PHOENIX • As much as the Cardinals have waited for some of their starting pitchers to gain traction and their offensive stalwarts to animate, a constant for the club has been exactly what they planned for all winter: the bullpen.
The Cardinals arrived at Chase Field on Monday boasting one of the best relief corps in baseball based on an assortment of statistics.
It took Arizona one inning to implode them all.
The host Diamondbacks thundered away at a parade of Cardinals relievers for nine runs in a disastrous sixth inning Monday and then held on to win, 12-7.