Cardinals vs. Dodgers Recap: April 30, 2023

I don’t want to sound like a downer, but I think it’s safe to say that we all saw this coming. The Cardinals offense sputtered yet again and Jake Woodford turned in another lackluster start, allowing three runs and failing to make it through the fourth inning. It was Zack Thompson who got the loss, as two of his inherited runners scored while Drew VerHagen was pitching. The Cards were ultimately swept by the Dodgers and fell to 10-19, nine games below .500 for the first time since 2007.

The Cardinals also received sad news when it was learned that the legendary Mike Shannon had passed away. He was 83 years old.

Here are a few takeaways from today’s disappointing loss.

Same Old Same Old

We touched upon it above, but all the usual suspects were on display for the Cardinals today. Jake Woodford didn’t have a good start. Dylan Carlson and Brendan Donovan drove in some early runs to put the Cardinals up 2-0. But we all knew that wasn’t going to last. Sure enough, it didn’t.

I was impressed to see them fight back from their 3-2 deficit in the fifth, when Lars Nootbaar tied things up with a base-hit. But hitting into double plays and leaving runners on remains a major problem.

The bullpen is also clearly taxed from having to work so many innings. Zack Thompson doesn’t look like himself all of the sudden, and he was responsible for the two runners that scored in the fifth inning, though Drew VerHagen didn’t do him any favors by throwing a wild pitch. Giovanny Gallegos gave up a run in the eighth to make it 6-3.

In the ninth, the Cardinals hit into a double play to end the game. Rinse and repeat.

It’s Time For Some Changes

I normally have three takeaways from each game, but I’m not sure what else to say other than some changes are needed. I touched upon this in my piece that was published this morning.

Nolan Arenado picked up a hit, but clearly is not himself. A couple of days off might benefit him.

The outfielders aren’t getting the job done at the plate, while Juan Yepez and Jordan Walker are both hitting quite well in Memphis.

I also knew that when Brad Thompson said the starting rotation was getting better, it meant bad luck was coming. Woodford struggled yet again, and the taxed bullpen didn’t look much better. Meanwhile, Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante are both being wasted in the minors.

And things aren’t exactly looking up. The Cardinals will welcome the Angels into town and send Steven Matz to the mound to deal with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Ugh.