Cardinals' Homegrown Talent Absent From Monday's Lineup Amid Hitting Slump
St. Louis is making a noteable change ahead of today's game
The St. Louis Cardinals will be looking to start off on the right track as they prepare to host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series.
Following a disappointing series loss against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers in which the Cardinals were outscored 16-6, the club is hoping to get the bats going to turn things around.
Of all the Cardinals hitters who are struggling to start the season, there is one slugger who will be absent from the lineup for Monday's opener against the Diamondbacks.
Cardinals second-baseman Nolan Gorman won't be in Monday's lineup and will be replaced by Brendan Donovan -- with Alec Burleson taking Donovan's place in left field.
Gorman has batted .169 with six extra-base hits including three home runs, eight RBI's and a .554 OPS in 77 at-bats for St. Louis so far this season.
It's likely that Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is benching Gorman for the night to let him rest as there's been no report of an injury yet.
The 23-year-old has not looked like the slugger we remember from last season who logged a .236/.328/.478 slash line with 27 home runs and 76 RBI's.
The lineup is the Cardinals' biggest concern at the moment with the team struggling to produce runs while the pitching staff is left out to dry.
Hopefully, this slump will come to an end soon when St. Louis stars such as Gorman, Donovan, and Paul Goldschmidt find their groove again. Fortunately, the pitching staff is holding their own and there's still plenty of baseball left to play for the lineup to figure it out.
More MLB: Cardinals Young Outfielder Seen As Possible Trade Piece For Phillies
