The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off back-to-back impressive victories over the Chicago Cubs. Now, the Cardinals will look to carry that momentum into their upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Despite putting up 19 combined runs in their final two games against the Cubs, the Cardinals are making some adjustments to their lineup for the opening game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Reds. One of the more notable changes involves promising rookie outfielder Joshua Baez.
Baez will move into a new spot in the Cardinals’ batting order against the Reds on Monday, taking over the leadoff role. He previously batted fifth in the Cardinals’ most recent game against the Cubs.
The move comes after Baez went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts against the Cubs on Sunday. Although it was a difficult outing, it does little to overshadow his remarkable MLB debut, when he launched three home runs and drove in five runs on Saturday.
Baez will take over at the top of the order for JJ Wetherholt, who will not play in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Reds.
Here is the Cardinals’ complete lineup for the first of their two Monday games against the Reds.
LF Joshua Baez
DH Ivan Herrera
RF Jordan Walker
1B Alec Burleson
2B Jose Fermin
SS Maysyn Winn
3B Blaze Jordan
CF Everson Pereira
C Pedro Pages
Quinn Matthews will take the mound as the Cardinals’ starting pitcher against the Reds in this matchup.
Baez Will Be Looking to Have Another Big Game
With Baez leading off for the Cardinals in Monday’s opener against the Reds, he will have another opportunity to make an impact. He certainly made a memorable first impression with his three-home-run debut, and it will be intriguing to see what he can accomplish in his third career MLB game.
The Cardinals enter the matchup with a 63-61 record and sit 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the National League’s final wild card spot.