photo: Jordan Montgomery (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals concluded a 2-8 road trip by being swept in Los Angeles and end the month in last place, 10 games behind Pittsburgh. Lacking support, Jordan Montgomery took two losses despite allowing just two runs, one earned, in 12 2/3 innings. Our history segment features assistant pitching coach Julio Rangel.
Game Recaps
Monday, April 24, 2023 – Cardinals 0 at Giants 4
The St. Louis Cardinals were blanked by the Giants in the opener of a four-game series in San Francisco on Monday. Starter Jordan Montgomery pitched six innings, gave up one unearned run on five hits, struck out six and walked one. Montgomery took the loss, his third of the season.
Drew VerHagen relieved Montgomery and surrendered three runs in the seventh. Jordan Hicks tossed a scoreless eighth.
The game was 0-0 until the seventh inning. With Montgomery still on the mound, Tommy Edman committed an error that allowed the leadoff hitter to reach. Montgomery was lifted for VerHagen, who proceeded to give up four runs, the first charged to Montgomery. Those runs decided the game.
The Cardinals offense was tepid against Giants starter Alex Cobb. They scattered six hits which included doubles by Paul Goldschmidt and Lars Nootbaar. The remaining hits were singles, two off the bat of Brendan Donovan.
Edman’s fielding error was the only Cardinal miscue.
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – Cardinals 4 at Giants 5
The Cardinals scored in Game 2 on Tuesday, but not enough to win. Jake Woodford started and pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out four and walked one.
Genesis Cabrera relieved and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos tossed a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth and surrendered three runs as the Giants took a walk off victory. Helsley received the loss, his second.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the second before the Cardinals came right back to tie it in the third on a solo home run by Tommy Edman.
The Giants retook the lead in the fourth, 2-1. In the eighth, St. Louis put up three runs that began with singles by Dylan Carlson and Paul DeJong. Edman grounded into a force out that eliminated DeJong. Tyler O’Neill doubled to score Carlson. Paul Goldschmidt singled to plate Edman and O’Neill.
With a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, Helsley gave up a single and a double. After retiring the next two hitters, the closer threw a handling slider that left the park for a three-run home run.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Willson Contreras was 2-for-4. Carlson was 2-for-3.
Carlson made a fielding error. Contreras had a throwing miscue. Lars Nootbaar had an outfield assist at second base.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 – Cardinals 3 at Giants 7
On Wednesday, the Cardinals fell to the Giants for the third straight game in San Francisco. Starter Steven Matz pitched four innings, gave up two runs on six hits, struck out three and walked three.
Jordan Hicks surrendered one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Zack Thompson relinquished two runs in an inning pitched. Chris Stratton allowed two runs in the final 1 2/3 innings. Hicks received the loss.
The Cardinals took the lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt. St. Louis increased the lead to 2-0 in the third on another solo home by Goldschmidt.
The Giants tied the score in the fourth, then took a 3-2 lead in the fifth. San Francisco added two runs in the seventh, and two more in the eighth for a 7-2 lead.
In the ninth, the Cardinals rallied for one more run. Alec Burleson and Tyler O’Neill walked, but O’Neill was out at second on Brendan Donovan’s force out. Paul DeJong doubled, and Burleson scored. A Goldschmidt double play ended the rally and the game.
Goldschmidt was 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. DeJong was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On the basepaths, Willson Contreras was caught stealing. Lars Nootbaar made a fielding error.
Thursday, April 27, 2023 – Cardinals 6 at Giants 0
After three straight losses, the Cardinals avoided being swept by blanking the Giants, 6-0. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two to win his first game of the season.
Genesis Cabrera relieved and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Drew VerHagen tossed a scoreless ninth.
The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when Alec Burleson hit a solo home run. Paul DeJong and Tyler O’Neill singled. Tommy Edman singled to score DeJong and the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead.
In the eighth, Nolan Gorman singled, but was out at second as Nolan Arenado grounded out. Dylan Carlson doubled to score Arenado. DeJong hit a two-run long ball and the Cardinals’ lead increased to 5-0.
Edman doubled to start the ninth. Lars Nootbaar followed with a single. Edman scored on a force out by Paul Goldschmidt and Nootbaar was out at second. The Cardinals were ahead 6-0. The Giants did not score in the bottom of the ninth.
DeJong was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Edman was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5.
On the base paths, Edman stole his third base of the season.
Friday, April 28, 2023 – Cardinals 3 at Dodgers 7
The Cardinals moved on to Los Angeles to end the road trip with a three-game set at Dodger Stadium. They dropped the first game of the series on Friday. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, struck out seven and walked two. Flaherty suffered his third loss of the season.
JoJo Romero surrendered one run in two innings of relief. Chris Stratton threw 1 1/3 innings and allowed one run.
The Cardinals scored in the top of the first inning. Lars Nootbaar drew a walk. Paul Goldschmidt doubled, advancing Nootbaar to third from where he scored on a wild pitch. Willson Contreras plated Goldschmidt on a sac fly and the Cardinals led 2-0.
The Dodgers quickly tied it in the home half of the first, then took the lead in the third 4-2. Los Angeles added a run in the fifth to make it 5-2, and two more in the seventh to go up 7-2.
The Cardinals scored their third and final run in the ninth. Paul DeJong walked. Dylan Carlson singled, and Nootbaar singled to plate DeJong.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Brendan Donovan was 2-for-3. Nootbaar and Contreras drove in a run each.
On the base paths, Nolan Gorman, Nootbaar, and Goldschmidt each stole a base. In the field, Contreras was tagged with catcher interference and Nootbaar made a fielding error.
Saturday, April 29, 2023 – Cardinals 0 at Dodgers 1
The Cardinals fell further into the basement of the NL Central with a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday. Starter Jordan Montgomery pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up one run on five hits, struck out seven and walked two to suffer his fourth loss of the season.
Jordan Hicks relieved Montgomery and threw a scoreless inning. Genesis Cabrera secured the final out of the eighth.
St. Louis’ offense put up a big goose egg for nine innings. The lineup scattered three hits, all singles. The Dodgers scored their only run in the second, but it was enough to win.
No Cardinal had multiple hits and no Cardinal had an RBI. Montgomery pitched well but his offense gave him no support.
Sunday, April 30, 2023 – Cardinals 3 at Dodgers 6
The Cardinals were swept by Dodgers thanks to a 6-3 loss in Game 3 of the series on Sunday. Starter Jake Woodford pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out two and walked three.
Zack Thompson relieved and surrendered two runs in 2/3 of an inning for the loss. Drew VerHagen threw a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos relinquished one run in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Helsley tossed the final scoreless 2/3 of an inning.
The Cardinals got off to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. Willson Contreras singled and Alec Burleson doubled. Contreras scored on a sac fly by Dylan Carlson. Brendan Donovan singled to plate Burleson.
The Dodgers made it 2-1 in the home half of the second, then went up 3-2 in the fourth. The Cardinals tied it in the top of the fifth on a Tommy Edman double followed by a Lars Nootbaar single. After that the wheels came off the bus.
The Dodgers retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth with two runs to make it 5-3. Another run came in the eighth to make it 6-3.
The Cardinals failed to get any traction offensively after the fifth. Once again, the Cardinals established an early lead but failed to keep it.
Donovan and Contreras were 2-for-4. The former drove in one run and the latter scored one. with an RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 and scored a run.
The good news is that the Cardinals batted 1.000 with runners in scoring position. The bad news is that just two of them reached second base over the entire game, as Burleson and Edman doubled.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended a bad road trip with a record of 2-8. For the week they were 1-6. The record at the end of April is 10-19, the team’s worst start in 50 years. The Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central, 10 games back of Pittsburgh (yes, the Pirates). That is a large gap from which to try to come back, even with five months remaining to do it.
Nothing for this team is working – pitching, offense, or defense. Multiple errors in the outfield and infield proved costly. Defense has traditionally been the team strength, but it has failed.
When the pitching is good, the offense isn’t, and vice versa. The only win during the week, the last game against the Giants, was the only instance when it all worked. That feat wasn’t repeated in the Dodgers series.
The top offensive performers by OPS were Paul Goldschmidt (1.143), Dylan Carlson (.879), Paul DeJong (.826), and Tommy Edman (.807). At the bottom were Nolan Arenado (.160) and Nolan Gorman (.361). That the Nolans were at the bottom tells you all you need to know about how brutal this team’s offense has been.
The best starting pitching performances were from Miles Mikolas and Jordan Montgomery. Jack Flaherty, Steven Matz, and Jake Woodford struggled.
The bullpen highs were Genesis Cabrera, JoJo Romero, and Jordan Hicks. The lows were basically everyone else.
There is no rhyme or reason for this terrible start. Bad luck is part of it but not all. Trying to analyze it is an exercise in futility.
The Cardinals return home for a six-game homestand against the Angels and the Tigers, then it is back on the road again. Interleague play has not worked out well for the Cardinals historically. Maybe being back home will be a restorative. They can only hope.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Pittsburgh | 20 | 9 | 0.690 | |
| Milwaukee | 18 | 10 | 0.643 | 1.5 |
| Chicago | 14 | 13 | 0.519 | 5 |
| Cincinnati | 12 | 16 | 0.429 | 7.5 |
| St. Louis | 10 | 19 | 0.345 | 10 |
Broadcaster and Hall of Famer Mike Shannon passes away
Cardinal fans received sad news on Sunday, just hours before the team faced the Dodgers in the final game of the series.
Beloved broadcaster and former player Mike Shannon passed away on Sunday at the age of 83. The team announced the news shortly after noon.
Shannon has been a fixture in St. Louis for 60 years, 50 years as a Cardinals’ radio broadcaster and nine seasons wearing the uniform as a player.
The native of St. Louis signed with the Cardinals in 1958 and debuted on September 11, 1962. Shannon played third base and right field for St. Louis from 1962 through 1970. He was part of World Series championships in 1964 and 1967, and the pennant winning 1968 team that lost the World Series to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.
Shannon was forced to retire from baseball in 1970 due to kidney disease. After spending one year in the Cardinals’ front office, Shannon joined the radio booth, paired with the iconic Jack Buck for almost three decades.
Following Buck’s death in 2002, Shannon remained in the radio booth and was paired with various people, most recently John Rooney from 2006 until Shannon retired in 2021.
Shannon received various awards for his radio work, including an Emmy in 1985. He was named Missouri Sportscaster of the year in 2002 and 2003. Shannon was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.
Shannon’s signature home run call “Get up baby, get up, get up, oh yeah!” is a classic for Cardinals’ fans.
Shannon was preceded in death by his first wife, Judy, who passed in 2007. He is survived by his second wife, Lori and six children, Patricia, Michael, Erin, Peg, Daniel, and Timothy, 18 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
For more information.
Cardinals Hall of Famer Mike Shannon Passes at the Age of 83
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors.
Transactions
- 4/25 The Cardinals sent INF Taylor Motter outright to the Memphis Redbirds, but he declared free agency.
- 4/25 The Cardinals optioned RF Jordan Walker to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/26 The signed free agent INF Taylor Motter to a major league contract.
Injury Report
- RHP Adam Wainwright (groin strain) has been on the 15-day injured list since March 27. Wainwright made what could be his final rehab start with Memphis on Sunday, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) also went on the 15-day injured list effective March 27. Rodriguez was sent to Memphis on a rehab assignment and has made two appearances with two unearned runs scored. No timetable for his return has been reported.
- LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 8. Naughton had an MRI which showed no internal damage. His return is subject to when his forearm strain heals.
Looking Ahead
The 10-game road trip has mercifully ended. The month of May begins with a home stand at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals take on the Angels in a three-game set that begins on Tuesday. Steven Matz is scheduled for the Tuesday start, followed by Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty.
A weekend series with the Tigers follows. The team goes on the road again, beginning with three games at Wrigley Field.
After a travel day on Thursday, May 11, the Cardinals visit the Red Sox in a weekend series at Fenway Park.
A seven game homestand follows with three games against Milwaukee and a four-game set against the Dodgers.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past continues a series showcasing the major league coaching staff of the Cardinals. Each week we present a brief biography of one member of the coaching staff as well as a summary of the member’s playing career if applicable.
This seventh installment profiles Assistant Pitching Coach/Bullpen Julio Rangel. The duties of the Assistant Pitching Coach/Bullpen are to assist the Pitching Coach in preparing pitchers on pitch selection, hitting mechanics and the weaknesses of opposing hitters. A Bullpen Coach warms up relievers and assists in getting them ready for a game appearance.
Julio Cesar Rangel was born on September 28, 1975, in Panama City, Panama. He was signed by the New York Yankees and pitched in their minor league system for eight seasons. His last minor league season was 2000, but he also appeared in two games in the independent Northern League in 2002.
After his playing career, Rangel sold window blinds, then went into the banking business for four years while working on his degree in Business Administration.
Rangel’s coaching career began with the Cleveland Indians in 2007 as a Cultural Development Coordinator and Pitching Coordinator. Rangel was with the Indians through the 2015 season.
Rangel was hired in 2018 as the minor league pitching coordinator for the San Francisco Giants. In November 2018 Rangel was hired by the Texas Rangers as their Pitching Coach. Rangel had a successful season with the Rangers in 2019, but after a disappointing 2020 season, he was fired.
The Boston Red Sox hired Rangel in 2021 as minor league pitching coordinator. He spent 2021-2022 with that organization.
For 2023, Rangel became the Assistant Pitching Coach/Bullpen Coach for the Cardinals, replacing Bryan Eversgerd, who was reassigned within the organization.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.
© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.