Photo: Adam Wainwright (Jeff Curry/Imagn)
It was a difficult week for the St. Louis Cardinals, who went 1-5 against a pair of last place teams. The Redbirds were outscored 35-to-15 in their two games against Detroit and four games against Pittsburgh combined. Struggles on the mound and at the plate have given the team problems.
Our history feature concludes the major league debut series with a look at the debuts of six more pitchers who have made at least one appearance for the Cardinals this season or has not yet been covered.
Game Recaps
Monday, June 21 – Off day.
Tuesday, June 22 – Cardinals 2 at Tigers 8
The Cardinals played the first game of a two-game series with the Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday. Johan Oviedo got the start and struggled through 3 2/3 innings.
The right-hander managed to keep Detroit off the board until the fourth inning, when the Tiger offense erupted for six runs in the inning. The frame began to unravel after Oviedo made a throwing error on a comebacker to him. Oviedo fielded the ball and then threw to third base to get the lead runner, but there was no fielder at the bag. The throw went into foul territory and a run scored.
Following the error, the wheels came off the bus for the right-hander. Two walks, a double, and a three-run home run followed before Daniel Ponce de Leon came in to relieve Oviedo and get the final out of the inning.
The Cardinals were able to get two runs back in the fifth. Edmundo Sosa was hit by a pitch. Paul DeJong singled, and Lars Nootbaar hit a sac fly to plate Sosa. Singles by Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt scored DeJong.
The Tigers regained their six-run lead in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs off Ponce de Leon and Andrew Miller. The Cardinals were unable to score further.
Oveido pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out one and walked three. Ponce de Leon and Miller each surrendered a run. Jake Woodford, Wade LeBlanc, and Junior Fernandez each tossed a scoreless inning.
The offense scored two runs on six hits. Edman was 2-for-5. Dylan Carlson, Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill, and DeJong each had a single.
Wednesday, June 23 – Cardinals 2 at Tigers 6
The Cardinals were swept by the Tigers in a loss in the second game of a two-game series at Comerica Park on Wednesday. Starter John Gant continued to issue too many walks and lasted only three innings before being replaced. Gant surrendered three runs on two hits, struck out four and walked four and was charged with his sixth loss of the season.
The Cardinal offense scored early but failed to add on as the Tigers quickly took the lead away from the Redbirds. Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the Cardinals the initial 1-0 lead. In the third inning, Lars Nootbaar tripled and scored on a Tommy Edman single.
Detroit answered back in the bottom of the second with two runs to tie the game. Gant issued two lead off walks, both of whom scored on a double by Jonathan Schoop. Ryan Helsley relieved Gant in the fourth and immediately gave up a solo home run to give the Tigers the lead.
Detroit continued to score in each inning except the seventh. Helsley yielded a second solo home run to lead off the fifth. Genesis Cabrera surrendered a run in the sixth. Giovanny Gallegos retired all three batters he faced in the seventh. Alex Reyes allowed a final run in the eighth.
The Cardinals had a total of seven hits in the game. Three of the seven hits went for extra bases, the Arenado home run, the triple by Nootbaar, and a Tyler O’Neill double. Edman, Dylan Carlson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Matt Carpenter each singled.
Nootbaar had an outfield assist at home plate. Gallegos picked a runner off first base.
Thursday, June 24 – Cardinals 2, Pirates 8
The Cardinals lose for the fourth consecutive game, this time at home against the Pirates. The game was the first of a four-game series with the Bucs at Busch Stadium to begin a seven-game homestand.
Carlos Martinez once again had a turbulent start, his fourth in his previous five. Beginning with a start in Los Angeles that lasted less than an inning, the right-hander has gone more than five innings once, in a seven-inning outing in Chicago.
This game Martinez managed to make it through five innings, with five runs yielded on five hits. This game featured seven walks, the most he has issued since April 15, 2017, when he walked eight in a game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The loss was Martinez’ ninth this season.
The Cardinals fell behind 2-0 in the first inning but got one run back in the second on an RBI single by Lars Nootbaar. The Bucs added three in the fourth inning to increase the lead to 5-1, and one more in the sixth to make it 6-1.
The lead became 8-1 in the eighth, with Wade LeBlanc, who relieved Martinez in the sixth, responsible for the final three runs. Seth Elledge and Junior Fernandez pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The lethargic Redbird offense managed to put one more run on the board in the bottom of the eighth when a single by Dylan Carlson and walks by Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to load the bases was followed by a hit by pitch of Tyler O’Neil. Carlson was 2-for-4 in the game and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
Friday, June 25 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 5
The Cardinals were edged by the Pirates as the losing streak continues at five games straight. Starter Kwang-Hyun Kim went 4 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out one and walked one.
The Cardinals got on the board first with one run scored in the second inning. Lars Nootbaar and Edmundo Sosa hit back-to-back singles and Kim was hit by a pitch. Dylan Carlson grounded into a force out and Nootbaar scored to give the Redbirds a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates answered in the top of third by scoring four runs to take a 4-1 lead. The Cardinals responded in the home half of the third with two runs to cut the lead to 4-3. Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run to left field. Yadier Molina doubled and Lars Nootbaar plated Molina on a single.
In the fourth St. Louis tied it up 4-4 on a solo home run by Dylan Carlson. Jake Woodford relieved Kim in the fifth and surrendered the winning run on a walk, a fielder’s choice and a single. Relievers Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, Andrew Miller, and Giovanny Gallegos were able to keep the Pirate for scoring for the remainder of the game, but the Cardinals were also unable to add on.
Arenado and Nootbaar each had two hits. Carlson had two RBI. Nootbaar had an outfield assist at second base. Molina stole his first base of the season.
Saturday, June 26 – Cardinals 3, Pirates 1
The Cardinals stopped their losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Pirates on Saturday. Unsurprisingly it was Adam Wainwright on the mound, a frequent stopper of such streaks. Wainwright tossed six innings and allowed one run on six hits. The right-hander fanned eight and walked one to earn his sixth win of the season. Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Alex Reyes each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Reyes earned his 18th save.
St. Louis got on the board in the first inning beginning with a Dylan Carlson leadoff walk, followed by a Paul Goldschmidt single. Molina later drove in Carlson on a single.
In the second, Paul DeJong increased the Cardinals lead to 2-0 with a solo home run to left field. The Pirates made it 2-1 in the fourth on a solo home run by Gregory Polanco. That was the Pirates only run of the game.
In the fifth, Paul Goldschmidt blasted a monster 470-foot home run over the center field grass. The Cardinals led by the final score of 3-1.
Goldschmidt and Molina each went 2-for-3 in the game. There was not a lot of offense, 3 runs on 6 hits, but it was enough for a win.
On the base paths, DeJong snatched his third base of the season. Tommy Edman was caught stealing for the third time this season. Molina made one error, a dropped foul ball.
Sunday, June 27 – Cardinals 2, Pirates 7
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates 7-2 thus losing three of four to a last place team. This follows being swept in a two-game series to another last place team. Things are not going well for the Redbirds.
The offense was not only no-hit in five innings by a young Pirates pitcher making his major league debut, but they were also the victims of a budding perfect game. The team was saved by a rain delay, that kept them from having to continue to be no-hit for the remaining innings. The Pirates starter did not take the mound after the delay and the Cardinals finally got a hit in the seventh inning, a Dylan Carlson lead-off double. Carlson came home to score on a sac fly by Nolan Arenado for their first run of the game.
The offense scored only one more time, in the eighth. Yadier Molina doubled and Paul DeJong plated Molina on a single.
Johan Oviedo took the mound as the starter and had a disastrous first inning, yielding three runs and throwing over forty pitches before the inning was over. He was better in the next two innings, but two more runs were scored on him in the fifth. He gave five runs total on six hits, walked four and struck out five.
Jake Woodford surrendered two additional runs in his two innings of work. Junior Fernandez and Seth Elledge stopped the bleeding with a combined three scoreless innings. Oviedo took the loss, his fourth.
Tyler O’Neill had an outfield assist at home, preventing an eighth run. Molina had a passed ball.
Big Picture
A stretch of games against sub .500 teams that many had hoped would help get the Cardinals out of their June funk, has in fact done the opposite. In six games against two last place teams, the Tigers and the Pirates, the Cardinals have won one game. That was not a typo, the Cardinals were 1-5 this week against two last place teams.
The team next plays two more sub .500 teams, the Diamondbacks, and the Rockies. Seven games that may make or break the Cardinals’ season. They can either make strides into pulling themselves out of the hole they have sunk into or dig it so deep they may never climb out. St. Louis was last in first place in the division on May 30. Since then, it has been a deep dive down into fourth place.
The problems are pitching and offense, with occasional forays into poor defense. The pitching suffers from serious injury problems, but the offense suffers from nothing other than an inability to hit the ball and score runs on a consistent basis. Occasionally the offense has a brief surge, only to fall back into lethargy the next day. With only one lineup regular still on the injured list, the offense does not have any excuse on which to fall back.
There is no help in the minor leagues at the present time, so it remains for the front office to do what it can to ameliorate the situation. Some changes in the pitching have already been made, but one could argue they are nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. John Gant has been sent back to the bullpen, and Wade LeBlanc inserted into the rotation. The 36-year-old has spent much of his career as a reliever but does have starting experience. Perhaps his best season as a starter was with Seattle in 2018 when he was 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA. Before he was signed by the Cardinals, LeBlanc was signed and released by three teams in 2021, the Orioles, the Brewers, and the Rangers. Perhaps the Cardinals are hoping for something three other teams did not see in LeBlanc, but his recent history is not encouraging.
So, the Cardinals saunter forth with a rotation that is limping, a bullpen that does not know what it is at any given moment and an offense that cannot get out of its own way. How has the offense been this week? Well, there is exactly one player with an OPS over .800, Nolan Arenado (.886). That is it folks. Our former lead-off hitter, Tommy Edman, who was someone most thought could always be counted on, has an OPS in his last 15 games of .439. Some of the other performances in the last 15 games are Tyler O’Neill (.593), Paul Goldschmidt (.712), Dylan Carlson (.762), and Yadier Molina (.503). O’Neill, Goldschmidt, and Carlson have been even worse over the last week, Molina only slightly better.
Without improvement in the pitching and the offense, one can see little hope of resurgence in the immediate future. The All-Star Break comes in two weeks and if the Cardinals have not sunk much further in the standings, perhaps with some rest the team can have a better second half.
The coming week brings three games with the Diamondbacks at home and four games with the Rockies at Coors Field. After that the Cardinals have a tough road before the break, three games in San Francisco with the first place Giants and another series at Wrigley with the Cubs. With the loss today against the Pirates, the Cardinals are now 8 games out of first place.
NL Central Standings
Team W L Pct GB
|
Milwaukee |
45 |
33 |
.577 |
—— |
|
Chicago |
42 |
36 |
.538 |
3 |
|
Cincinnati |
38 |
38 |
.500 |
6 |
|
St. Louis |
37 |
41 |
.474 |
8 |
|
Pittsburgh |
29 |
47 |
.382 |
15 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors.
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 6/22 The Cardinals designated LHP Bernardo Flores Jr for assignment.
- 6/22 The Cardinals optioned OF Lane Thomas to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/22 The Cardinals selected the contract of OF Lars Nootbaar from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/23 The Cardinals placed RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon on the 10-day injured list. Right shoulder discomfort.
- 6/23 The Cardinals recalled RHP Seth Elledge from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/24 LHP Bernardo Flores Jr was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies.
- 6/25 The Cardinals sent CF Harrison Bader on a rehab assignment to the Palm Beach Cardinals.
- 6/26 The Cardinals sent RHP Kodi Whitley on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
Injury Report
- RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm tightness), was placed on the 60-day injured list. A second opinion by Dr. James Andrews revealed no structural damage to the UCL or a flexor tendon tear. Mikolas could begin some light throwing shortly but a return date in August is still the expected outcome.
- RHP Jordan Hicks (right elbow inflammation) continues on the 60-day injured list with a return date sometime in August. Hicks has still not begun to throw.
- CF Harrison Bader (right rib hairline fracture) continues on the 10-day injured list. The center fielder has been sent to the Palm Beach Cardinals for a rehab assignment beginning June 25. Bader will remain in Florida through the weekend, after which an evaluation will be made concerning further rehab in another location.
- 2B Max Moroff (left shoulder subluxation) was placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering a shoulder injury in a batting practice session. Moroff had surgery on the shoulder and is out for the rest of the season.
- RHP Kodi Whitley (mid back spasms) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 27. Whitley was sent on a rehab assignment to Springfield on Saturday with no specific number of appearances on rehab specified, but probably at least two.
- RHP Jack Flaherty (left oblique strain) was injured in a game on May 31. The right-hander felt tightness while pitching that was then exacerbated by swinging the bat. Flaherty has begun some light throwing and will slowly build up the intensity. He will likely need a rehab assignment before returning to the roster, which is expected to be late July/early August.
- RHP Dakota Hudson (Tommy John surgery) is expected to be out all of the 2021 season. Hudson is tracking well toward an Opening Day 2022 return, though a late 2021 season return is not impossible, but unlikely.
- RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon was removed from his last outing against the Tigers on Tuesday, due to injury. The right hander was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort. This is the same injury that put him on the IL earlier in the season. The discomfort is believed to be due more to arm fatigue than a specific incident. No injection in the shoulder is planned, just rest and strengthening. A return sometime in July is expected.
Looking Ahead
Following the Pirates series, the home stand continues on Monday with a three games series against the Diamondbacks.
July begins in Denver with four games at Coors Field against the Rockies. The team then heads to San Francisco to play the Giants in a three-game series.
After a Thursday travel day, the Cardinals return to Wrigley Field for a weekend series with the Cubs before the All-Star Break begins on Monday, July 12.
After the All-Star break, the Redbirds play the Giants at Busch Stadium in a weekend series.
The Cardinals regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past.
The final installment of the major league debut series looks at the debuts of six bullpen pitchers who made a least one appearance for the Cardinals in 2021 but who were not covered in last week’s segment. Dakota Hudson was left out of the segment on starters but will be covered here.
Bernardo Flores Jr.—-Flores made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox on September 3, 2020 in an 11-6 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffmann Stadium. Flores pitched the eighth inning in a game started by Dylan Cease. The left-hander pitched to five batters in the inning. He surrendered a single to the first hitter and a double to the second one. Two ground outs followed that scored two runs. Flores struck out his final batter, Meibrys Viloria, looking, on four pitches for his first major league strikeout. Flores appeared in only two games for the White Sox in 2020.
The Cardinals claimed Flores off waivers on April 1, 2021, and he made one appearance out of the bullpen for the Cardinals on May 5 against the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader. He was optioned back to Memphis and was designated for assignment last Tuesday to make room on the roster for Lars Nootbaar. The Rockies claimed Flores off waivers on Thursday.
Angel Rondon—Rondon made his debut for the Cardinals on June 6, 2021, in an 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. He pitched the sixth inning in game started by John Gant, who only lasted four innings. The right-hander pitched to four batters in the inning. He allowed a single to Mike Freeman to lead off the inning, induced a fly out by Mark Payton, struck out Jonathan India looking on seven pitches for his first major league strikeout, and induced Jesse Winker to pop out in foul territory for the final out of the inning.
Kodi Whitley (10-day IL) —Whitley made his debut with the Cardinals on July 26, 2020 in a 5-1 loss to the Pirates at Busch Stadium. The right-hander pitched the seventh inning in a game started by Dakota Hudson. Whitley retired all three batters he faced on a ground out by Jacob Stallings, a lineout to CF by Erik Gonzalez, and then a swinging strike out of Adam Frazier on four pitches for his first major league punch out. Whitley made four appearances for St. Louis in 2020, two in July and two in September.
Seth Elledge—Elledge made his debut with the Cardinals on August 16, 2020 in a 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The right-hander entered the fifth inning in relief of Roel Ramirez in a game started by Dakota Hudson. Elledge got the final out of the inning by striking out Edwin Encarnacion looking on three pitches. This was Elledge’s first major league strikeout. Elledge returned to pitch a scoreless sixth inning, then struck out Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, and Yasmani Grandal, all swinging in the seventh inning.
Jordan Hicks—The unique debut of Jordan Hicks came on March 29, 2018, Opening Day of 2018. The game was a 9-4 loss against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Hicks made the opening day roster out of spring training in 2018 despite having never pitched an inning above the A+ level.
The hard throwing right-hander appeared in the seventh inning of a game started by Carlos Martinez. In his debut inning Hicks gave up an infield single to Brandon Nimmo, followed by a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Yoenis Cespedes. Hicks struck out his final batter, Jay Bruce, swinging on four pitches for his first major league strikeout. His slowest pitch was an 86.4 mph slider to Bruce. His fastest pitch was also to Bruce, a 101.6 mph sinker that was called for a ball.
Dakota Hudson—Hudson was not included in the starting pitcher segment because he has not appeared in a game in 2021 and was inadvertently left out. Hudson is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery he had late in the 2020 season. The last game he pitched in 2020 was on September 17. The right-hander made his debut with the Cardinals on July 28, 2018, in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Hudson made his debut out of the bullpen in relief of starter Miles Mikolas in the seventh inning. The right-hander pitched to three batters. He struck out Kyle Schwarber swinging on six pitches for his first major league strikeout. He followed that with a strikeout swinging of Ian Happ on five pitches. His last hitter, Victor Caratini, grounded out to third base.
Hudson pitched only out of the bullpen in 2018. His first start was on March 30, 2019, which was the third and final game of the season opening series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The Cardinals lost the game 4-2 and Hudson pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits, fanned six and walked two.
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