photo: Willson Contreras (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
Behind better starting pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals won two series against winning teams to return to .500 for the season. However, the club suffered a major blow with a hand injury to top hitter, catcher Willson Contreras. Our history feature highlights four former Cardinals who played with at least nine MLB teams.
Game recaps
Monday, August 19, 2024 – Off day
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – Cardinals 2, Brewers 3
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals were edged by the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Erick Fedde started for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on six hits, struck out two and walked four. Fedde took the loss.
Shawn Armstrong relieved Fedde and threw a scoreless inning. John King surrendered one run in 2/3 of a relief inning. Kyle Leahy tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Milwaukee went up 1-0 in the second inning. They added a run in the fifth and made it 3-0 in the top of the eighth.
St. Louis was kept off the board until the home eighth. The Cardinals rallied to score two runs to cut the lead to 3-2. Lars Nootbaar led off with a single before Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run to right field.
Neither team scored in the ninth, making the final score 3-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on six hits. No Cardinal had multiples. Carpenter drove in two.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 – Cardinals 10, Brewers 5 (10 innings)
The Cardinals bounced back to beat the Brewers 10-6 in the second game of the series. Kyle Gibson took the mound for St. Louis and pitched 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits, fanned five and walked two.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Gibson and surrendered two runs in one inning. JoJo Romero allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning. Andrew Kittredge also gave up one run while collecting two outs. Matthew Liberatore threw a scoreless inning. Shawn Armstrong secured the final out of the ninth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless 10th to earn the win.
The Cardinals scored first with two runs in the fourth inning to lead 2-0. Nolan Arenado led off with a double. Lars Nootbaar followed with a single. Matt Carpenter received a free pass to load the bases. Tommy Pham plated Arenado on a sac fly. Nootbaar came home on a single by Masyn Winn.
The Brewers came back with single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game. They added two runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead 4-2.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home seventh to tie the game up again. Alec Burleson doubled and Luken Baker hit a pinch hit, two-run home run to left center field.
Milwaukee scored two runs in the eighth to retake the lead 6-4. The Cardinals rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game a third time at 6-6. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. José Fermín doubled. Nootbaar drew a walk. Victor Scott II pinch ran for Nootbaar. Matt Carpenter walked to score Contreras. Fermín came home on a walk to Tommy Pham.
The Brewers failed to score in the top of the 10th inning. In the home half of the 10th, Winn began on second base. Contreras was intentionally walked. Fermín walked. With the bases juiced, Nolan Arenado blasted a grand slam to left field to give the Cardinals a 10-6 walk off win.
St. Louis scored 10 runs on 13 hits. Arenado was 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 3-for-6 with an RBI. Baker and Pham each had two RBI.
Carpenter was caught stealing. Arenado dropped a foul ball. Contreras had a passed ball.
Thursday, August 22, 2024 – Cardinals 3, Brewers 0
The Cardinals blanked the Brewers 3-0 to take the third game and the series on Thursday. Miles Mikolas was on the bump and pitched a good game. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings with two hits allowed, struck out three and issued one free pass.
Andrew Kittredge relieved Mikolas and pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 39th save.
The game was a scoreless pitcher’s duel until the Cardinals broke through in the seventh inning with three runs. Victor Scott II, Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson singled to load the bases. Contreras walked to bring home Scott. Brendan Donovan flied into a force out that plated Winn and took out Contreras at second. Nolan Arenado drove in Burleson on a single.
The offense scored three runs on nine hits. Winn was 2-for-5. Burleson was 2-for-3. Scott was 3-for-4.
Scott stole his third major league base. Arenado made a throwing error.
Friday, August 23, 2024 – Cardinals 6 at Twins 1
The Cardinals won their third game in a row with a 6-1 win over the Twins in Minnesota. Andre Pallante pitched a gem, going seven innings with one run allowed on five hits. The right-hander fanned five and walked two to earn his sixth win.
John King relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. From there on it was all St. Louis. The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Matt Carpenter walked but was out at second on a force out by Victor Scott. Scott stole second base. Masyn Winn plated Scott on a single.
St. Louis made it 3-1 in the third. Willson Contreras led off with a double. Brendan Donovan walked. Contreras and Donovan executed a double steal. Lars Nootbaar drove in Contreras and Donovan with a double.
The Cardinals added a run in the sixth to increase the lead to 4-1 on a solo home run by Donovan. Two runs came home in the eighth for a 6-1 lead. Nolan Arenado and Nootbaar singled before Luken Baker received a free pass to load the bases. Scott walked and Arenado scored. Winn drove in Nootbaar on a sac fly.
The Cardinals scored six runs on nine hits. Winn was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Contreras was 3-for-5.
St. Louis was busy on the bases. Scott stole his fourth for the Cardinals. Contreras swiped his fourth bag. Donovan stole his fourth base and Paul Goldschmidt stole his eighth.
Saturday, August 24, 2024 – Cardinals 0 at Twins 6
The Cardinals took a 6-0 loss to the Twins in the second game of the series. Sonny Gray took the mound against his former team and pitched six innings. The right-hander gave up five runs on seven hits, including two long balls. He fanned seven, walked two and suffered his ninth loss of the season.
Matthew Liberatore relieved Gray and threw a scoreless seventh. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in the ninth.
The Twins scored four runs in the third to lead 4-0. They added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings to win 6-0.
The Cardinals offense scattered five hits including doubles by Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott, and Paul Goldschmidt. The team was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Scott was picked off third base.
Sunday, August 25, 2026 – Cardinals 3 at Twins 2
The Cardinals recovered from the shutout of the day before to defeat the Twins in a one run game to win the series on Sunday. Erick Fedde started and pitched six innings, gave up one run on two hits, fanned seven and walked three.
Andrew Kittredge relieved Fedde and threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. Shawn Armstrong hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning for the win. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his MLB-leading 40th save.
Minnesota took 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth on a solo home run by Victor Scott.
The Twins retook the lead 2-1 in the eighth. St. Louis rallied for two runs in the ninth to lead and win the game 3-2. Nolan Arenado singled. José Fermín pinch ran. Brendan Donovan reached on a fielder’s choice with an error. That set up Lars Nootbaar, who plated Fermín and Donovan with the decisive single.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Arenado was 2-for-4. Pedro Pagés was 2-for-4. Nootbaar had two RBI.
Scott made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a 4-2 week, winning series against two winning teams – the Brewers and the Twins. They are back at .500 with a 65-65 record and remain in second place in the Division, 10 games behind the Brewers.
With five weeks left in the season, it would take way more than the Cardinals have shown to get close enough to the Brewers to take the Division.
A Wild Card spot is the most they can hope for and at the present are five games out of the Wild Card, tied for that spot with the Giants. They will have to jump over three teams – the Giants, Mets and Braves – just to earn the third spot in the Wild Card. The Cardinals do not have any head-to-head games with either the Mets or Braves but do have one series left with the Giants. It is the final series of the season.
The offense has improved some from the previous week, but several key players are still unable to produce. These include Paul Goldschmidt, with a seven-day OPS of .364 and Brendan Donovan, with a seven-day OPS of .394. One of the low OPS players from last week, Nolan Gorman, has been demoted to Triple-A. The Cardinals’ newest acquisition, Tommy Pham, is also in the basement (.434).
The top performers for the week by OPS are José Fermín (3.000 in one AB), Luken Baker (1.571 in 4 ABs), Victor Scott (1.185) and Nolan Arenado (.945). Next closest is Willson Contreras (.808) who just went on the IL with a fractured finger suffered on Saturday when he was hit by a pitch on his right hand. Lars Nootbaar, who has struggled since coming off the IL, is doing better, with a .749 OPS due to several key hits over the last week.
The pitching is also somewhat better, though Sonny Gray continues to struggle with the long ball. In his last start against his former Twins team, he surrendered two of the long ball variety. He is also the only starter with an ERA over 4.00 for the week, with an ERA of 7.50.
Struggling Miles Mikolas had his best start in a long time and the team’s best start of the week (0.00), a scoreless outing against the Brewers on Wednesday. Next in line was Andre Pallante (1.29), Erick Fedde (2.31), and Kyle Gibson (3.38).
The bullpen had a few hiccups, particularly JoJo Romero (9.00), Ryan Fernandez (9.00) and John King (5.40).
The Cardinals begin the week at home with a four-game series against the Padres. The Padres currently occupy the second wild card spot and the Cardinals could gain some ground winning that series.
After the brief homestand, the Cardinals go to New York to play the Yankees. The Yankees lead the AL East Division, with the Baltimore Orioles only one game behind. Both series will be very tough.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 75 | 55 | 0.577 | ||
| St. Louis | 65 | 65 | 0.500 | 10 | 5 |
| Chicago | 65 | 66 | 0.496 | 10.5 | 5.5 |
| Cincinnati | 63 | 68 | 0.481 | 12.5 | 7.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 62 | 68 | 0.477 | 13 | 8 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/20 The Cardinals optioned OF Jordan Walker to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/20 The Cardinals recalled 1B Luken Baker from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/20 The Cardinals activated DH Matt Carpenter from the 10-day injured list.
- 8/20 The Cardinals released SS Brandon Crawford.
- 8/21 The Cardinals optioned 2B Nolan Gorman to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/21 The Cardinals recalled SS José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/25 The Cardinals recalled C Iván Herrera from the Memphis Redbirds.
When coming back from injury on July 4, Herrera lost his job as Contreras’ back up to Pedro Pages. During that time with Memphis, Herrera went 26-for-93 (.280) with five home runs and 16 RBI in 27 Triple-A games.
- 8/25 The Cardinals placed C Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list. Fractured right middle finger.
St. Louis’ OPS leader for the second consecutive year moves to the IL with an injury for the second time in 2024 (forearm previously). There is no timetable for Contreras’ return, but the season has just 32 games remaining and the club will be missing their best hitter down the crucial stretch. There is no way to spin this positively.
Injury Report
- RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right-hander will 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.
- LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Matz is currently on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds and is set to make his final rehab start on Monday, August 27 with a return to the roster expected shortly thereafter.
- CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 4. Siani was cleared to swing a bat on August 16. Siani will take live batting practice on Sunday, August 26 with the expectation that he will begin a rehab assignment on Monday, August 27.
- RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31. Lynn is set to pitch a second live batting practice on August 26. Absent any issues, Lynn is expected to return sometime during that week.
- DH Matt Carpenter was activated from the 10-day injured list.
- C Willson Contreras (fractured right middle finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 25. Contreras was hit by a pitch on his right hand during an at bat in Saturday’s game against the Twins. No timetable on his expected return has been reported.
Looking Ahead
Following the series at the Twins, the Cardinals return to St. Louis for four games with manager Mike Shildt and the San Diego Padres.
The team leaves again this time to New York for three with the Yankees to end August. The final series of the road trip is with the Brewers in Milwaukee.
After an off day on Thursday, September 5, the Cardinals face the Mariners in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. Following a Monday off day, the homestand ends with three games with the Reds.
The Cardinals then travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays in a three game weekend series. The team follows that with a return to St. Louis to begin their final homestand on Monday September 16 for four with the Pirates.
The homestand concludes with three games against the Guardians.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past continues the series that showcases former Cardinals who played for many teams in their career.
The Cardinals recently acquired former Cardinal Tommy Pham in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. Pham began his major league career with St. Louis in 2014 and remained for four seasons before being traded in 2018. Since then, Pham has played for seven additional teams prior to his return in July.
This series looks at players who at one time played for the Cardinals and at least eight other teams in their careers. These players did not necessarily start with the Cardinals nor play for them more than once. A career arc like that of Tommy Pham is a rare feat.
This third installment of the series spotlights four players who played for nine teams in their career. The name of the player, the dates he played for the Cardinals, and his other teams are noted.
Blaine Boyer – The pitcher was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and began his major league career with them in 2005. The Cardinals acquired Boyer in a trade with the Braves in 2009 in exchange for outfielder Brian Barton.
Boyer’s major league stint with the Cardinals was very brief. He was acquired on April 20, 2009 and appeared in 15 games for St. Louis. He was designated for assignment on June 4, 2009.
Boyer returned to the Cardinals on a minor league contract two years later, on July 5, 2011. He pitched for the Memphis Redbirds and was released on August 13, 2011.
The teams with which Boyer played are the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals.
Miguel Cairo – This Venezuelan infielder was originally signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he did not reach the majors with them. The Dodgers traded Cairo to the Toronto Blue Jays on November 29, 1995. Cairo made his debut with Toronto on April 17, 1996.
The Cardinals acquired Cairo off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on August 10, 2001. Cairo remained with the Cardinals through the 2003 season. He appeared in the postseason for the first time in his career with the Cardinals in 2001. He played in all three games of 2001 NLDS against Arizona. He also appeared in the postseason in 2002, two games of the NLDS and three games of the NLCS.
Cairo became a free agent after the 2003 season. He made a brief return to the Cardinals late in the 2007 season after more than three seasons with the Yankees.
The teams Cairo played for are the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs (twice), Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals (twice), New York Yankees (twice), New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds.
Cairo managed the Chicago White Sox in 2022 on an interim basis after Tony La Russa stepped down for health reasons. He is currently the bench coach for the Washington Nationals.
José Cardenal – Cardenal was born in Cuba. The outfielder began his major league career with the San Francisco Giants in 1963.
The Cardinals acquired Cardenal in a trade with the Cleveland Indians on November 21, 1969 for Vada Pinson. Cardenal played for the Cardinals in the 1970 season and the first half of 1971.
The Cardinals traded Cardenal to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 29, 1971 for Ted Kubiak and a minor league player.
The teams Cardenal played with are the San Francisco Giants, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals.
Cardenal returned to the Cardinals as a coach from 1994-1995. He also coached for the Cincinnati Reds (twice), New York Yankees, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He also held an advisory position with the Washington Nationals from 2005-2009.
Zach Duke – Duke was a 20th round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He debuted with the Pirates on July 2, 2005.
Duke was a Pirate for six seasons. The Cardinals acquired him in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Charlie Tilson on July 21, 2016. Duke pitched out of the bullpen for the remainder of that season. Duke had offseason forearm surgery and returned to the Cardinals on July 21, 2017.
Duke became a free agent following the 2017 season.
The teams Duke played for are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds (twice), Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Whie Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners.
Duke was released from his second stint with the Reds on July 6, 2019 and did not return to MLB.
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