photo: Brendan Donovan (Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 2-4 for the week. Utility man Brendan Donovan led the team with a .935 OPS, recording a hit in five of the six games in the past week. Our history feature looks at players who have made their major league debut from September 9-15.
Game recaps.
Monday, September 9, 2024 – Off day
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Cardinals 0, Reds 3
The Cardinals were blanked by the Reds in the first game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Andre Pallante got the start for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched five innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned six and walked five. Pallante took the loss.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless 1/3 of an inning. John King followed with two scoreless innings. Chris Roycroft tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when the Reds put three runs on the board to lead 3-0.
The Cardinals were held scoreless for nine innings. The offense scattered eight hits but went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They left eight men on base.
A double by Goldschmidt was the only extra-base hit. Goldschmidt was 2-for-3. Brendan Donovan was 3-for-4. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4.
Lars Nootbaar was caught stealing.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 – Cardinals 2, Reds 1
The Cardinals came back to defeat the Reds by the score of 2-1 in the second game of the series on Wednesday. Lance Lynn was on the bump for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched five innings, gave up one run on five hits, fanned seven and walked one.
Matthew Liberatore relieved Lynn and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Andrew Kittredge hurled a scoreless inning, and JoJo Romero followed with a scoreless 2/3 of an inning to earn the win. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 44th save.
The Reds scored their first and only run in the top of the fourth inning. The Cardinals answered with one run on a solo home run by Arenado in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
St. Louis broke the tie and took the lead 2-1 in the eighth. Michael Siani singled and stole second base. He scored on a double by Paul Goldschmidt.
The Cardinals scored two runs on six hits. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Masyn Winn stole his 11th base of the season. Siani swiped his 17th bag,
Thursday, September 12, 2024 – Cardinals 6, Reds 1
The Cardinals pounded the Reds in a 6-1 contest on Thursday in the final game of the series. Sonny Gray took the start and pitched six innings, giving up one run on two hits, fanning nine and walking two to earn his 13th win of the season.
Andrew Kittredge relieved Gray and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first save this season.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a solo home run by Masyn Winn. The Reds tied the game in the top of the sixth.
In the home half of the sixth, St. Louis scored one run to take back the lead 2-1. Winn singled. Alec Burleson singled. Nolan Arenado drew a walk. Winn scored on a sac fly by Lars Nootbaar.
The Cardinals added two runs in the seventh to extend the lead to 4-1. Thomas Saggese singled and Brendan Donovan followed with a two-run pinch-hit home run.
St. Louis made it 6-1 in the eighth. Nootbaar hit a ground-rule double. Saggese drove in Nootbaar on a single. Saggese later scored on a fielder’s choice by Winn.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 10 hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Saggese was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Donovan had two RBI.
Friday, September 13, 2024 – Cardinals 3 at Blue Jays 4 (11 innings)
The Cardinals were edged by the Blue Jays in a 4-3 loss in the first game of a weekend series in Toronto. Erick Fedde was the St. Louis starter. The right-hander pitched five innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one.
John King relieved Fedde and threw a scoreless sixth. Matthew Liberatore hurled three scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez surrendered one run in the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings and took the loss.
St. Louis went up 2-0 in the first inning. Masyn Winn singled. Alec Burleson singled. Paul Goldschmidt singled to load the bases. Nolan Arenado drove in Winn on a single. Burleson scored on a force out by Thomas Saggese.
Toronto scored three runs in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The Cardinals came back to tie the game in the eighth on a solo home run by Saggese.
The game went into extra innings and in the home half of the 11th, the Blue Jays walked it off with one run scored for a 4-3 win.
The Cardinals scored three runs on 12 hits. Winn was 2-for-6. Burleson was 2-for-5. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Pedro Pagés was 2-for-5. Saggese had two RBI.
Pagés stole his second base of the season.
Saturday, September 14, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Blue Jays 7
The Cardinal lost to the Blue Jays again, this time by a score of 7-2 on Saturday. Kyle Gibson took the mound for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up five runs, one earned, on four hits, struck out one and walked three. Gibson took the loss.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Gibson and threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning. Riley O’Brien surrendered two runs in the final two innings.
St. Louis put up one run in the top of the third on a solo home run by Jordan Walker to lead 1-0. Toronto quickly tied it in the home half of the third.
The Blue Jays took the lead with four runs scored in the sixth. They added two more runs in the seventh to lead 7-1.
The Cardinals scored one run in the ninth to cut the lead to 7-2. Alec Burleson doubled and later scored on a groundout by José Fermín.
The offense scored two runs on three hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits.
Winn made a throwing error.
Sunday, September 15, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Blue Jays 3
The Cardinals suffered the sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays in the final game of the series in Toronto. Miles Mikolas was the starter and he pitched five innings, gave up two runs on three hits and struck out four.
Steven Matz relieved Mikolas and threw two scoreless innings of relief. Andrew Kittredge surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning and took the loss. JoJo Romero got the final out of the eighth.
St. Louis went up 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning. Iván Herrera singled and scored on a double by Jordan Walker. Toronto answered with two runs in the home half of the fifth to lead 2-1.
The Cardinals tied the game in the seventh on a solo home run by Lars Nootbaar. The Blue Jays retook the lead 3-2 in the eighth.
The Cardinals scored two runs on seven hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Michael Siani stole his 18th base of the season.
Big Picture
The Cardinals did not have a good week. They went 2-4 for the week, winning 2 of 3 from the Reds, and got swept by the Blue Jays in three games. They remain in third place in the NL Central, 12 games back of the Brewers and two games back of the Cubs. They have a record of 74-75 and are 7.5 games out of the Wild Card.
For all intents and purposes, the team is out of the playoff picture. The goal now should be to win enough of the remaining games in the season to at least have a winning record.
There were, as always, good and bad games for both offense and pitching. On the offensive side, there was very little offense for most of the games. The Cardinals’ run differential is currently -67.
The top offensive performers over the last seven days were Brendan Donovan (.935) and Lars Nootbaar (.931). Close behind was Paul Goldschmidt (.855).
The list at the bottom is much longer. Those at the bottom are Thomas Saggese (.478), Alec Burleson (.465), Pedro Pagés (.462), Michael Siani (.368), Luken Baker (.222), Matt Carpenter (.000 in one AB), and José Fermín (.000 in 2 ABs).
The pitching was better than the offense, though it wasn’t good enough. Four starters had ERAs under 4.00. They are Sonny Gray (1.50), Kyle Gibson (1.69), Lance Lynn (1.80), and Miles Mikolas (3.60). Over 4.00 ERAs belonged to Erick Fedde (5.40) and Andre Pallante (5.40).
The bullpen was good, except for Riley O’Brien (9.00) who continues to struggle since coming off the injured list.
The Cardinals have four series remaining in the season. This coming week they play four games against the Pirates and end the final homestand with a three-game series with the Guardians. In the first game of the Pirate series, they face Paul Skenes, who they defeated in their last encounter. The Guardians are very good and will be tough.
NL Central Standings
Team W L Pct GB WCGB
|
Milwaukee |
86 |
63 |
.577 |
——- |
–
——– |
|
Chicago |
76 |
73 |
.510 |
10 |
5.5 |
|
St. Louis |
74 |
75 |
.497 |
12 |
7.5 |
|
Cincinnati |
73 |
78 |
.483 |
14 |
9.5 |
|
Pittsburgh |
71 |
78 |
.477 |
15 |
10.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/10 The Cardinals optioned CF Victor Scott II to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/10 The Cardinals selected the contract of 2B Thomas Saggese from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/11 The Cardinals optioned RHP Chris Roycroft to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/11 The Cardinals activated RHP Lance Lynn from the 15-day injured list.
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 has not thrown 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, and no return date has been given.
- RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was activated from the 15-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. Contreras is out of the splint and will be evaluated on Monday as to the next move.
Looking Ahead
The Toronto Series ends on Sunday, and the team returns home to begin their final homestand on Monday with a four-game series against the Pirates. Andre Pallante will make the Monday start, followed by Lance Lynn on Tuesday and Sonny Gray on Wednesday. Thursday’s starter is unknown at this time.
The homestand concludes with three games against the Guardians.
The final week of the regular season is a road trip for the Cardinals. They will first play three games with the Rockies beginning, Tuesday, September 24. The team will then travel to San Franciso to play the Giants in a weekend series that ends the regular season and more than likely ends the Cardinals’ season.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to the Debut Series and showcases present or former Cardinals who made their major league debuts during a certain period in the past.
From the period September 9 through September 15 at various times in the past, three Cardinals made their major league debut. All are former Cardinals, but one is a former Cardinal more than one time.
The following three former Cardinals all made their major league debut during the relevant period in the past. For each player, the date of his debut, in what game he debuted, and how he performed is outlined.
Tommy Pham – Pham played for the Cardinals two separate times, the second time very recently. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 draft.
Pham had an injury history in the minor leagues and a vision impairment that delayed his advancement to the majors for many years. It was late in 2014 when Pham finally got the call.
Pham made his debut on September 9, 2014, in a 9-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.
Pham came into the game in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter for Matt Holliday. Pham struck out swinging. He repeated as a pinch hitter the next day and also struck out. Pham appeared in only six games in 2014 and had only two plate appearances, as he was used as either a pinch runner or a late-inning defensive replacement in those remaining four games.
Pham began 2015 in Memphis. He was called up in July of 2015. On July 4, 2015, in a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium, Pham got his first major league hit. Pham started the game in CF and hit leadoff.
In his third plate appearance in the sixth inning, Pham hit a double to CF. He scored on a single by Matt Carpenter.
The Cardinals traded Pham on July 31, 2018, to the Tampa Bay Rays for Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez and Justin Williams.
Pham returned briefly to the Cardinals this season in a three-team trade between the Cardinals, Dodgers and White Sox on July 29. A month later, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Kansas City Royals.
Mike Shannon – The former Cardinal and later long-time broadcaster, made his major league debut on September 11, 1962, in a 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium I (formerly Sportsman’s Park).
Shannon was in the starting lineup playing RF and batting sixth. Shannon was 1-for-4 at the plate. In his first at-bat in the second inning, Shannon grounded out to second base.
Shannon got his first major league hit in the fourth inning on a single to LF off Reds starter Bob Purkey.
In the sixth, Shannon grounded out to the shortstop. In his final at-bat in the ninth, he grounded to the pitcher for a force out at second base.
Shannon played for nine seasons with the Cardinals, before a kidney ailment forced him to retire from playing.
Shannon became the voice of the Cardinals in the KMOX radio booth in 1972. He retired from broadcasting in 2021. He passed away from a stroke on April 29, 2023, at the age of 83.
Adam Wainwright – Wainright came to the Cardinals in a 2003 trade with the Atlanta Braves. He began his career with the Cardinals in the minor leagues with the Memphis Redbirds. He missed most of the 2004 season with an injury. He returned in 2005 with the Redbirds and was called up on September 11, 2005. He made his debut in a 7-2 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium II.
Wainwright made his debut as a reliever. He came into the game in the ninth inning in relief of John Gall. He gave up a single to Kazuo Matsui and walked Carlos Beltran. He induced two lineouts to third base, then gave up a three-run home run to Victor Diaz. A pop fly to short by Mike Jacobs was the final out.
Wainwright made one more relief appearance against the Brewers on September 22. He allowed no runs in that appearance.
Wainwright made the Opening Day roster in 2006 and was again used as a reliever. His first major league strikeout was on April 3, 2006, against the Phillies at Citizen’s Bank Park. He came in to pitch in the eighth inning and struck out his second batter, David Dellucci.
Wainwright spent his entire major league career with the Cardinals and retired after the 2023 season.
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