Cardinals at Diamondbacks
With second baseman Kolten Wong struggling offensively and shortstop Jhonny Peralta out indefinitely, the middle of the St. Louis Cardinals' infield should be a weakness but instead has been a strength for most of the first month of the season. Aledmys Diaz and Jedd Gyorko look to continue their unlikely offensive surges Monday as the Cardinals visit Arizona for the first of four games against the Diamondbacks.
Peralta wasn't being counted on after he was lost to a torn thumb ligament before the start of the season, but Wong's woes (.208 average) were not expected after he often hit at the top the order last year. Diaz has produced at a Peralta-like clip and essentially forced his way into the everyday lineup at shortstop by hitting .480 with three homers and 11 RBIs, while Gyorko has played all over the infield and is tied for the team lead with four home runs. Diaz and Gyorko each went deep during three-hit performances in Sunday's 8-5 victory at San Diego - combining to go 15-for-22 in the three-game set - and hope to lead St. Louis to a ninth straight win over Arizona in the opener. The Diamondbacks have won six of their last eight and look for a long outing from ace Zack Greinke after they used eight pitchers during their 12-10, 13-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest Plus (St. Louis), FSN Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (1-2, 5.25)
Garcia was unable to provide an encore to his one-hit shutout against Milwaukee on April 14, yielding two runs on four hits and four walks over five innings in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Mexican endured his worst outing of the season in his lone road turn on April 8, giving up four runs in six frames of a no-decision at Atlanta. Garcia has been brilliant in five career starts against Arizona, winning each time while posting a 2.51 ERA (3-0, 1.62 at Chase Field).
After going 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA in two turns at home to begin his Diamondbacks career, Greinke has seen much better results on the road, getting his first win with Arizona on Wednesday after allowing one run in 6 2/3 frames at San Francisco. The early struggles are relatively rare for the three-time All-Star, who entered this season with a 22-8 record and 2.26 ERA in 43 April outings. Greinke has made 15 appearances - 13 starts - in his career against the Cardinals, going 9-4 with a 3.03 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Diamondbacks C Welington Castillo is 6-for-14 with four home runs, seven RBIs and five runs scored over his last three games.
2. St. Louis swept the season series in 2015, allowing three or fewer runs in six of the seven meetings.
3. Arizona LF Yasmany Tomas is on a 10-game hitting streak and has hit four homers in 17 contests (and 68 at-bats) this season after belting nine in 118 games (and 406 at-bats) in 2015.