DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:
TIGERS SWEEP METS WITH 2-0 WIN: The Tigers shut out the Mets, 2-0, on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep. Eduardo Rodriguez was outstanding on the mound, throwing 8.0 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts en route to his third win. Alex Lange picked up his fifth save, allowing a hit in a scoreless ninth. Offensively, Detroit scored both of its runs in the first inning on back-toback homers from Riley Greene and Javier Báez. Greene had two hits in the win, while Báez, Eric Haase and Andy Ibáñez each had one hit.
E-ROD IS EXCELLENT: Eduardo Rodriguez continued his impressive stretch of starts yesterday against the Mets, pitching 8.0 shutout innings with two hits allowed, one walk and two strikeouts. Rodriguez has now thrown at least 5.0 innings and allowed one run-or-less in five consecutive starts, the longest streak of his career and the longest by a Tigers pitcher since Michael Fulmer had six straight starts from May 21-June 17, 2016. Over his last five starts, Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA (34.2IP/2ER) and 33 strikeouts.
GREENE MACHINE: Riley Greene had a pair of hits, including a solo home run, in yesterday’s game, extending his hitting streak to eight games. During his current streak, Greene is batting .333/.371/.424 with a home run and three RBI.
KISS IT GOOD-BÁEZ: Javier Baez followed Riley Greene’s homer with one of his own, marking the first time this season Detroit has hit back-to-back homers. After not homering in his first 96 plate appearances of the season, Baez has gone deep twice in his last 11 trips to the plate.
Baez has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games with at least one at-bat, over which he is slashing .333/.388/.517 with five doubles, two home
runs and 12 RBI.
TIGERS AND CARDINALS: The Tigers and Cardinals begin their only series of the season tonight. The two teams last met in 2021 with Detroit winning three-of-four games, including splitting a two-game series at Busch Stadium. The Tigers have a 27-14 advantage in the all-time
series, including a 10-8 edge in games played in St. Louis.
INTERLEAGUE ACTION: The Tigers continue their interleague schedule tonight against the Cardinals. Detroit has started the season 7-1 against National League foes, sweeping a two-game series from San Francisco, taking two-of-three games at Milwaukee and winning all three games from the Mets. The Tigers have finished with a winning record against NL opponents in each of the last two seasons.
ON THE ROAD: The Tigers tonight begin a six-game road trip, which includes three games at St. Louis (May 5-7) and three games at Cleveland (May 8-10). Detroit is 5-10 on the road this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .201/.270/.309 away from Comerica Park, while the pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA (130.0IP/68ER).
TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• OF Kerry Carpenter (right shoulder sprain, 10-day IL on April 29, retroactive to April 28)
• RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 60-day IL on April 12)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 60-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
• RHP Trey Wingenter (right biceps tendinitis, 15-day IL on April 22, retroactive to April 19)
TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – #48 Matthew Boyd • 1-2, 5.47 ERA (24.2IP/15ER)
• Boyd will make his sixth start of the season tonight in the series opener at St. Louis.
• Took the loss in his last start on Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Baltimore, giving up six runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
• Boyd has faced the Cardinals just once in his career, receiving a no decision on September 8, 2018 after allowing only one run on two hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts in 7.0 innings…will be making his first career appearance at Busch Stadium tonight, the 22nd different Major League ballpark he has pitched in.
• Missed most of the 2022 season while rehabbing from an injury, but returned in September to pitch in 10 games and help Seattle to the playoffs…went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1IP/2ER) and 13 strikeouts in his 10 outings with the Mariners.
• Is in his second stint with the Tigers…was with the organization from 2015-21, appearing in 147 games, including 143 starts, and compiling
a 37-60 record with a 4.87 ERA (777.2IP/421ER) and 752 strikeouts.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The Cardinals continue their six-game homestand (0-3 vs. LAA, DET-3) tonight with the first of three games against the Detroit Tigers…after being swept in consecutive three-game series by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels, the Cardinals are trying to snap a season-high six-game losing streak, the longest active losing streak in MLB, and their longest skid since a six-gamer in 2021…the Cardinals last losing streak of seven or more games came in June of 2017…the Redbirds have won two of their first 10 series this season, and split one.
ROSTER MOVES: The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game:
• RHP Jake Woodford placed on 15-day Injured List (right shoulder inflammation)
• OF Tyler O’Neill placed on 10-day Injured List (left lower back strain)
• OF/INF Juan Yepez (#13) recalled from Memphis (AAA)
• RHP James Naile (#68) selected from Memphis (AAA)
• RHP Wilking Rodriguez transferred to 60-day Injured List (right shoulder)
CINCO DE MAYO: The Cardinals have a 44-68 record all-time on May 5 with a 18-36 mark at home (5-3 at Busch III)…they have won 8-of-their-last-10 games played on Cinco de Mayo dating back to 2013…tonight’s game is their first ever vs. an interleague opponent on Cinco de Mayo…Tequila !!!!
IT STARTS HERE: The Cardinals have held their opponents scoreless thru at least the 1st three innings in 8 of their 32 games to begin the season, including three games that resulted in shutout victories…however in those same eight games, the opposition has matched the Cardinals effort by twirling two shutout wins of their own…the Cardinals are 8-8 when scoring first this season, but 2-14 when allowing their opponents to get on the board first. MONTY’S
MATCH-UPS: Tonight’s starter Jordan Montgomery is trying to snap a career-high 4-game losing streak, however, in three of those four losses the Cardinals have been shut out, losing 5-0, 4-0 and 1-0.
STOP THE STREAKS: The Cardinals, while having now lost a season-high six straight, have not converted a save in 18-straight games since April 14 (Gallegos vs. PIT)…they’ve not won consecutive games since April 11-12 at COL.
SURELY YOU CAN’T BE SERIES-OUS?: St. Louis is the lone MLB team to be winless (0-10) in series openers this season, marking a franchise record of consecutive series-opening losses to begin a season. The MLB record still resides in the same city with the 1897 St. Louis Browns dropping their first 14 series openers. The 1978 Cardinals lost 20 straight series opening games from April 14-June 16, marking the franchise record for longest streak. (Elias)
PORT SIDE POWER: With his team-leading 7th home run of the season Wednesday night, Nolan Gorman joined Carl Sawatski (1960-63) as the lone Cardinals to have hit 20+ career home runs – all against right-handed pitchers…Sawatksi bashed all 35 of his homers as a Cardinal off rightys…to date, Lars Nootbaar has hit 19 of his 21 career homers off righties (91 pct). See chart at left. (Orf)
THE MERRY MERRY MONTH OF MAY: Since moving into Busch Stadium III in 2006, the Cardinals have compiled a .500 or better record in the month of May in 12 of 16 seasons (missed 2000 due to COVID)…their best May in that time span was a 20-7 mark (.741 win pct.) in 2013, and their worst was a 9-18 (.333) spiral in 2019 on the heels of a strong 19-10 (.655) March/April start…the 2002 Cards began 12-14 in April before rebounding to go 18-10 in May and make the postseason…the 1985 Cards were 8-11 in April, then went 93-50 to close out their NL Championship season.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP JORDAN MONTGOMERY (2-4, 3.34)
TONIGHT’S GAME
NL Leaders: Walks/9 IP (2.06, 23th); HR/9 IP (0.26, 2nd); WHIP (1.23, 20th).
• Is set to make his 7th start of the season and his 115th career (18th as a member of the Cardinals).
• Is trying to snap a career-high 4-game losing streak, although the Cardinals have been shutout in three of his four losses while he has had three quality starts among his four defeats
• Facing the Tigers for just the 4th time in his career, the previous three as a member of the New York Yankees.
• For the season, Monty has allowed just one round-tipper (G. Moreno-ARI) and his 0.26 HR/9 IP ranks 2nd best in the NL and 6th in MLB.
• Has allowed just one earned run in his three road games this season, fanning 22 in 19.2 IP. In five career road starts with St. Louis, he’s allowed zero earned runs in three of those games – the lone instances he has not done so were both at Dodger Stadium.
• Is lone Cardinals starting pitcher to have not yet recorded a GIDP in 2023, but leads team’s starters in fewest baserunners/9 IP (11.31) and WHIP (1.23).
• Is 8-7 with a 3.19 ERA in 17 starts as a member of the Cardinals and St. Louis has won 10 of his 17 starts.
• Leads all Cardinals pitchers with 93 strikeouts since being acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline (8/2/22).
• Has not walked a left-handed batter since being acquired by the Cardinals (66 total batters faced). Is the only pitcher in MLB who has faced 50+ left-handed batters without a walk to a LHB since 8/1/22.
• Made his fourth Opening Day roster and first with the Cardinals, adding to 2018, 2021 and 2022 with the Yankees. Was on the Injured List in 2019 and Taxi Squad in 2020.
• Has held his opposition to three earned runs or fewer in 79% (90-of-114) of his career starts.
LAST TIME OUT
• Locked horns with Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers last Sat. (4/29) at Dodger Stadium…allowed just one run across 6.2 IP, but was handed his 4th-straight loss (1-0)…it was his team-leading 4th Quality Start…Cardinals have been ShO in 3 of his 4 losses.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
4/29 @LAD L 1-0 L-4 6.2 5 1 1 2 7 0 93-59
2023
• Threw a season-high 107 pitches and limited the SF Giants to just one unearned run over his 6.0 IP on 4/24, but took the loss as Alex Cobb blanked the Cardinals, 4-0. It was just the 2nd road loss for Monty as a member of the Cardinals.
• Established a new career-high with a 15.0 inning scoreless streak from 4/2-13, surpassing his previous high of 14.2 IP.
• Won his opening start of the season behind a 9-4 offensive effort vs. TOR (4/2) in a series clinching win.
• Threw 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball at MIL (4/8). Was the longest outing by a Cardinals pitcher this season and his 2nd consecutive scoreless outing against an N.L. Central opponent on the road (16.0 IP streak).
• Tied his career-highs in both hits (10) and runs (7) allowed as the Cardinals lost 8-7 vs. ARI (4/18) in a game they rallied from down 7-2 in the 4th inning.
