Los Angeles did snap a 4-game skid on Sunday, beating Detroit 3-2 behind a strong start from Ryan Johnson, so there's a sliver of momentum at home. But at 39-61, this is still a team playing out the string, while the Cardinals are fighting to stay in the thick of a playoff race at 51-47.
That form card tells the real story here. St. Louis has dropped 3 of its last 5, capped by Sunday's meltdown in Arizona where they coughed up a 7-0 lead and lost 8-7 on a walk-off double. It's the kind of loss that can linger, and the Cardinals need Leahy to stabilize things after that bullpen implosion. The Angels, meanwhile, have won just once in their last 5, and even that win came with the offense managing only 3 runs.
Soriano's stuff is still nasty when he's around the zone — he was the AL's Pitcher of the Month early on — but his command has wavered lately and it showed in his last start, a loss to Minnesota where he walked 2 and struck out none in 5 innings. If that version shows up again, St. Louis has a lineup capable of making him pay.