Tommy Edman returns to Cardinals' starting lineup, starts at second vs. Dodgers

After entering Friday night as a pinch hitter and staying in the game to play right field, Tommy Edman returns to the Cardinals starting lineup for their Saturday night matchup against the Dodgers. 

Edman, who will start at second base and bat ninth, last started on Thursday, but left the game win the third inning with lower abdomen soreness after he collided with center fielder Lars Nootbaar as the two chased down a fly ball hit to the right-center field gap in the top of the second inning.

Edman rounds out a lineup that will feature Nootbaar at lead off, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hitting second, designated hitter Nolan Gorman slotted third, and third baseman Nolan Arenado in at the clean-up spot.

The two Nolans, Gorman and Arenado, both enter Saturday riding 10-game hitting streaks. The streaks tied both for the fifth-longest active streak in MLB. Gorman also entered Saturday with the league lead in slugging percentage (.618) while being second in RBI (36), OPS (1.000), OPS+ (172), and wRC+ (170). 

The Cardinals will face Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard for the second this season. St. Louis last saw Syndergaard on April 30, when he took the hill at Dodger Stadium. The Cardinals collected eight hits and pushed across three runs against Syndergaard in the 6-3 road loss that ended a 2-8 west coast road trip and closed an April during which they went 10-18 to start the year.

Lineups 

Cardinals (19-27, 5th in the NL Central, 6 GB)

Dodgers (29-17, 1st in the NL West)

Pitching matchup

RHP Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.91 ERA): The two-time All-Star enters his Saturday start having allowed five runs and 16 hits in 16 innings since the start of May. In his most recent start, Mikolas allowed one run on four hits in six innings against Boston to earn his first win and help lift the Cardinals to a road series sweep. 

RHP Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 5.94 ERA): Syndergaard will look to give some length for the Dodgers after throwing five innings combined in his last two starts. Syndergaard left his May 9 start in Milwaukee after one inning due to a blister on his right index finger then spun four innings at home against the Twins on May 16. 

Injury report

OF Tyler O'Neill (lower back strain): O'Neill 's scheduled rehab assignment has been postponed due to not recovering as fast as expected. O'Neill is expected to start baseball activities Monday with hopes of being sent on a rehab assignment once he is cleared. O'Neill's rehab assignment could be a lengthier one as he gets back into the flow of game speed, manager Oliver Marmol said. (Updated May 20)

OF Dylan Carlson (left ankle sprain): Carlson has been placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to May 15. Carlson experienced difficulty running at full speed and hitting left-handed in testing. Marmol said the club felt the timeline provided by the injured list aligned with his recovery so opted to place him there rather than wait out the injury. (Updated May 18)

LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain): Was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL after his bullpen session on May 16. Manager Oliver Marmol indicated that the 60-day timeline reflected the amount of time it would take not only for Naughton to recover, but to go out on rehab assignments before returning to the major leagues. (Updated May 18)

RHP Jake Woodford (right shoulder inflammation): Woodford was placed on the 15-day IL on May 5. He's expected to throw his first bullpen session Saturday, May 20. (Updated May 15)

Up next 

The Cardinals conclude the four-game series against the Dodgers on Sunday. They then depart for a seven-game road trip through Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Check back in to stltoday.com this afternoon and evening for coverage of the game.