Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Walk The Plank! Cardinals Sweep Paul Skenes And The Pirates

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

- Sonny Gray Dominates On Wednesday - Victor Scott II Is A Weapon - Luken Baker - Jordan Walker - Chris Roycroft - Matthew Liberatore - Paul Skenes Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 ...https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-st-louis-cardinals/ Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/ Follow on Twitter/X: @JDSPORTSRADIO Follow the show on Twitter/X: @LO_Cardinals Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required. Wonderful Pistachios Get snackin' and get crackin' with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more! Upwork Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more—experts ready to help you take your business to the next level. Supply House Join the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com! Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) #ForTheLou #stlcards #mlb #lockedoncardinals #stlouiscardinals Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Sunny Gray was dominant and the Cardinals take care of business by sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates. Walk the plank, you scallywax. 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'm your host for Lockdown Cardinals. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day. You can follow me on acts of JD Sports Radio, the podcast, available as well,
Starting point is 00:00:34 at L0 underscore Cardinals. We're on YouTube. Make sure you like, subscribe, and comment. Hit that notification button so you don't miss out on anything. You can find us on TikTok and Instagram as well. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball, all of the info about the birds on the bat. The ugly shirt is engaged.
Starting point is 00:00:52 The vibes are good. And the St. Louis Cardinals did exactly what they needed to do in their three game series against the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates. I wanted two wins. They said, F it will give you three. Let's grab the brooms. And they sweep these suckers out of town as the Cardinals take three straight over the pirates after shutting them out on Wednesday by a score of five to nothing. Sunny Gray was the big story in this one.
Starting point is 00:01:19 He was brilliant. He fires off seven shutout innings. He allows just two hits. He strikes out eight. He does all of it on 89 pitches. He walks just one. And similar to what we saw for Matthew Libertour on Tuesday night. it was all about attacking the zone, throwing strikes, forcing the pirates to beat you,
Starting point is 00:01:40 not the other way around. And it worked beautifully for Sunny and the Cardinals. Sunny moves to four and one on the season. The ERA drops to 3.50. The four wins, I know it doesn't sound like it's a whole lot right now, but the four wins ties him for third most among all major league pitchers. Only four pitchers in the NL have five wins. One of them is relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals. He's got a ERA over seven but yet has five wins. Weird, right? But Sunny is right there among the best starters in the game. I know his last outing against the Mets. It wasn't great. We know that, but the Mets are a really good team. Second most wins in baseball. All right? So the Mets are going to
Starting point is 00:02:22 do things against really good pitchers. He had the hiccup against the Angels where he was just absolutely dealing before the bad inning and the ill-fated grand slam. He gave up, probably stayed in the game a little too long. And I'm sure that Ali and Sunny have learned from that. But other than those games, he's been really, really good. Credit to Calahey. He comes into this game in the eighth inning. Feels like he made, what, his 50th appearance of the season already this year.
Starting point is 00:02:51 But in real life, it's actually his 18th, which is still a lot. He's tied for the second most of Major League baseball. Got his ninth hold of the year, which is tied for the third most. Is ERA? is down to 1.21. Opponents are hitting 97 against him, and this is after he actually gave up two singles in the eighth inning, which for a moment there, I was like, oh, boy, oh boy,
Starting point is 00:03:15 I was like, don't, no, no, no, no, no, no. We don't need drama. We don't need drama, Kyle. Just go out and do your thing, and he was able to work out of it. So no harm, no foul. You would love to give Leahy some more rest, because you don't want to burn him out so early in the season where he doesn't have any juice left for the end of the year.
Starting point is 00:03:36 They got a day off on Thursday, which is great. But also remember at the time, in this game, it was three to nothing. So the game, it was still in the balance. We had no idea what the outcome of this game was going to be. You felt good about what the Cardinals had done, but you didn't know. So Ali was like, look, I got to go to the guys that I trust. So Calah, he came in, ends up throwing a shutout inning. Cardinals were able to tack on two more in the bottom of the eighth inning,
Starting point is 00:04:04 thanks to Jordan Walker. We'll get to do that a little bit later. So good news here, Ryan Housley, who started to warm up and was playing catch, he got to sit back down and instead they go to Chris Roycroft. They pointed out on the telecast, if you missed it, that they were like, look at the arm slot for Chris Roycroft. Doesn't it seem a little bit lower than where he was earlier in the season? And, you know, Chip and Brad had a nice discuss.
Starting point is 00:04:31 about, you know, that he wasn't really an over-the-top kind of pitcher before this, but that, you know, he does look a little bit lower. He looks like he's more in line with the shoulder and stuff. And as a former pitcher, I understand that what that's going to do movement-wise with your pitches. You know, you come straight over the top with a four-seamer, and that thing's going to come in normally pretty, pretty straight, pretty easily to hit, right? But when you're coming down here, you're going to get some action, you know, especially if you're messing around with the seams of the baseball, you're going to get some action.
Starting point is 00:05:03 I used to throw, I didn't got a baseball here that I got from the last series against the Cardinals and the reds. But I used to throw a two seamer, and I would, like, I was a three-fourth type of pitcher, was always that way because I was an infielder and a pitcher. So I was just used to throwing it from that particular slot. And when I went two seams, that ball just would take off. Like, it was really tough to control. but you've got Chris Roycroft who throws that sinker and being lower with the arm slide. That's going to help out the movement on that sinker ball so much. And you can see in this game, that sucker was taken off.
Starting point is 00:05:42 Roycroft, a huge man, six, what, six seven, six seven, really long arms. So he could become a right-handed hitter's nightmare with a lower arm slide, able to control it and throw it for strikes when he needs to. But the idea is to get people to chase and make him. a very uncomfortable and bad for any sort of right-handed hitter that he's going to face. But he's able to come in, shuts it down in the ninth inning, and the Cardinals take this one by a score of five to nothing. Another big aspect on the offensive side about this game was the speed of Victor Scott.
Starting point is 00:06:16 And it made a huge difference once again in this game. So we're going to get into that and discuss it next. Coming up on Locked on Cardinals. Looking for a snack that's both delicious and nutritious, then crack into a good source of protein, with wonderful pistachios. Wonderful pistachios is one of the highest protein nuts that you can get. Each one ounce serving has six grams of protein,
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Starting point is 00:07:52 Anytime you want, your feedback is always welcome and encouraged a lot of happy Cardinal fans right now. As they take three straight from the Pittsburgh Pirates, they've won five in a row. So people are pretty happy with what they're seeing right now. Now, fans were really happy back in the 80s. And one of the great things about the white e-ball era teams in those 80s was the speed that those guys possessed. It was relentless.
Starting point is 00:08:20 You had Vince Coleman. You had Ozzie Smith. You had Willie McGee. You had Lonnie Smith. You had Tommy Hur. There were other guys, too. But when these people got on the base paths, they were making things happen. Whether it was stealing bases, which.
Starting point is 00:08:37 They did a lot of, or just the ability to utilize the speed that they have to create runs when normal teams couldn't do it. The Cardinals haven't really had a guy like that in quite a while with just upper echelon elite speed that could run with anybody in the league. Someone who can change the outcome of a play, which could in turn change the outcome of a game and do it with their legs. but they got someone to do that now when Victor Scott the second. The wheels that he possesses is top tier. Nobody faster, really. He may not be the fastest guy in the game, but he's right there if he's not.
Starting point is 00:09:23 I'll have to look at the stack cast up and see exactly where he's ranking right now. But if he ain't first, he's right behind that person, right? And we knew it when, when he started on the roster last year that get him on base and there was excitement, right? Because you were like, let's see him run. Let's see him run. The problem was you can't use the speed unless you're good on first base.
Starting point is 00:09:48 And that's where the problem was last year. He was having trouble getting on first at all. Things are night and day for Victor this season. He was one for two in Wednesday's game. He had a walk, two runs scored. He's now batting 289 on the season. which is the, which is second on the club behind only Brendan and Donovan. He's got an OPP of 359, third on the team behind Donnie and nude.
Starting point is 00:10:16 He's got six doubles, a triple, two home runs, team leading 11 stolen bases, just got thrown out by the Pirates for the first time in this series, had not been thrown out yet this season. Those 11 stolen bases put him in fourth place among all base Steelers in Major League baseball. He is becoming the weapon we all envisioned. He would after his breakout year in 2023. If you remember, that season is when Victor Scott was put on the map, when people were aware of who he was. Bad at 303 and had 94 steals and 123 games at Peoria and Springfield. And just for fun, he added 18 more in 23 games during the Arizona Fall League. He was just
Starting point is 00:10:58 showing off by that point. And that speed was a difference maker. in the game on Wednesday. It was huge. He did it not once but twice, scored from first base. That does not happen very often. And definitely not at Bush Stadium. Maybe some of these other ballparks,
Starting point is 00:11:21 but they've got some weird crevices or something in the outfield or like Coorsfield where, you know, it just grass for days out there in the outfield. First setting this happened was in the third inning. And he's running on the play. gets a head start running on the play, scores on a base hit to right center field by Lars Neupar, who had three hits on the day, which was nice to see. And there are only about a handful of guys who could have scored on this particular base hit. It didn't go to the wall. It was just in the
Starting point is 00:11:53 right center field gap. Didn't make it to the wall. And as much as we give Cardinals third base coach Pop Warner a hard time because of some of the sins that he has had this year to home plate, This one right here was beautiful. It was a beaut. He was aggressive. He knew the pirates. We're going to have to field everything perfectly. They would have to do it all cleanly and make a perfect throw to have a chance to get Victor Scott at home played.
Starting point is 00:12:22 And it paid off when Vic was able to slide in, just beating the tag, to make it one to nothing. They might have caught the relay team off guard there where they were like, wait, what? He's trying to come around and score. What the hell is this? And by then it's too late because Victor is too fast. Mason win would double to score new. That made it two to nothing. And this one and the birds were off and running.
Starting point is 00:12:47 A couple of thatings later, they do it again. This time, Vic was not running on the play. He just took off from first base after the ball was hit. Mason Wynn rips a double down the line in left field. It kisses off that side wall, that corner that comes out on both sides by the foul lines. And it goes back towards play. and Vic just never slows down, full stride. Pop Warner, let's go.
Starting point is 00:13:13 Makes it home easily. There wasn't even a play. Scored from first base on that, making it three to nothing. The guy can fly. And you got to see it on display twice in this game, situations where normal human beings are stopping at third for sure.
Starting point is 00:13:31 They're not even sniffing home plate. And Victor did it twice. Shout out to Luke and Baker. and Jordan Walker, who helped tack on some much needed insurance runs in the eighth inning. Lukan hasn't seen a lot of playing time recently. He's been used sparingly because they've been facing a lot of right-handed pitchers. That's really all there is to it. If there's a situation that, you know, a lefty does come in,
Starting point is 00:13:57 Ali hasn't been switching them out. He's been keeping the same guys in. And so Lucan Baker hasn't been able to get a lot of played appearances. but after Brendan Donovan gets his single in the eighth inning, Contrera strikes out. But Lucan Baker pinch hits for Alec Berluson, hits a broken bad double to make it second and third with one out. Nolan Gorman whiffs looked terrible and that at bat against the lefty. It was just like, oh, gosh, you're not even going to come close to this one, are you? And that brought up Jordan Walker.
Starting point is 00:14:29 And it's no secret that Jordan has been having a tough time. All right. He's hitting 123 since like April 13th with only three RBIs is 20 strikeouts and 61 plate appearances. It's been a rough go. It's been a rough go. And I've seen a lot of people who are like, get him out of here.
Starting point is 00:14:49 He sucks. I'm like, guys, guys, you know how long this season is? Do you? Like they're not going to pull the plug on this thing. They're going to let him try to figure it out, which is what they need to be doing. You guys can't just keep yanking these dudes off the field and expect them to ever become the player that you want them to be.
Starting point is 00:15:13 The pirates bring in a right-hander, Colin Holderman, who has got some filthy stuff. I think he hit 101 today. It's got some filthy stuff. Don't let the numbers on the back of his baseball card fool you. He's got some good stuff. And Jordan Walker has a solid at bat and is able to knock a base at a football.
Starting point is 00:15:34 the middle. It's a single, plates two, makes it five to nothing, which also not only does, it gives you some more runs, but it also allows the Cardinals to sit Helsley down. They didn't need them anymore. Not a closing situation, no imminent danger of giving up the lead. So Ryan Halsley doesn't have to come into this game. You get to save him. And instead, Chris Roycroft was able to pitch instead. And he was good. Got to get some action in there. You got to see him do his thing in the ninth inning. It was nice. And I'm just hoping that this is a big confidence boost for Jordan Walker because both him and Nolan Gorman, guys that this team and this organization is going ride or die with this year. Both of them need confidence. It has been a real struggle for both of
Starting point is 00:16:22 them. Everybody knows it. They know it. Trust me. It's not unnoticed that they're having a tough time. But they're going to let these guys try and figure it out. They think. think enough of them that they need, they need to figure it out. These guys need to be guys that they can count on in the future, that they want to count on in the future. These are former first round picks. They can't just blow them off and say, well, we're moving on. They're not going to do it.
Starting point is 00:16:50 They're not going to do it. And I'm glad they're sticking to their guns, that they're not benching them all the time. But I'm hoping it's a confidence boost that has been brought up where like, why isn't Jordan Walker in the lineup recently? apparently like Katie Wu tweeted about this, that he's been working diligently with hitting coordinator, Bram Brown, to try to figure things out. You've noticed that he's started to open up his stance a little bit more again.
Starting point is 00:17:16 I actually was texting with Thomas Covey from Redmond Brants.com about this yesterday. Was it like, was it like this? Because remember he closed it off at the beginning of the year? Now he's back to opening things up again. They're trying. They're tinkering. They're trying to figure things out. They're working on it.
Starting point is 00:17:31 but it's going to take time. And they're trying to get him back to being the guy who can, you know, do some serious damage for this team from the right side of the plate. That's what they're looking for. Cardinals put up five runs and 11 hits in this game. New goes three for four over the run in an RBI. Had hit a little bit of a downturn there for a little bit. Hopefully he's heating up again.
Starting point is 00:17:51 Mason went two for four with two RBI's. He looks great. Batting second in this lineup seems to be thriving and loving it. No one Aranata was a late scratch in this. this game due to back spasm. So Gorman got the start at third. I mentioned kind of the ugly strike out there in the eighth. Anybody was one for three also had a walk. Contreras and Burley were the only starters held without a hit in this one. And it's nice that you don't have to rely on Wilson Contreras every single game or Brendan Donovan every single game to do all of the
Starting point is 00:18:20 damage. You know, it was other people in this lineup that they were able to get to hired starter Mitch Keller, who's a very good pitcher. So a strong, for the offense. Before we wrap it up, I do want to talk about Tuesday night's game, Matthew Libertor start when he and the Cardinals took down Paul Skeens again. We got to talk about it. We can't just gloss over that and not talk about it. So we'll get into that next coming up on Lockstone Cardinals. Get the supplies you need from the site made for the skilled trades, supply house, whether you're in plumbing, whether it's HVAC, electrical work, Supply house is the reliable way to order products online.
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Starting point is 00:19:56 HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. that's supplyhouse.com. Thank you again for making Lockedown Cardinals your first listen today for your second listen. Check out the all new Locked on MLB Game Night. If you haven't done that already, every game, every night all season long, get local analysis on the national scale. You can find MLB Game Night on Locked on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast.
Starting point is 00:20:29 As I've mentioned before, I am one of the hosts of MLB Game Night. So I stay up late with you guys for our West Coast people out there. We stay up late. We get them all in. So stay up with me and be sure to check it out because we do have a good time on that show. So with the day game that followed the night game on Tuesday, we didn't get a chance to talk about that pitcher's duel that we saw on Tuesday night at Bush Stadium. And I admit I prefer games that have a little more action.
Starting point is 00:20:58 I like a few more runs. I don't need them to be, you know, coarse field type games where it's, you know, 9, 8, 10, 9, 11, 10, stuff like that. It doesn't have to be like that, but I like a little bit of action. I like a good four, three, five, four ball game. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate what we saw on Tuesday night when Matthew Libertore, absolutely outduled God's gift to pitching Paul Skeens. And I'm sure the national narrative will be, oh no, what's wrong with Paul Skeens?
Starting point is 00:21:31 Because he's their golden boy. And deservedly so. I'm not saying he's not good. the dude's outstanding. And he was really good on Tuesday night. They were showing his pitch arsenal before the game. And I was like, oh my gosh, dude throws like 20 different pitches. Seemed like he threw everything except a knuckleball, which I'm sure he's working on.
Starting point is 00:21:54 And then he comes at you comfortably with, you know, 98, 99, 100. Like, it just comes in easy and smooth. That's why he was the number one overall pick. The dude is really, really good, right? And against almost every team, he's almost been unbeatable. But there's one team. There is one team that has his number. And that is your St. Louis Cardinals.
Starting point is 00:22:19 That's right. They didn't light him up or anything. They scored five runs against him in the game earlier this season, which was the most at the time that Paul Steins had ever given up. It might still be. I don't know. I don't follow his every move. But they didn't light him up in this one.
Starting point is 00:22:36 they normally don't, but they figure out a way to win. Two runs on four hits. I think was what the final count was on Tuesday night, but enough to get the W because on the other side was Matthew Libertor. Right there with him, pitch for pitch, and eventually outlasted him. Libby threw on Tuesday night as well as I've seen him throw as a starter. And he's had some really good games. I remember the game against Tampa Bay vividly of how good he looked in that one.
Starting point is 00:23:06 And I know the pirates aren't murderers row. You know, I get it. They're one of the worst hitting teams in the league right now. But it's still a major league lineup. You've still got notable guys like O'Neill Cruz and Brian Reynolds and Andrew McCutcheon and Key Bryant Hayes. I mean, it's not like their absolute trash. Those are some good players. I would like to see those players on my team.
Starting point is 00:23:29 And Libby was up for the task, man. He goes seven innings, allows one run on just three hits and tights. a career high with eight strikeouts. That's back-to-back games that the Cardinals got, their starters to throw seven innings. Pretty good. Pretty good in this day and age. But Libby was outstanding. He was aggressive in the zone.
Starting point is 00:23:49 99 pitches to get through seven innings. Sunny Gray did 89 on Wednesday, 99 for Libby. 70 of them were strikes. He walks one guy. He just attacked, attacked, attacked. And that's exactly what you have to do against. against a team who was offensively challenged like the Pirates have been. You don't screw around and nibble around the zone.
Starting point is 00:24:14 Hope when you get calls, you don't pitch around dudes and risk walking them. You come right at them and you make them beat you. Both Libby and Sunny Gray did that in their two starts. And since the game in Pittsburgh, when Libby gave up, it was five run runs in that one, Libby has an ERA of 1.88. I know we had that rain short and start in Cincinnati, which was a bummer. I was excited to see him pitch live.
Starting point is 00:24:46 So that pissed me off, honestly. It didn't work out. But since that game in Pittsburgh, including the rain short and one in Cincinnati, 1.88 ERA. He's allowed just six earned runs over five starts, covering 28 and two-thirds innings. He has struck out 27.
Starting point is 00:25:06 He's walked just six and has given up only one home run. He's now three and three on the year. The ERA is down to 3.07. The whip is under one at 0.951. Moving in from the bullpen to the rotation, as much as you can look at it, a negative side of it where it took a weapon away from the bullpen, it has worked out beautifully for this team
Starting point is 00:25:34 for this franchise. I was more than happy to see him, you know, coming into the season. I was more than happy to see him locked in as that back of the end rotation guy, late inning lefty. And if that was his ceiling, I was okay with it. Because you need those type of guys. Those guys are important. But the Cardinals saw him as a starter. Libby believed in himself as a starter. When you heard him getting interviewed at spring training, he's like, well, I prepare as a starter. You know, I believe myself to be a starter. He never wavered from that, but he's like, I'll do whatever they need me to do or want me to do. It was a bold move to pull him from the pen and stick him in the rotation, especially knowing that you had Michael McGreevy there that
Starting point is 00:26:24 could have taken over a rotation spot, which most of us thought was going to happen. But instead, they make this move and it's worked out big time. And not to think too much into the future, but when you think about next season, a possible rotation of Sunny Gray, Matthew Libertor, Michael McGreevy, Andre Palante, and Quinn Matthews, that doesn't sound too shabby, right?
Starting point is 00:26:50 And you'll still have other guys who are going to compete for spots, guys like Tchaoerobe, teen kens. I mean, obviously, injuries have been a thing for hints, and Roby and Quinn Matthews this year. But you're hoping everything will work out and they'll be ready to rock and roll next year when the season starts. But there's guys that are going to be competing for spots as well.
Starting point is 00:27:12 Quick shout out to Stephen Matts and Gordon Grispo for their appearances on Tuesday night. Recefo gets his first save of his young career, which was awesome. It was funny that Victor's got through the ball. The game ball after it was over, threw it into the stands. Like, you know, normal outfielder would, not realizing, oh my gosh.
Starting point is 00:27:30 Gordon Grispo's first save is a major leaguer. Can we get that back? So cool on the fan, whoever it was, threw it back into him. And I'm sure he got taken care of later. But yeah, beautifully pitched game. Well earned two to one victory. Paul Skeen falls to 0 and 4 in his career against the Cardinals. He's got a career record of 14 and 7.
Starting point is 00:27:53 And four of those seven losses are against the Cardinals. Still hasn't beaten him. O for five. That's amazing. And no matter how long this dude's in Pittsburgh, I'm glad the Cardinals already in his career, kind of in the dude's head a little bit. There's no way he's not thinking about it, right? He's probably also thinking about Al Burleson, who has had his number so far. Burley is six for 15 against Skeens with a 400 batting average,
Starting point is 00:28:17 had that big two-run double in the sixth inning. That was all the offense the boys could muster, but all they needed in the end, biscuits and the Cardinals are Skeens' daddy. until further notice. Cardinals sweep the series. They got a five and one homestand. Great stuff. They moved to 15 and 6 at home, tied with the Dodgers for the most home wins in Major League Baseball.
Starting point is 00:28:40 They finally get back to the 500 mark on the season. And since April 22nd, they're 10 and 5. Top record in the National League over that period. Can they continue? That's the question. Can they continue this play, not only at home, but can they take it all? the road because that's where they're going next. That's the key here because the road has been
Starting point is 00:29:02 where the troubles have been more prominent. That's where they haven't played the same brand of baseball. Not that they're not trying and stuff, but it just seems like more things, good things are happening during their home games and on the road, they just kind of get lulled to sleep a little bit from time to time. So hopefully they'll continue to, you know, continue this juice that they got going at home and take that mojo on the road with them. They get the day off on Thursday, which is great, before beginning a nine-game road trip in Washington on Friday. Then they go to Philly. Then it's the I-70s series against the Royals. So a long road trip coming up. They do get the day off, like I mentioned, this Thursday and next Thursday. So it's not just, you know,
Starting point is 00:29:45 nine straight without any break. So that'll be helpful. But heck of a homestand, man. I'm very much impressed with how they turn things around in that Mets series and by not letting the pedal up against the Pittsburgh Pirates and taking all three against them. That's what you got to do. Good teams beat bad teams. That's what they do. And the Cardinals right now, playing good baseball. They're a good team right now. Thanks for making a lockdown Cardinals your first list every day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on X at L.O. underscore Cardinals and at JD Sports Radio, TikTok and Instagram at Lockdown Cardinals, like, subscribe on YouTube. of help our channel and love for the Cardinals grow grow uh i'm going to go have an adult beverage
Starting point is 00:30:28 and celebrate this when i'm going to eat a steak you guys do whatever you need to do to celebrate but that's my plan you guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason i'll see you next time on lockdown

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