photo: Steven Matz (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 3-4 on the week and slid back into last place. Three pitchers have been traded while Steven Matz threw 12 shoutout innings. Our history feature on underperforming Cards teams looks back at the 72-90 squad from 1976.
The Cardinals trade three pitchers on Sunday
With only three days left before the trade deadline on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced during the game against the Cubs on Sunday that they had traded RHP Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays, and LHP Jordan Montgomery and RHP Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers.
The Cardinals have long been rumored to likely be sellers at the deadline and POBO John Mozeliak confirmed that after the All-Star Break. The likelihood of a trade was the highest for the players who were set to be free agents at the end of the season. These players are Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton.
On Sunday, the trades of three of those four were confirmed. The move of Hicks to the Blue Jays was announced first. Hicks, with whom the Cardinals had tried and failed to negotiate an extension, was sent to Toronto in exchange for minor league RHPs Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein.
Robberse, 22, who is from the Netherlands, was the No. 7 prospect in the Blue Jays system. Robberse has an ERA of 4.06 with 86 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings at Toronto’s Double-A affiliate the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Likewise, Kloffenstein, 22, played for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and has posted an ERA 3.25 with 105 strikeouts in 89 innings. Kloffenstein was ranked as Toronto’s No. 18 prospect.
Robberse and Kloffenstein have been assigned to the Memphis Redbirds.
In the second trade announced Sunday, the Cardinals sent Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton, plus international pool money to the Texas Rangers for INF Thomas Saggese, RHP Tekoah Roby, and LHP John King.
King, 28, is the only major league player acquired by St. Louis in either trade. King, a reliever, has spent time with both the Rangers and their Triple-A affiliate in 2023. In 18 2/3 innings with the Rangers, King has an ERA of 5.79. King will join the Cardinals bullpen.
Roby, 21, is currently rehabbing an injury and will continue that rehab in Jupiter, after which he will likely be sent to the Springfield Cardinals. Roby has a record of 2-3 with an ERA of 5.05 in 10 starts. While the ERA seems high, Roby has 50 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings.
At Double-A, Saggese, 21, is slashing .314/.380/.514 with 15 home runs and 78 RBI. Saggese was compared to Brendan Donovan by Mozeliak in a statement to the media after the trade. Saggese has also been assigned to the Springfield Cardinals.
The trade deadline is 5 pm CT on Tuesday. It is likely that more trades will be made, with Flaherty most likely headed somewhere else. The Cardinals have also reportedly discussed an extension with the right-hander, but initial signs were apparently not promising.
Other players for whom the Cardinals are rumored to be considering offers include Paul DeJong and Dylan Carlson. It is possible that several other pitchers from the bullpen could be traded, as well.
Game Recaps
Monday, July 24, 2023 – Cardinals 10 at Diamondbacks 6
The Cardinals defeated the Diamondbacks in the first of a three-game series in Phoenix. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out three and walked two.
Chris Stratton surrendered two runs in 2/3 innings of relief. JoJo Romero relinquished two runs in one inning pitched. Giovanny Gallegos threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his second win. Jordan Hicks tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run home run by former D-backs star Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona cut the lead to 2-1 in the home half of the first.
The Diamondbacks tied the game in the second. In the fourth, St. Louis regained the lead, at 4-2. Lars Nootbaar drew a walk. Jordan Walker doubled. Nootbaar scored on a sac fly by Dylan Carlson. Walker came in on a single by Taylor Motter.
The Cardinals made it 5-2 in the fifth on a solo home run by Nolan Arenado.
Arizona clawed back with two runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to lead 6-5. In the ninth, the Cardinals put up five runs to lead again 10-6. Paul DeJong singled. Willson Contreras walked. Brendan Donovan singled to load the bases. Goldschmidt singled to score DeJong. Nootbaar walked and Contreras came home. Tyler O’Neill hit a bases clearing double.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. DeJong was 2-for-3. O’Neill had three RBI.
Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – Cardinals 1 at Diamondbacks 3
The Cardinals lost to the Diamondbacks in the second of the three-game set in Phoenix. Starter Steven Matz pitched six scoreless innings, allowed five hits, struck out six and walked one.
JoJo Romero relieved Matz and surrendered two runs in the sixth and took the loss. Chris Stratton relinquished one run in the eighth.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the third inning. Brendan Donovan doubled, moved to third on a single by Paul Goldschmidt, and stole home for the Cardinals’ only run of the game.
The Cardinals held a 1-0 lead until the eighth inning, when the Diamondbacks scored three runs to take the lead and win the game.
The Cardinals accrued just one run on five hits. Willson Contreras was 2-for-4. The offense was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
On the base paths, Donovan stole his fifth base of the season. Goldschmidt swiped his ninth bag.
Wednesday, July 26, 2023 – Cardinals 11 at Diamondbacks 7
The Cardinals blew past the Diamondbacks in an 11-7 contest in the rubber match of the series. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched five innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked two.
Andre Pallante surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Giovanny Gallegos threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Andrew Suarez relinquished three runs in the final two innings.
The Cardinals scored first in the second inning on a solo home run by Nolan Gorman. St. Louis made it 2-0 in the top of the third. Brendan Donovan singled and later ran home on a wild pitch.
Arizona came back to tie the game in the home third.
The Cardinals regained the lead in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Lars Nootbaar. The Diamondbacks once again knotted it up in the bottom of the inning.
St. Louis added three runs in the top of the seventh to lead 6-3. Paul DeJong doubled and was driven in on a single by Andrew Knizner. Paul Goldschmidt then hit a two-run home run.
The Diamondbacks chipped away and made it 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh. The Cardinals opened it up with a five run eighth inning to make it 11-4. Tyler O’Neill doubled, and Gorman followed with a two-run long ball. Paul DeJong singled and Knizner hit another two-run home run. Donovan singled and scored on a single by Nootbaar.
Arizona added three runs in the ninth for the final score of 11-7.
Gorman was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Knizner was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Nootbaar was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Donovan was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. O’Neill was 2-for-5. DeJong was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Goldschmidt had two RBI.
Thursday, July 27, 2023 – Cardinals 3, Cubs 10
The Cardinals were blown out by the Cubs on Thursday in the first of a four-game series at Busch Stadium. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 2/3 innings (14 pitches), gave up one run and struck out one. Mikolas was ejected from the game following a hit by pitch of Ian Happ. The hit by pitch occurred after Happ struck Willson Contreras on the head with his bat on a back swing. Contreras left the game with a bleeding cut on his head. Mikolas took the loss.
Dakota Hudson came in to relieve Mikolas. The right hander pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on nine hits, struck out three and walked two. Andrew Suarez surrendered three runs in two innings pitched. Drew VerHagen relinquished one run in the final two innings.
The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. They added to their lead with two in the third, and one in the fourth to lead 6-0.
The Cardinals plated one run in the home half of the fourth on a solo home run by Andrew Knizner. The Cubs continued to pile on with one in the sixth and two in the seventh for a 9-1 lead.
The Cardinals cut the lead to 9-3 in the eighth on a two-run home run by Knizner. The Cubs scored their final run in the ninth.
Knizner was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Tyler O’Neill was 3-for-3.
In the field, Knizner had a passed ball.
Friday, July 28, 2023 – Cardinals 2, Cubs 3
The Cardinals were edged by the Cubs in the second of the four-game series on Friday. Starter Jordan Montgomery pitched in what would be his final game as a Cardinal. The left hander pitched six innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out three and walked four. Montgomery took the loss, his ninth of the season.
Giovanny Gallegos relieved Montgomery and threw a scoreless seventh. Andre Pallante hurled 2/3 scoreless innings. Chris Stratton tossed the final 1 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals scored first in the first inning on a solo home run by Lars Nootbaar. Nootbaar hit a second solo home run in third to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs came back with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to lead 3-2. Neither team scored further.
Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
On the base paths, Nolan Gorman stole his sixth base of the season. In the field, Tyler O’Neill had an outfield assist at home plate.
Saturday, July 29 – Cardinals 1 at Cubs 5
The Cardinals were defeated by the Cubs for the third straight game on Saturday. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched six innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three. Wainwright took the loss, his fifth of the season.
Drew VerHagen relieved Wainwright and surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Andre Pallante tossed the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the first inning. Brendan Donovan singled and later came home on a sac fly by Lars Nootbaar.
The Cubs posted two runs in each of the third and fourth innings, then one in the seventh for the 5-1 win.
The Cardinals offense scored one run on five singles. No Cardinal had multiple hits. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
Sunday, July 30 – Cardinals 3, Cubs 0
The Cardinals salvaged one of the four-game home set by blanking the Cubs 3-0 on Sunday. Starter Steven Matz pitched six scoreless innings, allowed four hits and struck out two to win his second game of the season.
Giovanny Gallegos relieved Matz and threw two scoreless innings. JoJo Romero tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his first save.
The Cardinals scored their runs early, starting with one run in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar doubled and was driven in by a single from Tyler O’Neill.
St. Louis scored twice in the second. Jordan Walker and Taylor Motter singled. Walker came home on a single by Andrew Knizner. Motter later crossed home on a single by Paul Goldschmidt.
Knizner was 2-for-3 with an RBI. No other Cardinal had multiple hits.
On the base paths, Walker stole his fifth base of the season.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 3-4. They won 2-of-3 at the Diamondbacks and lost 3-of-4 at home to the Cubs. The Cardinals are now back in last place in the NL Central with a record of 47-60.
As usual, pitching continues to haunt the Cardinals. As of Sunday, the starting rotation has been reduced by one and the bullpen reduced to two. Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, and Chris Stratton were traded away on Sunday.
Over the last seven days, the only starter with an ERA below 4.00 was Steven Matz. Since returning to the rotation after a stint in the bullpen, Matz has been much improved, including 12 scoreless innings this past week.
Miles Mikolas has had two short starts recently, one of which was cut short by rain and the other by an early ejection. His six-game suspension is under appeal. Adam Wainwright has been average at best and so has Jack Flaherty. Flaherty is likely the next pitcher to be traded.
The bullpen continues to be inconsistent. The best relievers in the last seven days have been Giovanny Gallegos, Jordan Hicks, and Andre Pallante. Hicks is now gone, traded to the Blue Jays. Chris Stratton has been dealt to the Texas Rangers along with Montgomery. Every other reliever has struggled, and some have been sent down to Memphis.
Hicks and Stratton will have to be replaced. One of the acquisitions in the Montgomery trade was a left-handed reliever named John King. One more pitcher needs to be added at the very least.
The offense has been fine if a little inconsistent over the last week. The top performers by OPS are Lars Nootbaar (1.577), Andrew Knizner (1.353), Tyler O’Neill (.959), Nolan Gorman (.944), Willson Contreras (.938) and Paul Goldschmidt (.825). At the bottom are Dylan Carlson (.258) and Nolan Arenado (.386). Arenado may have been spooked a little by the unfounded trade rumors to the Dodgers that received wide-spread media and fan speculation.
The defense and baserunning are fine for the most part. Jordan Walker still needs work defensively in the outfield.
In the coming week, the Cardinals play three with the Twins and three with the Rockies, all at home. The reduction in the pitching staff isn’t going to help the situation in the short term, but the team will just have to adjust. At this point it seems like trying to get out of last place and stay out is the only realistic goal for which to hope.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Cincinnati | 58 | 49 | 0.542 | |
| Milwaukee | 57 | 49 | 0.538 | 0.5 |
| Chicago | 53 | 52 | 0.505 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 47 | 58 | 0.448 | 10 |
| St. Louis | 47 | 60 | 0.439 | 11 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
The Cardinals made two trades on Sunday which are outlined above. Other players may be traded before Tuesday’s deadline. They include Jack Flaherty, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch reported interest from both the Marlins and Dodgers in Flaherty.
Goold also reported interest from several teams for Alec Burleson, but no specifics were provided.
Also drawing interest according to Goold are Dylan Carlson, from the Yankees. Goold also stated that the Cardinals are open to offers for Paul DeJong, Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley.
Transactions
- 7/24 The Cardinals selected the contract of LHP Andrew Suarez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/24 The Cardinals optioned C Ivan Herrera to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/24 The Cardinals optioned LHP Zach Thompson to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/24 The Cardinals activated RHP Adam Wainwright from the 15-day injured list.
- 7/26 The Cardinals released RHP Ryan Tepera
- 7/28 The Cardinals recalled LHP Matthew Liberatore from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/28 The Cardinals optioned LHP Andrew Suarez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/29 The Cardinals sent INF Tommy Edman on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/30 The Cardinals traded LHP Jordan Montgomery and RHP Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers for LHP John King, RHP Tekoah Roby, and INF Thomas Saggese.
- 7/30 The Cardinals traded RHP Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays for RHPs Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein.
Injury Report
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) remains on the 60-day injured list. Rodriguez is out for the season with shoulder surgery.
- LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on May 17. Naughton underwent season ending surgery on June 26.
- RHP Ryan Helsley (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on July 24. The earliest Helsley could return is August 11. Helsley threw a bullpen session on July 19 with no issues. Helsley will continue to build up and will require a rehab assignment before returning to the roster.
- RHP Jake Woodford was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 30. Right shoulder strain. Woodford felt pain in his shoulder after pitching in the game on Thursday, June 29. The timing of Woodford’s return is unknown.
- INF/OF Tommy Edman was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 4 with a right wrist injury. Tests showed no structural damage, and he was given an injection in his wrist. Edman began a rehab assignment in Memphis on Saturday. Edman may return to the roster on Tuesday for the Twins series.
- 2B Nolan Gorman was scratched from Sunday’s game due to low back tightness. No injured list move was made as of yet.
Looking Ahead
The month of August begins with a six game homestand with the Twins and the Rockies. Barring a trade, Jack Flaherty is scheduled to make the Tuesday start. No starters have been named for the remainder of the homestand.
The team then travels to Florida for three games with the Tampa Bay Rays. The road trip ends with a pair of games in Kansas City with the Royals.
The following week the team begins a six-game homestand with the Athletics and the Mets.
Another road trip begins on August 21 with three games in Pittsburgh and three in Philadelphia.
The month of August ends with three games with the Padres at Busch Stadium.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals have had one of the worst starts to a season in 50 years, which stands out even more since they have been one of the most consistent franchises in terms of winning seasons over the history of major league baseball. Nevertheless, St. Louis had prior periods of underperforming.
This week’s Blast from the Past is the seventh installment in the series showcasing the worst seasons in the franchise’s long history.
The current Cardinals are 47-60 with a win percentage of .439. This week we look at the 1976 Cardinals, which ended the season with a record of 72-90 and a win percentage of .444.
The 1976 Cardinals were owned by Gussie Busch. The General Manager was Bing Devine. The team finished the season fifth in the NL East.
The 1976 Cardinals were managed by Red Schoendienst. This was Schoendienst’s last season as the full-time manager of the Cardinals. Later, he was the interim manager in 1980 and 1990.
The primary starters in 1976 were C Ted Simmons, 1B Keith Hernandez, 2B Mike Tyson, SS Don Kessinger, 3B Hector Cruz, LF Lou Brock, CF Jerry Mumphrey and RF Willie Crawford.
The best offensive player was Hernandez, who slashed .289/.376/.428 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. Next was Crawford, with a slash line of .304/.360/.441 with nine homers and 50 RBI.
The starting rotation consisted of Pete Falcone, John Denny, Lynn McGlothen and Bob Forsch. Two pitchers, Eric Rasmussen and John Curtis, served as both starters and relievers, posting 17 and 15 starts respectively.
Of the four full time starters, Denny had the best ERA at 2.52. McGlothen’s FIP of 3.29 was the best.
The 1976 team spent only one day in first place, on April 9. That was also the only day they had a record over .500.
Their longest winning streak was four games, and their longest losing streak was five games.
The 1976 Cardinals did not score 14 times and shut out their opponents 15 times. They had 32 comeback wins and 40 blown leads.
The team had four walk off wins, and 10 walk off losses.
They had winning records against four teams, the Braves, the Expos, the Padres, and the Giants. They tied with the Reds and the Mets.
The Cardinals concluded the year 29 games back of the first place Philadelphia Phillies. They ended the season fifth of six teams. The sixth-place team was the Montreal Expos which finished 46 games back of the Phillies.
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