Cardinals seeking another offensive outburst vs. Rays

The St. Louis Cardinals will bid to ride their new-look offense to their second victory in as many games on Saturday afternoon when they continue their three-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Alec Burleson highlighted his three-hit performance by belting a two-run homer to cap an eight-run sixth inning in the Cardinals' 9-7 win over the Rays on Wednesday.

"That was the first one I didn't see hit the seats," said Burleson, who also singled to lead off his team's eight-hit inning.

Burleson wasn't alone in the power display in the season opener. JJ Wetherholt, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, went deep in his second major league at-bat.

Nathan Church and Victor Scott II each had three of St. Louis' 14 hits in the season opener. Those contributions are welcome considering the team is expected to deal with growing pains after trading away veterans Nolan Arenado (Arizona Diamondbacks), Willson Contreras (Boston Red Sox) and Brendan Donovan (Seattle Mariners) for prospects during the offseason.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol got creative with his lineup right out of the chute, with Wetherholt leading off, Burleson batting third and Masyn Winn in the cleanup position.

"It's amazing," Winn said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's real nice (since) I didn't even hit my body weight in spring training. No, it's great though. Obviously, I'm used to hitting in front of Burley, but I mean, shoot, watching that dude, watching his approach on deck I feel like kind of locks me in a little bit.

"So I love it. I'm glad that they trust in us. I'm glad that they trusted in me to put me that high."

The Rays delivered some offense as well, with Yandy Diaz, Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each contributing three of the team's 17 hits. Williamson and Fortes each drove in a run on infield singles during a six-run sixth inning that staked Tampa Bay to a 7-1 lead.

"I think we performed exactly how our offense is designed to perform," Fortes said. "You stack days like that over the course of 162, I think we're going to be happy with where we're going to be at the end of it."

Keeping the Rays in check Saturday will be the responsibility of Michael McGreevy (8-4, 4.42 ERA in 2025), who will get the start for the Cardinals opposite fellow right-hander Joe Boyle (1-4, 4.67).

McGreevy, 25, excelled during five starts in spring training, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.45 ERA while striking out 16 batters in 18 1/3 innings. He has yet to face Tampa Bay in his young career.

Boyle, 26, was optioned to the minors last week before being recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday with the Rays addressing injuries to fellow right-handers Ryan Pepiot (right hip inflammation) and Nick Martinez (knee).

Boyle lost his lone encounter last season against St. Louis, yielding six runs (five earned) on nine hits in four innings of a 7-4 setback on Aug. 21.

--Field Level Media