New Cardinals outfielder draws his first start after clutch home run

On Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to an 8-1 win over the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.

The win was punctuated by a key moment in the bottom of the fifth inning when one of the newest members of the team hit a pinch-hit grand slam to put the game out of reach.

One day after his clutch homer, he drew a start in the Cardinals lineup. John Denton of MLB.com tweeted the news.

"Facing Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney, newcomer Tommy Pham is in the lineup hitting sixth for today's series finale," Denton wrote on Wednesday.

Pham began his career with the Cardinals in 2014 and was a key member of the team before leaving in 2018. He returned to St. Louis in the same trade that sent Tommy Edman to the Los Angeles Dodgers and landed them right-hander Erick Fedde.

He pinch-hit for Matt Carpenter in the bottom of the fifth on Tuesday and delivered the game's biggest hit. But on Wednesday, he'll draw the start as the Cardinals look to take the series from the reigning champions.

The home run was Pham's sixth of the year. Heading into Wednesday's action, the 36-year-old outfielder was hitting .267 in 273 at-bats with 23 RBI and a .723 OPS. He was brought in to help St. Louis against left-handed pitchers as a complimentary right-handed bat.

We'll see if he can give St. Louis another offensive spark.

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