photo: Miles Mikolas (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)
Behind solid pitching, the 4-2 St. Louis Cardinals narrowly won two series over division rivals. Miles Mikolas threw 13 1/3 innings, yielding just one run. Our rewind feature highlights the history of the prior June 15 trade deadline and key moves made by the Cardinals.
Game recaps
Monday, June 10, 2024 – Off day
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 – Cardinals 1, Pirates 2
On Monday, in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates by one run. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed one hit, struck out six and walked one.
JoJo Romero relieved Mikolas and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley surrendered two runs in the ninth and took the loss, his third of the season.
The game was scoreless until the ninth inning.
The Cardinals managed to rally for one run to avoid the shutout on a solo home run by Nolan Gorman. The Cardinals were unable to figure out Pirates rookie ace Paul Skenes, who kept them off the board for 6 1/3 innings. The Pirates bullpen did the rest until closer David Bednar gave up the Gorman long ball.
The offense scattered eight hits, including the Gorman home run. Alec Burleson was 3-for-4. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4. They were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 2
The Cardinals turned it around and defeated the Pirates 4-2 in the second game of the series on Wednesday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched seven innings, gave up one run on four hits, struck out nine and walked one to earn his eighth win of the season.
Andrew Kittredge relieved Gray and surrendered one run in the eighth. Ryan Helsley bounced back from his Tuesday struggles and tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 22nd save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Paul Goldschmidt singled and scored on a double by Nolan Arenado. St Louis added two runs in the fourth to lead 3-0. Iván Herrera and Brendan Donovan singled. Dylan Carlson plated Herrera on a single. Michael Siani advanced the runners on a bunt. Donovan came home on a force out by Masyn Winn.
Pittsburgh scored their first run in the top of the fifth. The Cardinals answered with a run in the home fifth to increase the lead to 4-1. Arenado and Herrera singled. Arenado was driven in by a single by Donovan.
The Pirates added a run in the eighth to shrink the lead to 4-2.
The offense scored four runs on 11 hits. Arenado was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Herrera was 3-for-4. Donovan was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
On the bases, Herrera stole his third base of the season. Donovan swiped his first bag. On defense, Herrera made a throwing error.
Thursday, June 13, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 3
On Thursday, the Cardinals edged the Pirates to take the series. Starter Lance Lynn pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out five and walked three.
John King threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Chris Roycroft hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning and received his first major league win. Matthew Liberatore pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryan Fernandez and Andrew Kittredge tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth. With Helsley having pitched the two prior nights, Kittredge earned his first save.
St. Louis went up 2-0 in the third inning. Masyn Winn tripled and scored on a two-run home run by Paul Goldschmidt. The Cardinals added a run in the fourth. José Fermín tripled and came home on a single by Pedro Pagés. The Cardinals led 3-0.
Pittsburgh came back to tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning. In the sixth, the Cardinals recaptured the lead on a solo home run by Brendan Donovan.
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. Winn was 2-for-4. Fermín was 2-for-3. Goldschmidt had two RBI.
Michael Siani stole his seventh base of the season.
Friday, June 14, 2024 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 0
The Cardinals met the Cubs at Wrigley Field for a three-game series. In the opener, the Cardinals blanked the Cubs 3-0. Starter Kyle Gibson pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one to earn his fifth win of the season.
Ryan Fernandez threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. JoJo Romero followed with 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a clean ninth to earn his 23rd save.
The game was 0-0 until the eighth inning, when Pedro Pagés hit a solo home run, the first of his career.
St. Louis added two insurance runs in the ninth. Nolan Arenado doubled. Iván Herrera plated Arenado on a double. Herrera came home on a single by Dylan Carlson.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Carlson was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Herrera stole his fourth base of the season.
Saturday, June 15, 2024 – Cardinals 1 at Cubs 5
The Cardinals fell to the Cubs in the second game of the series by the score of 5-1. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 3 1/3 innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out four. Pallante took the loss.
Chris Roycroft threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief but allowed the two Pallante inherited runners to score on two singles. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. John King yielded two runs in 2/3 innings. Matthew Liberatore tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the top of the fourth. Alec Burleson doubled and later came home on a sac fly by Nolan Arenado.
The Cubs answered with two runs in the home fourth and added three runs in the seventh for a 5-1 lead.
St. Lous’ offense scored one run on four hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits.
On defense, Roycroft made a fielding error.
Sunday, June 16, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Cubs 1
The Cardinals won the final game of the series by the skin of their teeth to take the series in Chicago. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 6 1/3 innings, gave up one run on four hits and struck out five to earn his fifth win of the season.
Ryan Fernandez threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. Andrew Kittredge hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
The Cardinals went up in the second inning on a two-run home run by Pedro Pagés. The Cubs scored their only run in the seventh.
St. Louis scored two runs on nine hits. Paul Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Pagés had two RBI.
On the bases, Nolan Gorman stole his third base of the season. Michael Siani was picked off first base.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 4-2. They won 2 of 3 from both the Pirates and the Cubs. The 35-35 Cardinals are in second place in the NL Central, 6.5 games back of the Brewers.
Pitching was the main reason the Cardinals were able to win four games. The offense was once again mostly absent. The Cardinals currently maintain a run differential of -38 despite being in second place in the Division and holding the third NL Wild Card.
Why this seemingly talented offense continues to fail at producing runs in any substantial amount is a great mystery. In a stroke of luck, the Cardinals’ opponents this past week were two NL Central teams that also didn’t score runs in any substantial amount.
Three top performers for the last seven days by OPS included two bench players who play infrequently. They are Brandon Crawford (3.000 in one AB) and José Fermín (1.300 in five ABs). The third top performer was Iván Herrera (1.145), who is being supplanted behind the plate by a better defensive catcher in Pedro Pages.
At the bottom were Masyn Winn (.480), Dylan Carlson (.462), Michael Siani (.428), Nolan Gorman (.291) and Matt Carpenter (.000 in two ABs).
The pitching was good over the week for the most part. Four of the five starters had ERAs under 4.00 for the week. They were Kyle Gibson (0.00), Miles Mikolas (0.68), Sonny Gray (1.29) and Andre Pallante (2.70). Only Lance Lynn had a subpar outing during the week.
The offense must improve soon or the Cardinals cannot succeed over the long term. As good as the pitching has been, it can’t carry the season.
The Cardinals have had a break with the schedule over the last few series, playing sub .500 teams like the Rockies, Pirates and Cubs. That trend will continue with series against the Marlins and the Giants this coming week. Beating up on lesser teams, however, has not proved to be a panacea, and the chickens will come home to roost at some point.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 42 | 29 | 0.592 | |
| St. Louis | 35 | 35 | 0.500 | 6.5 |
| Cincinnati | 34 | 37 | 0.479 | 8 |
| Pittsburgh | 34 | 37 | 0.479 | 8 |
| Chicago | 34 | 38 | 0.472 | 8.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 6/11 The Cardinals sent RHP Giovanny Gallegos on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 6/11 The Cardinals sent LHP Steven Matz on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 6/16 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Loutos from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/16 The Cardinals placed RHP Kyle Gibson on the Bereavement List.
Due to a death in the family, starter Kyle Gibson has left the team for a period defined by MLB to be between three and seven days. At this point, it is unclear whether the right-hander will return in time to make his next start.
Reliever Ryan Loutos was recalled from Memphis to replace Gibson on the active roster.
Injury Report
- CF Tommy Edman (arthroscopic wrist surgery) was transferred to the 60-day injured list from the 15-day injured list on May 6. Edman is relocating his rehab to the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter in preparation for getting into some games there for either the FCL Cardinals, the Palm Beach Cardinals, or both.
- RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 25. Middleton is set to undergo season ending forearm surgery. The right hander did not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
- LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left hander is expected to be out until at least September.
- RHP Riley O’Brien (right forearm flexor strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on May 10. O’Brien will be sent on a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
- LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 3, retroactive to May 1. Matz made a successful rehab start with the Springfield Cardinals on Sunday. The timing of his St. Louis return is unclear.
- RHP Giovanny Gallegos (right shoulder impingement). Gallegos was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 6. Gallegos is currently on a rehab assignment but has not pitched well, including yielding three runs his most recent time out.
- C Willson Contreras (left arm fracture) was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 8. Contreras is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
- OF Lars Nootbaar (left oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 30. Nootbaar. The outfielder will be out for several weeks with a moderate oblique strain. His return time is uncertain.
- RHP Nick Robertson (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to May 23. His return time is uncertain.
- SS Brandon Crawford was removed during his at-bat in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game with a left hamstring cramp. Crawford is not expected to miss any time.
Looking Ahead
Following the series at Wrigley Field, the road trip ends at Loan Depot Park in Miami for three against the Marlins. Sonny Gray will make the Monday start, followed by Lance Lynn on Tuesday, and Kyle Gibson (if back from his leave) on Wednesday.
The Cardinals will play the Giants in the annual Field of Dreams game on Thursday, June 20 at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama, rather than the Field of Dreams field in Dyersville, Iowa. That field is undergoing major renovations.
The Cardinals will finish the three-game series with the Giants at Busch Stadium after an off-day Friday. The homestand then continues with three against the Atlanta Braves and a four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds to end the month of June.
The Cardinals begin July with a three-game series in Pittsburgh with the Pirates beginning Tuesday July 2. That series is followed by a weekend set against the Nationals in Washington.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will cover a brief history of the MLB trade deadline. Though the current trade deadline is still more than a month away, in the past the deadline was earlier. From 1923 through the end of the 1985 season, the trade deadline was on June 15.
The following is a brief history of when and why the trade deadline came to be and the various changes that have occurred since its origination. Also included are some notable Cardinals trades that occurred on June 15 in past years.
Prior to 1920, MLB had no trade deadline. Teams acquired players from other teams by purchasing them. In the American League, this practice was very prevalent among a handful of teams. Two teams in particular, the New York Yankees and the New York Giants, made most of these purchases. The Yankees frequently bought players from the Boston Red Sox. The issue back then, which continues to this day, is that the bigger market, richer teams, had a huge advantage over the smaller market, less financially well-off teams. The problem came to a head indirectly due to the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees by the Red Sox.
After that, the American League instituted a rule in 1920 that prohibited the buying and selling of players between August 1 and the end of the World Series.
Prior to the 1923 season, the Commissioner of Baseball, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, ordered the creation of a uniform rule that applied to both leagues. The rule set a trade deadline of June 15. This rule allowed the trade of players between teams between the beginning of the season and June 15 and remained in effect through the 1985 season.
Several notable trades made by the Cardinals on the June 15 deadline include the infamous acquisition of future Hall of Famer Lou Brock from the Cubs. The 1964 trade sent Brock, Jack Spring, and Paul Toth to the Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens, and Bobby Shantz.
A key June 15 trade that was imbalanced in the other direction was the Cardinals sending future team Hall of Fame first baseman Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets for right-handed pitchers Rick Owenby and Neil Allen. This trade happened on June 15, 1983.
In 1986, by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement agreed to after the 1985 strike, the trade deadline was moved from June 15 to July 31.
The July 31 deadline was in place until the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement that occurred because of a lockout, which modified the terms of the rule. Under the current CBA, the trade deadline can be any date between July 28 and August 3.
In 2023 the trade deadline was August 1 at 6 pm ET. In 2024, the trade deadline will be July 30 at 6 pm ET.
The current CBA expires on December 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm. The current trade deadline flexibility will remain in effect until then. It could possibly change again in future CBAs or it may remain the same.
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