Game 3 Recap:
The Cardinals turned the page to Luke Weaver, and the 24 year old right hander didn't disappoint.
Let’s break it down here:
Although Weaver wasn’t in full command, he was still good enough to escape giving up only one earned run over 5 innings.
Weaver allowed 5 Mets hits, walking 3 and striking out 3 as well.
And my, oh my, was his changeup dancing today. That pitch alone is the reason Weaver will be a lethal weapon all season for the Cardinals.
Offensively, the bats were thumping from the first pitch. Steven Matz didn’t have a line to necessarily ride home about either. (4 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts)
Three walks seemed like an oddity compared to the first two games.
The Cardinals only walked a combined four times through the first two games, today that changed.
Marcell Ozuna started heating up today. He recorded his first hit with the Redbirds when he laced an RBI double in the 3rd inning to the LF corner that scored Tommy Pham.
The trend continued in the 5th inning when he hit an RBI single to LF again, scoring Tommy Pham.
Ozuna finished the day (3-5) with 2 RBI’s and some fine plays in the outfield.
Paul DeJong added an extra jolt hitting 2 solo HR’s, while adding a walk. No, that’s not a typo, a walk.
From the 6th inning forward the bullpen handled their own working four scorless innings. (2 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts)
Matt Bowman got redemption after his rough outing on Opening Day. Bowman’s velocity seemed a tad bit increased today, topping out around 93 mph.
Following Bowman, flame thrower, Jordan Hicks. I don't know where to begin with this kid. 100 mph with absurd sinking movement and a couple of great secondary pitches to accommodate, as well.
Hicks diced up the middle of the Mets order (Bruce, Frazier, Flores) 1-2-3 upon entering.
Dominic Leone got his first taste of regular season baseball in 2018 with a quick scoreless 9th, albeit not a save situation. Leone looked sharp recording two strikeouts. (Plawecki & Reyes)
Leone succesfully shut the door to secure the first Cardinals victory of 2018.
