STL 4, MIA 1; Rough first for Rogers costly in loss

A 38-pitch opening inning for left-hander Trevor Rogers, which included four free passes and three runs on the scoreboard, doomed the Marlins (1-3) in the opener of their three-game set vs. the St. Louis Cardinals (2-2). The visitors held on to that early lead Monday night at LoanDepot Park, winning by the final score of 4-1.

Rogers, who threw eight straight balls to open the contest in his first start of 2021, allowed a two-run double at the hands of Yadier Molina to give the Cardinals a 3-0 cushion. Rogers settled down and managed to work four innings while punching out six hitters, too.

You’ll recall that Miami’s offense was able to attack Tampa Bay’s pitchers in the series finale Saturday night, pounding out 12 runs on 14 hits. However, Don Mattingly deployed a much different lineup against right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon—no Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Garrett Cooper (placed temporarily on the COVID-related injured list)—and Ponce de Leon shut them down over five innings of one-run baseball, limiting Miami to just three hits.

“I had a real tough time just trying to calm myself down,” Rogers said. “Probably the main thing was I was trying to strike them out on the first pitch, which isn’t possible.”

The Marlins’ lone run came in the fifth inning, when Starling Marte drove home Jon Berti with a one-out sacrifice fly to center.

All position players on the club’s active roster have now recorded at least one hit this season with the exception of Lewis Brinson. His flyout while pinch-hitting in the bottom of the seventh dropped him to 0-for-7 overall.

Mattingly’s group will turn to right-hander Sandy Alcántara Tuesday night, who earned a no-decision on Opening Day after blanking the Tampa Bay Rays over six innings. Opposing him, John Gant will make his 2021 regular season debut. The scheduled start time is once again 6:40 p.m. ET.

Baseball Savant

Fish Picks Answer Key

1. Marlins
2. Under
3. Under
4. No
5. Cardinals