been keeping him on the field. We've all had the frustrations with Stephen Mats. It's been frustrating for him. It's been frustrating for the team. You know, every spring, since he's been a Cardinal at least, it's kind of the same story, right? Like, I feel real good coming into spring training. We see him pitch pretty well. You're like, oh my gosh, here we go. He could be really good this year.

Starting point is 00:13:49 And then something happens. He gets hurt, comes back after his rehabbing, goes to the pen for a little bit. Eventually, they bring him back to the rotation because somebody in the rotation gets hurt. So he goes back there, then he gets hurt again, and then we start the cycle all over again. And you can't blame fans for being frustrated with that or being fed up with it like why do we keep this guy around he can never be on the field we're just throwing money away i get i get it i get it we understand that but so far i know it's only been three weeks but so far stephen mats has been very healthy and you're seeing it in his numbers i was listening to the radio

Starting point is 00:14:32 broadcast early on in this game on wednesday and ricky horton was talking about like just how fluid Stephen Matts and his windup and everything looks right now and how comfortable he looks on the mound and his health has a whole lot to do with that. And if you've ever been hurt, whether as an athlete or just in general with something in your life, whether it's a leg, it's an arm, it's a shoulder, your foot, whatever it may be. You know how coming back from an injury, first off, it takes time, right? And that you're always a little bit hesitant. You know, after you start to feel a little bit better, you're a little hesitant to use whatever part of your body it is that you hurt. You also tend to favor that part of your body, which leads to bad habits.

Starting point is 00:15:22 You know, if you've heard something in your leg before, you start using your other leg more, and then you start putting more weight on that one, and it starts to take its toll on that leg. Like, you know what I'm talking about, right? And this just induces more wear and tear on other areas of your body. and imagine getting hurt every like two and a half months and having to go through that over and over and over. That's essentially what happens to Stephen Matt's all the time. He's got to, you know, if he hurts his shoulder or he hurts something in his oblique or his rib cage or whatever it is or the knee or whatever, he's got to re-adjust everything, get back to you, you know, used to doing the things the way he used to do him. He's got to find his arm slot again.

Starting point is 00:16:04 He's got to get comfortable in the wind up again. it's not easy. So when Mads is healthy and not thinking about all these different injuries, he can go back to finding those good mechanics that made him a major league pitcher, which had made him a very good major league pitcher when he's healthy.

Starting point is 00:16:23 He just haven't seen it a whole lot, specifically, in a cardinal uniform. But you're seeing those results right now where he looks pretty darn good. The stuff has never been the issue. In the healthy years, you know, I'm not saying this guy that Stephen Matt's been, you know, an ace or something. I'm not saying that.

Starting point is 00:16:41 I'm saying, but you would be happy to have when he's healthy a Stephen Matt's type of pitcher as you're four or five in the rotation on just about any pitching staff in Major League Baseball when he's healthy. It just doesn't happen all that often. And they brought this up in the post game too. And I kind of, you know, a little light popped on the top of my head. I was like, oh, yeah. think about that where they were asking Ali about Matt's start and they brought it.

Starting point is 00:17:14 I think it was Katie Wu. I can only hear the voice. I couldn't see who it was. But I think it was Katie Wu from the athletic who brought up Matt's willingness to go to the bullpen to start the year. And Ali was like, yeah, you know, that's something that could have gone sideways real quick. It shows you how much of a team player this guy is. He could have put up a bus as a veteran going into the last year of his contract and refused to do that. You know, he's worth way more as a starter than a reliever.

Starting point is 00:17:42 But he did what the team needed him to do early on in the season. And he did a solid job as this long guy in the pen, five appearances, ERA 2.31. He got his first save of his career in those five appearances. But the Cardinals, as planned, this wasn't a shock when this all is starting to happen, is that they're going to go to this six-man rotation for the next stretch of games, where they have a very tough schedule. They're going to play seven straight on the road.

Starting point is 00:18:10 Then they get an off day on April the 24th. They're back home. They get three against the Brewers and then go back out on the road immediately for four in Cincinnati. Then they come back home for six against the Mets and Pirates before their next day off on May to 8th. So they're going to be playing 20 games in 22 days, 13 straight from April 25th through May the 7th. It's a grueling stretch. So the boys and their health will be tested for short. But to know that you got six capable starters.

Starting point is 00:18:42 I mean, all right, five and Miles Michaelis, although he didn't pitch that bad last time out. I'm trying to stay positive here, okay? But either way, you got six guys who are ready to take the ball. How about that? How about that? Six guys who are ready to take the ball. And as of right now, on April the 16th,

Starting point is 00:19:02 all six are healthy. And a few of them are pitching really, really well, which has been nice. A big shout out to the bullpen who gave up two hits in this game on Wednesday, four shutout innings in that series winning matchup against the Astros, the combo of Ryan Fernandez who's starting to look better. Kyle Leahy's looked good. Phil Mayton obviously has been good. Ryan Helsley closed it out since that disaster in Boston. Helsley has thrown three shutout innings.

Starting point is 00:19:29 He's picked up two saves. He's not getting the strikeouts, but he's getting the outs. He's putting up zeros. So as long as you get the job done, we don't care how you do it. Phil Maytown, though. By the way, his nickname is SpinRite. According to baseball reference, I feel like we can do better than that. Who's calling it?

Starting point is 00:19:46 Hey, spin rate. I don't like that. There's got to be something catchier. It's Spin Rate, right? But how big has this guy been so far? Ten games, he's appeared in. He's got nine and a third inning under his belt as a cardal now, has not allowed a single run, nor has he walked a single back.

Starting point is 00:20:07 matter yet this year. He's allowed four hits. He's got 11 punchies, four holds, he's got a save, to go along with those numbers. I mean, what a job he's done filling that hole that was left by Andrew Kittrich. We left in free agency to go to Baltimore, unfortunately dealing with an injury himself right now. But props to Moe, I know, and we don't like to do it too much, do we? But props to Mo and the boys on that one. If we're going to rip the bad stuff that he's, does you got to give him credit for the good ones and i'm sure people are going to say well probably hymn bloom picked them because that's just what the fan base is going to do right now because they're never going to be happy with mo but whoever made the decision that phil mayton was a good pickup

Starting point is 00:20:52 good for you kudos because it was it's working tallahe nine appearances so far had a really good spring and has continued that in the regular season has allowed two-word runs on three hits they give up the solo home run to yorda a lvarez on tuesday but i mean you're not going to hang your head because Yordaun Alvarez took a yard. He's one of the best hitters in baseball. He's got 13Ks, three walks, 11 and two-thirds innings. Opponents are hitting 81 against him. Let me scoot up to the mic for you on this way. 81. That's amazing. Added boy, Calahey. So good stuff from the bullpen today. Pitching overall this series. Excellent job, obviously. So even even though they lost.

Starting point is 00:21:38 on Tuesday, two to nothing. I mean, really? You're going to be upset about that? I don't think so. We've got some fun facts from today's game. We'll also take a look ahead because the boys are headed to New York to take on the Metropolitan's. We'll talk about it next on Locked on Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:23:51 new Locked on MLB game night every game every night all season long. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find MLB game night on Lockton MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. So some fun facts from Wednesday's game. Brennan Donovan, one of the top hitters in the league, one of the hottest hitters in the league by far. Extended his hitting streak to 12 with a single in the fifth inning. He's now batting 380, which is tops in the league. the National League and third in Major League Baseball. How many of you saw that coming? Brendan Donovan leading the National League in heading. Yeah, I didn't think so. The home run from

Starting point is 00:24:29 Newbar was the sixth three-run homer for the Cardinals in the first 18 games of the season. And if that seems like a lot, it's because it is. You know how many they hit last year? How many three run home runs. The Cardinals hit all season last year. How many do you think it was? 10. The answer is 10 total last year. All of last year. Ten. They got six already this year. They're tied with the Giants for the most three run home runs in Major League. The baseball, just big hits and big situations, something they were very much lacking last year. You know the story with runners in scoring position. I don't have to rehash that. The Cardinals go four and two on the homestan against the Phillies and Astros are now

Starting point is 00:25:21 eight and four at home on the season. Only the Padres and the Dodgers have more home wins so far this season than the Cardinals. Crowd was pretty good today. I mean, it's a day game. Considering it's a day game in the middle of the week, you know, you're not expecting huge crowds, but it was better. It was better today. I'm still hoping more fans begin to trickle in as, you know, the school year ends and the weather gets better. And of course, you've got the team playing pretty good. And I know they're nine and nine. It's not like this team is like taking off and they're running away at the division or something.

Starting point is 00:25:57 And it's like, oh my gosh, nine and nine, like on paper, you're like, nine and nine is 500. Like, why is that? That's not that good. It's not that good. But when you consider what most people's expectations were coming into this season, nine and nine is pretty good. And I'll tell you, in just honest opinion here, it's been a really fun brand of baseball to watch.

Starting point is 00:26:22 Outside of the Boston Red Sox series, which was a miserable experience to watch, outside of that, most of these games have been very close. They've always been in the games, it seems like. And with the offense going the way it's been going, you feel like they're not out of games, even if they fall behind by three or four runs.

Starting point is 00:26:42 You don't feel that way. You don't feel like the game is already over like it did last year. they play great defense, situational hitting. We saw bunting today, which is awesome. The old man and me loves that. You're seeing good pitching. You're seeing smart baseball for the most. Like it's just been a really fun brand of baseball.

Starting point is 00:27:04 And I, again, nine and nine, nothing to get overly crazy about. But it's been a lot of fun to watch it so far. And when you see them beat teams like the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, it raises your eyebrow a little bit because those are supposed to be two of the better teams in baseball. Off to New York. Speaking of better teams in baseball, off to New York, we go. We'll be facing the New York Mets next. I saw plenty of them in the spring, so you should be pretty familiar with a lot of the names and the faces over there with New York. The Mets just lost to the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings on Wednesday and lost two of three in that series.

Starting point is 00:27:43 and the Cardinals swept the twins. So they're still 11 and 7 on the year. They're very, very good. A lot of star power in New York, a lot of money in New York. But, you know, maybe they're catching them in a good time. If you're losing two or three to the twins, then got to be good news for the Cardinals, right?

Starting point is 00:28:02 Pete Alonzo, the polar bear, he's been on a tear. Do not get in this guy's way right now. 365 batting average, five dingers. He's got a league leading 21 RBI. far always been dangerous continues to be dangerous i was shocked at the lack of teams that were after him in free agency this past offseason i'm like what is it about pita lanzo that nobody likes like i don't get it i don't get it uh i always said i didn't think he was going to leave the mats it just seems like a perfect fit for him there and after they signed soda i'm like oh my gosh like wouldn't it be

Starting point is 00:28:39 nice to combo those two up and that's what they did they're able to bring bring Alonzo back. Speaking of Juan Soto, switching from the Yankees to the Mads, off to a slower start, considering his normal numbers. He's hitting 231. He's got three home runs, just seven RBIs. He's got 14 walks, though. He's got a very good eye. People pitch around him a lot, and you're seeing Pete Alonzo take advantage of that. Star shortstop, Francisco Lindor. He's hitting just 239, one home run, six RBI. So a bit of a slow start for him. Brandon Nemo, 203 average, but he's got four home runs and nine RBIs. Mark Vientos is the guy that's really been cold for them,

Starting point is 00:29:16 struggling a lot right now. He was a guy that burned the Cardinals last year, and, you know, hopefully he stays in the cooler while the Cardinals are in New York. The pitching staff for the Mets has been fantastic, though. Their team ERA of 2.38, that's Tops and Baseball. They also have 168 strikeouts,

Starting point is 00:29:35 which is the fifth most for a pitching staff, so a lot of swing and mess coming at you from the Mets. Griffin Canning will take them out on Thursday against D'Nrae, Palante. We know how good Palante's been, but Canning one-in-one. He's got a 4.20 ERA. I feel like he, like, just shredded the Cardinals in spring training. Again, not that spring training is something that you should dwell on, but I feel like there was, I feel like he made it start. It just was like burned right through our lineup. So we'll see how things pan out on Thursday. Friday, Miles Michael is against the lefty, Dave Peterson, who's one-on-one. He's got a 2.70 ERA. Saturday, Matthew Libert Soar gets the nod against ready, Cody Senga. And that, uh, that, thank, ghost forkball pitch that he's so famous for. He's two and one, the IRA, a microscopic 1.06. So far for Senga's very tough customer. Then on Sunday, you've got the undefeated Sunny Gray, 3 and O so far this year against right-handed Clay Holmes, another guy who made the switch from the Yankees to the Mets, but the Mets decided to make him a starter. He was a reliever

Starting point is 00:30:36 with the Yankees, former pirate, by the way. I don't know if anybody remembers that, but they moved him to the starting rotation this year, and he's been good. Two and one, three point six, XERA, 28 strikeouts at 19 and two-thirds innings over four starts. So I might see some pitchers duels this weekend in New York. Their closer, Edwin Diaz, three stays, but the ERAs bloated close to seven right now. So he hasn't been his dominant self so far this year. But, you know, coming into the series against the Phillies and against the Astros,

Starting point is 00:31:09 Not a lot of people We're giving the Cardinals a chance to win those And they took four of six I'm not afraid of the Mets I know they got a lot of big names over there But I'm not afraid of them And I don't think the Cardinals are either They've got a lot of confidence

Starting point is 00:31:27 For the Cardinals right now And it's fun to see It's been fun to see I hope the weather's good there I don't know what the weather's supposed to be in New York But I hope it's not cold and rainy Or crappy like that Because I'm ready for the warm weather

Starting point is 00:31:39 I really am. So thank you guys for making Locktown Cardinals for first listening every day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on X at Allo-Wunderscore Cardinals and a JD Sports Radio. We're on TikTok and Instagram at Locktown Cardinals. Make sure you like, subscribe on YouTube, 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 Locktown Cardinals.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Nootbaar And Matz Lead The Way To A Series Win

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