St. Louis Cardinals vs Colorado Rockies Picks and Predictions June 7th 2024

Cardinals Aim to Give a Bit More in Rematch vs. Rockies

The St. Louis Cardinals had plenty of baserunners Thursday. They also hit several balls to the warning track. But the Cardinals didn’t have much to show for it, falling 3-2 to the Colorado Rockies in the opener of their seven-game homestand.

Offensive Struggles

St. Louis went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. The Cardinals, who have lost five of their last seven games, will try to get back on track Friday night in the second contest of a four-game series with the Rockies.

In the last nine games away, St. St. Louis has hit 16 home runs, but that streak was rough on Thursday. When you look at that you see we only scored two goals and it looks like we should have fought harder against them,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.

Paul Goldschmidt launched a fly ball to the wall in center field, Nolan Gorman hit one to the wall in left-center field, Ivan Herrera hit a deep fly to left, and Matt Carpenter saw his bid for a homer denied by outfielder Michael Toglia.

“It’s a different game when those four opportunities didn’t go our way,” Marmol said.

Pitching Matchup

In his last three starts, right-hander Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.23 ERA) has suffered from subpar fielding by his teammates. The Cardinals will look to Lynn on Friday. He has given up eight runs, with only one being earned, after allowing 10 hits and five walks in a span of 16 innings. During that time, he struck out fourteen batters and reduced his ERA by almost one run. In 10 career starts against Colorado, Lynn has a record of 5-2 and a 2.02 ERA.

The Rockies, who snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday, will start former Cardinal Austin Gomber (1-3, 3.06 ERA) on Friday. The left-hander allowed three runs on five hits, including two homers, in three innings while losing 4-0 Sunday to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his most recent outing.

Gomber posted an 0.68 ERA in four May starts. He skipped a start to regain strength, then struggled to find his former form against the Dodgers. “Obviously, not as good of a rhythm as I was in with the longer layoff, but I felt good,” Gomber said Sunday. “I felt like I had the ability to make good pitches, and I didn’t make them today. For whatever reason — it may be the layoff, the lineup — whatever it was, they just beat me today. It’s hard to pinpoint one thing.”

Gomber is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA in four career appearances against the Cardinals, including two starts. Lynn, in turn, is 5-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Rockies.

Injury Update

Colorado put slugger Kris Bryant on the 10-day injured list with a left rib contusion ahead of this series. The Rockies recalled Toglia, who drove in a run and made the run-saving catch on Thursday.

“It’s been Kris’ hope to stay healthy and play — stay on the field,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It’s been interrupted often. And there’s frustration because Kris wants to play. These different types of injuries have cropped up.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. But hopefully, this will resolve itself relatively quickly and get him back on the field, get him back on the active roster and, hopefully, get some momentum performance-wise, where we see the real Kris Bryant.”

Bryant is batting only .186 this season, with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Game Outlook

To recover from their narrow loss, the Cardinals will need to convert baserunners into runs and take advantage of scoring opportunities. Spear Lynn’s consistency against the Rockies and his new solid exhibitions give a strong groundwork to St. Louis to expand upon.

For the Rockies, Austin Gomber will seek to regain his rhythm and provide a strong start to help his team maintain their momentum after breaking their losing streak. The absence of Kris Bryant is a blow, but contributions from players like Michael Toglia will be crucial in filling the void.

Both teams are eager to improve their standings and find consistency. The Cardinals need to break their recent slump, while the Rockies aim to continue their recovery from a losing streak. Fans can expect a closely contested game with both teams looking to seize the opportunity to gain an advantage in this MLB series.