It’s Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals, as they face off with the Pittsburgh Pirates and starting pitcher JT Brubaker. Albert Pujols returns.
A familiar face in Albert Pujols will officially make his return, batting fifth in the Cardinals lineup.
St. Louis signed Pujols as a bench bat and likely designated hitter against left-handed pitching, which he’s hit quite well even as the rest of his numbers deteriorate with time.
Some St. Louis sports fans didn’t like the idea of bringing back Pujols, instead thinking that the Cardinals could’ve spent that money to improve their pitching staff. To that, the team’s official Twitter account had this to say:
“If you have a complaint about today’s lineup, no you don’t.”
So much for that.
St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day lineup: Albert Pujols returns
The Cardinals lineup was leaked in spring training due to some final tune-ups before Opening Day, so it should be no surprise that Pujols is hitting fifth.
With that in mind, here’s the complete group:
- Dylan Carlson
- Paul Goldschmidt
- Tyler O’Neill
- Nolan Arenado
- Albert Pujols
- Paul DeJong
- Yadier Molina
- Harrison Bader
- Tommy Edman
While the lineup is a behemoth at times, the Cardinals real issue is pitching. Jack Flaherty is out to start the season, meaning much will fall on the likes of Adam Wainwright and Steven Matz.
Oli Marmol will be tested right away, as well. His bullpen management in the months of April and May, while this team is still getting its feet wet, will be key.