(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Series openers have been a challenge for the St. Louis Cardinals to start the 2023 season.
Just when it appeared as if they may finally get the monkey off of their backs, the Los Angeles Dodgers sprung to life, fighting back from an early 2-0 deficit and winning the series opener by a final of 7-3.
St. Louis dropped to 10-17 on the season and fell to 8.5 games back of first place in the NL Central.
With their loss, the Cards achieved an unfortunate mark.
They lost their ninth straight series opener, which ultimately is their longest streak in franchise history.
Katie Woo of The Athletic provided the information on the Cardinals’ loss.
Cardinals lose to the Dodgers, 7-3.
They have lost nine straight series openers to begin the season, their longest streak in franchise history. Jordan Montgomery takes on Clayton Kershaw tomorrow. #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) April 29, 2023
Things are spiraling out of control very quickly for the Cardinals.
This was a team that was expected by many to be at the top of the NL Central.
But after signing Willson Contreras, the team had a relatively quiet offseason.
The offense has underachieved, and the starting rotation remains an issue.
Starter Jack Flaherty allowed five runs over 4.2 innings of work against the Dodgers on Friday.
But by losing their ninth consecutive series opener to start the season, St. Louis has set an unfortunate record, and are quickly losing ground in the standings.
The team has reached the postseason in each of the past four seasons.
However, they have fallen short in the Wild Card round in each of the past three seasons after losing the NLCS in 2019.
They’ll turn to Jordan Montgomery on Saturday as they hope to right the ship.
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