Diamondbacks vs Cardinals game 3 preview

Hey hey hey, another big win for the good guys!  In Tuesday night’s wild 8-7 win over the Red Birds, 6 Arizona players had at least two hits, catcher Gabriel Moreno hit his first homer as a Diamondback, and veteran relief man Miguel Castro shut the door on a Cardinals dramatic 9th inning comeback attempt.  A great night indeed for your beloved Diamondbacks, who are now 11-7; still atop the NL West…

Another offensive explosion unfolded for the D-backs on Tuesday as they racked up 14 hits and 8 runs.  I am sure hitting coach Joe Mather went to bed with a smile on his face last night.  In this offensive explosion, something very strange happened.  

In the top of the 4th, Nick Ahmed came up to bat with the bases loaded and nobody out; the score was all knotted up at 2.  On a 2-2 pitch, Ahmed received a curveball that bounced in front of the plate, yet somehow he hit it into left field, knocking in two runs.  Baseball is weird, if you didn’t already know.  

Rise and shine!  The Diamondbacks will be right back at it this morning against the Cardinals.  The first pitch will be at 10:15 AM MST.  The game will be aired on Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports Midwest, and MLB Network.  If you can’t watch the game, you can listen to it on ESPN Phoenix 620, KHOV Univision 105.1, or KMOX 1120.

Diamondbacks vs Cardinals game 3 pitching matchup

For your Diamondbacks, lefty Madison Bumgarner will get the ball to start the game.  In 3 starts this season, Madison is 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA.  Walks have absolutely killed Bumgarner in this young season.  He is averaging over 7 walks per 9 innings.

In his one and only start at Busch Stadium last season, Bumgarner pitched relatively well.  He went 5 innings and gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and one run; earning a win.  Let’s hope we see that version of Madison today as the D-backs are gunning for a series sweep!

For the Red Birds, righty Jake Woodford gets the nod.  In 3 starts this season, Woodford is 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA.  He pitched well in his last start at home vs the Pirates going 5.1 innings without allowing a run.

In 2022, Woodford worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen (1 start).  He has only started 13 games in his young career and in 6 home starts, he is 1-3 with a 5.31 ERA.  Woodford is much more effective when coming out of the bullpen.  With this in mind, look for the D-backs hitters to be ultra-aggressive in the series finale.

Diamondbacks vs Cardinals game 3: Players to watch

After a productive night Tuesday, shortstop Nick Ahmed may get the start again on Wednesday.  But if he doesn’t, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo should be on your radar. 

This season against righties, Perdomo is raking; in 25 at-bats he has 8 hits, 7 RBIs, and an OBP of .452.  After struggling offensively in 2022, it is nice to see the youngster find himself at the plate in the early going.

For the Cards, catcher Wilson Contreras is starting to heat up quickly.  In 11 games at home this season, he has 13 hits, 7 RBIs, and an OPS of .995. 

In the last 7 days, Contreras has 5 extra-base hits, 6 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.235.  With facing a lefty for game 3, Contreras is probably on cloud 9 this morning thinking about how much damage he could potentially do at the dish today.   

Diamondbacks lineup

Cardinals lineup