JJ Wetherholt could not have asked for a better start to his major league career.
The rookie second baseman homered in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 9-7 season-opening win and then singled in two runs in the 10th Saturday for his first walkoff hit as the Cardinals won again, 6-5 in 10 innings. For good measure, he jumped high in the air to snag a Yandy Diaz drive in sixth to preserve a Michael McGreedy no-hit bid Saturday.
The Cardinals will go for the sweep Sunday when they send Dustin May (7-11, 4.96 ERA in 2025) to the mound against Steven Matz (5-2, 3.05 in 2025) and the visiting Rays.
“I just went up there ready to hit,” Wetherholt said of his game-winner Saturday. “Anything to help the team. I was just trying to drown out the noise.”
He did just that by grounding the first pitch he saw to right field to score both Nathan Church and Jordan Walker for the winner.
Victor Scott II had set up the winning hit with a sacrifice bunt as St. Louis’ youth movement continued a good start. St. Louis has the youngest roster in the baseball with an average age of 27.3, according to Baseball America.
“I have seen him do it a thousand times,” Wetherholt said of the bunt. “He put us in a really good spot. We are really trying to get to work early here.”
Wetherholt’s homer on Thursday generated the first run of the year for the Cardinals and gave them a 1-0 lead.
The Rays scored six runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-1 lead, but the Cardinals answered back with eight runs to take the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Wetherholt was in the middle of the rally with a sacrifice fly.
May will make his first start for the Cardinals after signing as a free agent in the offseason.
Last season the 28-year-old right-hander worked 132 1/3 innings in 25 appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
May missed all of 2024 after he tore his esophagus while eating. The injury caused life-threatening complications and required a long recovery.
He already was trying to rehab from flexor tendon repair surgery in July 2023.
The Cardinals are banking his 100-mph fastball will return him to form a full season after his injuries.
May is 19-20 in his career with a 3.86 ERA over 71 games (57 starts). He has never started against the Rays and has pitched only two innings of relief against Tampa Bay.
Matz is coming off a solid spring, including five scoreless innings in his last start against the Phillies.
“He has been super efficient, really fills up the strike zone,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He has some deceptiveness and he really controls the run game well. He looks to get early outs. I am very encouraged by his overall spring.”
The southpaw is 60-62 with a 4.19 ERA in 246 career appearances (172 starts). Among those appearances 84 of them came for the Cardinals (2022-25). He signed with the Rays in the offseason.
Matz is 0-3 lifetime against the Cardinals with a 7.13 ERA in four starts.
Tampa Bay was stymied by McGreedy on Saturday as the right-hander allowed no hits over six innings before the Rays got to the bullpen in the ninth inning, scoring four runs to force extra innings.
Still, the Rays are hitting .304 to start the season, led by Jonathan Aranda (3-of-7, .429) and Diaz (4-of-10, .400).
–Field Level Media
