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On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals will be sending right-hander Jake Woodford to the mound in hopes of getting back in the win column.
St. Louis fell to 5-8 on the season with their loss on Thursday, despite a strong start from left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
However, while Montgomery and Jack Flaherty have both pitched well, Woodford has struggled filling in for the injured Adam Wainwright.
He has a 9.00 ERA in his first two starts.
In fact, Woodford’s future with the Cardinals may be on the line.
As pointed out by writer John Denton on Twitter, Woodford has the fifth-highest Expected Weighted On-Base Average of any starter in all of baseball.
Tonight’s start could determine RHP Jake Woodford’s #STLCards future:
Highest SP xwOBA allowed, per Statcast:
1. Michael Kopech (CWS): .495
2. Luis Cessa (CIN): .482⁰3. Hayden Wesneski (CHC): .467
4. Dean Kremer (BAL): .459⁰5. Woodford: .454⁰5. Carlos Carrasco (NYM): .454
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 14, 2023
Woodford’s xwOBA sits at .454.
Also on the list are Michael Kopech, Luis Cessa, Hayden Wesneski, Dean Kremer, and Carlos Carrasco.
Carrasco is tied with Woodford right now.
Wainwright is slowly making his way back from a groin injury he suffered during the World Baseball Classic back in late-March.
Woodford has performed well in the past, but with the recent struggles of the Cardinals rotation, the team is in desperate need of some good pitching, which Wainwright can provide.
And if Woodford has another tough start, the Cardinals may have to make some decisions soon.
Left-hander Matthew Liberatore has been pitching well at Triple-A Memphis and is knocking on the door of the big leagues.
Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz have also both struggled, so if Woodford doesn’t improve, he’ll either find himself in the bullpen or potentially be sent down to Memphis.
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