St. Louis Cardinals probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. Red Sox, May 17th (2024)

After failing for the 5th time already this season to complete a three-game sweep, the wobbling Cardinals land back in St. Louis for the start of a 10-game home stand starting with three against Boston.

This past road trip produced a lot of noise for the Cardinals, and not all in the best of ways. There was the 1-3 series up in Milwaukee that saw the Cardinals out-managed, out-hit, out-pitched, and almost out-umpired. This spawned a new wave of calls for change in St. Louis. Then in game One in LA, the offense finally woke up to put double-digit runs on the board for the first time this year. The Cardinals took game two, but just barely, but ended up dropping game three to a scuffling Angels team that they should have had. They ended up 3-4 on the trip.

The reality is this. It's early sure, but St. Louis needs to play better. They need to hit better. They rank 29th in all of baseball with 3.60 runs per game. That's not good. There have been calls for a change of management, attendance is down and the overall vibe just isn't good. The good news should be that they are home for 10 games. The problem is they welcome three teams with a better record than themselves (Boston, Baltimore, and the Cubs), and they are 6-11 at home this year.

So whether you're a kid who grew up in Boston in a burrow on Walnut Ave. or a Cardinals fan going to the Game, expect the Cardinals to fight this series. They have something to fight for because if it gets ugly, and it could fast, that change that Cardinals fans are looking for could be right around the corner

Probable starting pitchers

• Former Al-East Oriole Kyle Gibson will take the mound for the Cardinals in Game One. Spending 2023 with Baltimore, Gibson went 1-0 in 2023, and sports a career 4-4 record with an ERA of 3.41 and 44 strikeouts in 10 appearances versus the Red Sox. More of the same as Gibson this year sits with a 3.67 era and a 2-2 record on the season so far. He has been just as consistent as they come for the 'birds over his first 8 starts going at least 6+ innings in each start besides his last time out (May 11th). With the strikeout numbers climbing, now at 40, and WHIP of 1.20, Gibson has shown that he can limit baserunners and work out of trouble.
• Toeing the Rubber for those Bloody Red Sox is 25-year-old Brayan Bello. The young right-hander has been a stalwart for the 'Sox when healthy. He boasts a 4-1 record and a 3.13 era this season so far. Bello, making his first start against the Cardinals, will look to mix his three-pitch combo of SInker, Change-up, and Slider against a Cardinals team that does not historically hit well against pitchers they have never seen before. Look for him to get ahead early, and induce some ground balls with all of those pitches dying away from the plate.

1. LF Brendan Donovan
2. RF Lars Nootbaar
3. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
4. 3B Nolan Arenado
5. DH Alec Burleson
6. C Ivan Herrera
7. 2B Nolan Gorman
8. SS Mason Winn
9. CF Michael Siani

(22-22) Boston Red Sox starting lineup, (4th AL East), May 17th

1. CF Jarren Duran
2. RF Wilyer Abreu
3. C Connor Wong
4. 3B Rafael Devers
5. LF Tyler O'Niell
6. 1B Dominic Smith
7. DH Garrett Cooper
8. 2B Vaughn Grissom
9. SS David Hamilton

• Game time: 7:15 p.m. CT
• Cardinals fans can tune into the broadcast on Bally Sports Midwest
• Red Sox fans can watch the game through NESN.

How do I stream the St. Louis Cardinals game today?

• Bally Sports Midwest Streaming (subscription required)
• MLB.tv (subscription required)
• fuboTV (which has a free trial)

• The Cardinals radio broadcast will be on KMOX 1120 AM/98.7 FM, the Cardinals Radio Network, and WIJR AM 880 (En Espanol)
• Boston fans can tune into the game on WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP)

A look at the NL Central Standings (As of May 17th)

Sticking with today's theme of Boston, today in 1949 the Boston Red Sox traded Cot Deal to the St. Louis Cardinals for Fred Harrington. Fans may not know much about Deal today, but upon reading about this "baseball man" you will learn a lot about a man driven wild by a passion for baseball and his 100 years involved in the sport.