Likely there aren’t many St. Louis Cardinals fans anywhere that are not aware of the satisfying, slump-breaking three-game sweep the club applied to the visiting Chicago Cubs this Tuesday through Thursday.
The wins were secured by superb pitching, as the Cardinals’ staff, led by starters Joel Pineiro, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and fortified by the bullpen, allowed the Cubbies just two runs in total over the 27 innings of baseball.
With the help of statman Tom Orf, we can put that team pitching feat into its proper perspective. During the last 30 years, only once prior to this week had the Cardinals stopped the Cubs offense so consistently over at least three games.
From April 20 through 22, 1981, Bob Forsch, Andy Rincon and the late Lary Sorensen and their pen mates held the Chicagoans to a single run in the three home games. The latter two spun complete-game shutouts while Forsch, like Carpenter this week, went five innings.
Overall, such a three-game period of Cardinals dominance (opponents scoring two total runs or fewer) has now occurred 17 times in the three decades since 1979. In addition to the 1981 Chicago set, the Cards have allowed just one run three other times, but have not strung together three consecutive scoreless games.
Only five times during such a streak did the Cardinals hold their opponent to two runs or fewer only to lose the game. They were shut out each time. Ten of the 17 were against the same club during the same series, while the others included two different opponents.
Here are the 13 three-game streaks since 1979, listed from most recent to oldest.
Game | Date | Home/away | Opponent | StL runs | Opp runs | StL W/L | Pitcher | |
39 | 5/19/2009 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 3 | 0 | W | Piniero |
40 | 5/20/2009 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 2 | 1 | W | Carpenter |
41 | 5/21/2009 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 3 | 1 | W | Wainwright |
95 | 7/21/2006 | at | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 2 | 0 | W | Suppan |
96 | 7/22/2006 | at | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 6 | 1 | W | Weaver |
97 | 7/23/2006 | at | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 6 | 1 | W | Marquis |
142 | 9/9/2001 | vs | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 8 | 1 | W | Mathews, T.J. |
143 | 9/10/2001 | at | Milwaukee | Brewers | 8 | 0 | W | Kile |
144 | 9/17/2001 | vs | Milwaukee | Brewers | 2 | 1 | W | Smith, Bud |
137 | 9/3/2001 | at | San Diego | Padres | 4 | 0 | W | Smith, Bud |
138 | 9/4/2001 | at | San Diego | Padres | 6 | 1 | W | Morris |
139 | 9/5/2001 | at | San Diego | Padres | 2 | 0 | W | Williams |
80 | 6/30/1997 | vs | Minnesota | Twins | 2 | 1 | W | Morris |
81 | 7/1/1997 | vs | Minnesota | Twins | 2 | 0 | W | Stottlemyre |
82 | 7/2/1997 | vs | Minnesota | Twins | 2 | 1 | W | Petkovsek |
16 | 4/24/1991 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 0 | 1 | L | DeLeon |
17 | 4/26/1991 | vs | Montreal | Expos | 4 | 0 | W | Smith, Bryn |
18 | 4/27/1991 | vs | Montreal | Expos | 2 | 1 | W | Hill |
98 | 7/26/1989 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 2 | 0 | W | DeLeon |
99 | 7/28/1989 | at | Montreal | Expos | 2 | 0 | W | Power |
100 | 7/29/1989 | at | Montreal | Expos | 0 | 2 | L | Hill |
56 | 6/8/1989 | at | Montreal | Expos | 7 | 2 | W | DiPino |
57 | 6/9/1989 | at | Chicago | Cubs | 1 | 0 | W | DeLeon |
58 | 6/10/1989 | at | Chicago | Cubs | 6 | 0 | W | Magrane |
118 | 8/16/1988 | vs | Houston | Astros | 3 | 0 | W | Terry |
119 | 8/17/1988 | vs | Houston | Astros | 0 | 1 | L | Magrane |
120 | 8/18/1988 | vs | Houston | Astros | 2 | 1 | W | Forsch |
113 | 8/10/1988 | at | Philadelphia | Phillies | 1 | 0 | W | Tudor |
114 | 8/11/1988 | at | Philadelphia | Phillies | 0 | 1 | L | Costello |
115 | 8/12/1988 | at | Chicago | Cubs | 4 | 0 | W | Magrane |
76 | 7/3/1987 | at | Atlanta | Braves | 9 | 1 | W | Forsch |
77 | 7/4/1987 | at | Atlanta | Braves | 3 | 0 | W | Cox |
78 | 7/5/1987 | at | Atlanta | Braves | 4 | 1 | W | Mathews, Greg |
120 | 8/24/1985 | at | Atlanta | Braves | 7 | 0 | W | Forsch |
121 | 8/25/1985 | at | Atlanta | Braves | 5 | 2 | W | Kepshire |
122 | 8/26/1985 | at | Cincinnati | Reds | 3 | 0 | W | Cox |
151 | 9/19/1984 | vs | Montreal | Expos | 1 | 0 | W | Cox |
152 | 9/20/1984 | vs | Montreal | Expos | 3 | 2 | W | LaPoint |
153 | 9/21/1984 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 8 | 0 | W | Kepshire |
Now, the pressure is really on Friday starter Todd Wellemeyer (pictured) as he faces his former Kansas City Royals teammates. Only twice during the last 30 years have the Cardinals gone four games in a row yielding a total of two runs or fewer. If Wellemeyer and his mates can blank the Royals at Busch Stadium Friday night, they would join this list.
The two four-game streaks follow, along with an overlapping pair of three-game streaks of two runs or fewer allowed which occurred in 1982.
Game | Date | Home/away | Opponent | StL runs | Opp runs | StL W/L | Pitcher | |
119 | 8/19/1983 | vs | Houston | Astros | 2 | 0 | W | LaPoint |
120 | 8/20/1983 | vs | Houston | Astros | 3 | 0 | W | Stuper |
121 | 8/21/1983 | vs | Houston | Astros | 5 | 2 | W | Cox |
122 | 8/23/1983 | vs | Atlanta | Braves | 7 | 0 | W | Andujar |
142 | 9/13/1982 | at | Philadelphia | Phillies | 0 | 2 | L | Forsch |
143 | 9/14/1982 | at | Philadelphia | Phillies | 2 | 0 | W | Stuper |
144 | 9/15/1982 | at | Philadelphia | Phillies | 8 | 0 | W | Andujar |
146 | 9/17/1982 | at | New York | Mets | 7 | 1 | W | Sutter |
7 | 4/20/1981 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 6 | 1 | W | Forsch |
8 | 4/21/1981 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 8 | 0 | W | Rincon |
9 | 4/22/1981 | vs | Chicago | Cubs | 3 | 0 | W | Sorensen |
10 | 4/25/1981 | at | Pittsburgh | Pirates | 5 | 1 | W | Shirley |
In a final oddity, just once over the last 30 years did the Cardinals put together a five-game stretch during which two three-game sets of two runs or fewer overlapped by just one game. No matter how you count it, three shutouts in five days, separated by a pair of two-run games is very, very impressive!
Game | Date | Home/away | Opponent | StL runs | Opp runs | StL W/L | Pitcher | |
126 | 8/28/1992 | vs | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 1 | 0 | W | Clark |
127 | 8/29/1992 | vs | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 3 | 2 | W | Olivares |
128 | 8/30/1992 | vs | Los Angeles | Dodgers | 3 | 0 | W | Cormier |
129 | 8/31/1992 | vs | San Diego | Padres | 6 | 2 | W | Tewksbury |
130 | 9/1/1992 | vs | San Diego | Padres | 2 | 0 | W | Osborne |
In terms of individual pitchers, Bob Forsch is the champion of this subset of stats with five wins gained during such a streak. They occurred in 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Danny Cox had four victories, also during the 1980’s.
Of the 17 streaks, four have occurred in this decade, with only three during the 1990’s. The other ten were during the glory years of the 1980’s.
During the last 30 years, the Cards have yet to hold their opponent to two runs or fewer in total over five games. Is that too much to ask? It is up to Wellemeyer, Saturday’s starter Kyle Lohse and perhaps the bullpen.