St. Louis Cardinals vs Colorado Rockies Picks and Predictions June 6th 2024

Cards Aim to Gain Momentum in Series Opener vs. Struggling Rockies

ST. LOUIS – After a grueling nine-game road trip through Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Houston, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to get back on track as they kick off a seven-game homestand. First up is the opener of a four-game series against the struggling Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Cardinals’ Recent Performance and Goals

Road Trip Recap: The Cardinals wrapped up their road trip with a 4-5 record, losing four of their last five games before snagging a crucial 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. This victory was a much-needed boost ahead of their return to Busch Stadium.

Bullpen Highlights: The bullpen stepped up big time, pitching three scoreless innings to seal the win against the Astros. This performance was a vital bounce-back after a previous late-game collapse.

Power Surge: The Cardinals’ bats were on fire during the road trip, blasting 16 home runs. Nolan Gorman led the charge with six homers, while Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado each chipped in three. Arenado, who had been struggling to find his power stroke earlier in the season, showed signs of life with three homers in the last five games, including a clutch solo shot in the win over Houston.

Starting Pitcher – Sonny Gray: Sonny Gray (7-3, 3.00 ERA) will get the ball for the series opener. Gray has been working through some mechanical issues lately but feels good about his adjustments. Despite his recent struggles, he has a solid track record against the Rockies, including a strong outing in his only career start against them in 2019.

“Timing with my legs — with my front leg going early — and my arm comes from behind, speeding up to try to catch up,” Gray explained. “You just have big misses. I do feel like I cleaned that up. It was just too late, you know. I’ve got to get back to limiting those free passes.”

Rockies’ Struggles and Challenges

Losing Streak: The Rockies are in a tough spot, riding a five-game losing streak. Their latest defeat was a 12-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, where they blew significant leads late in the game.

Starting Pitcher – Cal Quantrill: Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.84 ERA) will start for the Rockies. He’s looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Dodgers. Despite his recent troubles, Quantrill has had great success against the Cardinals, sporting a 0.82 ERA in four career appearances.

“I had been on a roll here and making a lot of good pitches,” Quantrill said. “Today, I just pressed a couple of times and didn’t have the movement on the splitter that I was hoping for. They put a lot of good at-bats together, but 4 1/3 is not going to cut it. At least I avoided the big inning and gave us sort of a chance. It won’t go down as one of my favorite starts.”

Injury Concerns: The Rockies are dealing with some key injuries. Kris Bryant is out with a rib injury and might end up on the injured list, while Sean Bouchard’s status is uncertain after leaving the last game with an ankle injury.

Conclusion

The Cardinals are eager to leverage their home-field advantage and build on their recent win as they face a Rockies team desperate to snap their losing streak. The pitching matchup between Sonny Gray and Cal Quantrill will be crucial, with both hurlers looking to rebound from recent struggles. This game promises to be an exciting start to the series, with both teams hungry to change their fortunes.