Happy May, Dodger faithful! As the calendar flips to the most beautiful month of baseball, your Los Angeles Dodgers sit atop the NL West—but just a half-game ahead of a hungry San Diego Padres squad. After a rough homestand, the boys in blue are rested and ready to hit the road for a six-game trip, starting with a three-game set in St. Louis before heading to Houston.
The Cardinals, at 18-13, find themselves third in the NL Central behind the Reds and Cubs. They're a team of extremes: coming off a four-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh, but just days removed from being swept at home by Seattle. It's been a roller-coaster ride for the Red Birds, who boast 10 comeback wins—three of them walk-offs—and are 6-2 in one-run games and a perfect 5-0 in extra innings. But when the bullpen falters, big leads can vanish in a hurry.
Friday's pitching matchup sets the stage for an intriguing battle. The Dodgers will send Emmet Sheehan to the mound, fresh off one of his best outings of the season: 6.1 innings against the Cubs, allowing just one earned run while striking out 10 and walking only one. The Cardinals counter with Matthew Liberatore, who's 0-1 with a 6.28 ERA and is coming off his worst start of the year—lasting just 3.1 innings and giving up five earned runs.
This could be a golden opportunity for Freddie Freeman to break out of his slump. Lifelong numbers don't lie: Freeman is hitting an absurd .800 against Liberatore with a 1.633 OPS. And Shohei Ohtani? He's already taken Liberatore deep once.
Keep a close eye on the Cardinals' bullpen usage. Seven relievers have been heavily worked over the last three games, with six throwing 30 or more pitches and five tossing 15 or more just yesterday. As a unit, the St. Louis bullpen owns a 5.15 ERA (fifth-worst in baseball) and the fourth-worst strikeout-to-walk rate. For a Dodgers offense that managed just three runs over their final two games against the Marlins, facing a tired and struggling bullpen could be exactly the spark they need.
It's a new month, a fresh start, and a chance for the Dodgers to build some momentum on the road. Grab your gear, settle in, and let's see if the boys can make some noise in St. Louis.