Coming off a win to avoid the series sweep in Seattle, the Cardinals (9-13) headed south for the first of four games in San Francisco. The southpaw Jordan Montgomery took the mound for the Cardinals, coming off a rocky start against the Diamondbacks, throwing four innings, and allowing seven runs on ten hits. For the Giants (8-13), veteran Alex Cobb took the hill. Currently slated as the Giants’ number 2 starter, Cobb is off to a great start to the year. In his last appearance against the Marlins, he went five innings, only allowing one run while striking out 8.
The one bright side in this game was Jordan Montgomery, who went six innings, allowing no earned runs while striking out six. The game was scoreless until the 7th inning when the Giants put up four runs led by a J.D. Davis three-run homer allowed by Drew Verhagen. The Cardinals had no answer for Giants starter Alex Cobb, who threw a complete game shutout in his fifth start of the year.
Alex Cobb diced up the Cardinals tonight, only allowing six hits in his complete game shutout. Brendan Donovan went 2/3 for the Cards with a pair of singles. However, the rest of the lineup was unable to hit the stingy Cobb. For the Cardinals, Montgomery had a terrific outing, making his start the fourth quality start of the year for St. Louis. In relief, Drew VerHagen struggled greatly, allowing three runs in his one inning of work. One bright side is that Jordan Hicks threw a scoreless inning, striking out two after a rocky start to the year.
With Arenado and Walker both having rest days, tonight seemed to show their importance in the lineup. The Cardinals’ offense struggled to get on base, and when they did, no one could drive them home.
Bright Spots
Jordan Montgomery- Coming off of a start in Arizona where he allowed seven runs in 4 innings, Montgomery showed his ability to rebound. He had a terrific start tonight against the Giants. After tonight’s game, he lowered his ERA to 3.81, ending the night with a no-decision.
Brendan Donovan- This guy can get on base. After starting the season hot at the plate, he cooled off in mid-April. However, Donovan seems to be in the flow of things again, and if the Cardinals bats can pick up, he can be an integral part of this offense. Going 2/3 today, Donovan contributed, even with the offense struggling.
Jordan Hicks- Man, at the start of the year, Hicks was scaring everyone with his pitching. Through his first four sessions in relief, he surrendered seven runs in just four ⅓ innings. However, in his last three appearances, he has allowed no runs and struck out seven. Hicks is looking to pick up the pace and become the man in relief that all Cardinals fans wish for.
Strugglers
Willson Contreras- After doing better as of late after a cool start to the year, Contreras put up an 0/4 effort tonight. Everyone knows Contreras to be a tremendous all-around catcher, and currently sitting at a .260 average, he has not been bad. However, he has the ability to be a much more integral part of this offense.
Drew VerHagen- Everyone has poor nights in relief, however, this is the second straight for VerHagen. Tonight’s outing raised his ERA to 5.23 after allowing a three-run blast to J.D. Davis. While he got off to a fantastic start to the year, he has struggled as of late.
Alec Burleson- In his last seven games, Burleson is 4/23 at the plate. He has two homers and four doubles on the year. While Burleson is not a guy who you expect to hit for power, he is not contributing much to this offense at all. Being a daily starter for the team, his numbers will need to increase for him to be a viable member of this offense.