Cardinals' Young Guns Sparkling in Surprising Start

0:00On April 9th, the St. Louis Cardinals are heading home on a high note after sweeping the Washington Nationals, sitting at seven wins and five losses through their first 12 games. That's just one game back in the National League Central, way better than anyone predicted for this rebuilding squad. They shipped out stars like Brennan Donovan, Wilson Contreras, Sunny Gray, and Nolan Arnato last offseason, so expectations were low. The young guns are stepping up big time, keeping the offense humming against solid pitching. Jordan Walker's on fire at 23 years old, already smashing five home runs before the end of April, including four in his last five games. He's batting 295 with 12 RBIs and an OPS over 1000, proving he's passed those rough seasons. Rookie JJ Weatherholz owning the lead-off spot too, with a homer for his first big league hit on opening day and clutch knocks like his walkoff and a key hit in Tuesday 7-6 comeback. At 23, he's flashing superstar vibes early.

1:02The pitching's the weak link though, with a 495 ERA, second worst in the National League behind only the Nats. Starters are okay, but the bullpen's shaky, if they don't tighten up soon, this hot streak won't last against teams like the Red Sox. I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to MLB News today, AI-powered baseball coverage.