All posts by Marilyn Green

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Friday, September 11, 2020

photo: Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Friday, September 11, 2020 – Cardinals 1, Reds 3

The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 in the first of a three-game weekend series at Busch Stadium Friday evening.  St. Louis’ offense was stymied by the pitching of Reds starter Luis Castillo, managing only one run on two hits.

The lone Redbirds run scored in the second inning.  Brad Miller drew a leadoff walk and Paul DeJong followed with a double to left.  Matt Carpenter drove in Miller from third on a ground out to first base.  The only other hit by a Cardinal batter was a single by Kolten Wong.  Cardinal hitters struck out six times and drew three walks.

Pitching with an extra day of rest, Adam Wainwright made the start for the Cardinals.  On a night the right-hander lacked his best stuff, the 39-year old tossed six innings and gave up three runs on eight hits.  He struck out four and walked two. On the 15th anniversary of his MLB debut, Wainwright threw 99 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Seth Elledge contributed a scoreless seventh. Tyler Webb and Nabil Crismatt followed with a clean inning each.  Wainwright took the loss, his first of the season after four wins.

The game was played in a crisp 2 hours and 24 minutes.

The Cardinals remain three games back of the Cubs with the Chicago’s 1-0 walk-off loss to the Brewers.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Reds at 7:15 p.m.  RHP Dakota Hudson (2-2, 3.19) vs. RHP Tejay Antoine (0-1, 2.49), FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX/WIJR


Related Friday article

Cardinals Closer Gallegos to Miss Much of Remaining Action


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The Next Turn in Carlos Martinez’ Winding 2020 Road is Just Ahead


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Games Recaps – Thursday, September 10, 2020

photo: Yadier Molina via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals fell one inning short of a doubleheader sweep, settling for a split with the visiting Detroit Tigers. Yadier Molina hit an emotional two-run home run on Roberto Clemente Day.

Thursday, September 10, 2020 – Cardinals 12, Tigers 2 (seven innings, Game 1)

The St. Louis Cardinals bats came alive with five home runs in the first game of a twin bill against the Detroit Tigers at Busch Stadium on Thursday afternoon.  The contests made up the postponed contests originally scheduled for August 5 and 6.

The day’s scoring began with a two-run home run off the bat of Yadier Molina in the second inning following a walk by Rangel Ravelo.   Molina, wearing the number 21 to celebrate his late countryman Roberto Clemente, took the fifth pitch he saw from Detroit starter Tarik Skubal and sent it over the left field wall.

Yadier Molina

The Cardinals’ big inning was the third.  Kolten Wong led off with a walk.  Tommy Edman doubled to left to bring in Wong.  Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk and Paul DeJong singled and scored Ravelo’s sac fly.  Tyler O’Neill blasted a two-run home run to left center field to bring the score to 7-0. Harrison Bader slapped a line drive single to left and Lane Thomas followed with a two-run long ball to left center to increase the lead to 9-0.

The Tigers got on the board with two runs in the top of the fourth inning.  The Cardinals responded by adding a 10th run in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Goldschmidt.  The final two scores were added in the sixth on a two-run blast by Ravelo.

Rangel Ravelo

Starter Jack Flaherty pitched five innings and yielded two runs on four hits to earn his third win.  The right hander fanned six and walked two.  Flaherty was not efficient with his pitches, however, as he threw 95 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Seth Elledge and the day’s 29th man, Nabil Crismatt, each tossed one inning of scoreless relief.

O’Neill stole his first base of the season.

Thursday, September 10, 2020 – Cardinals 3, Tigers 6 (seven innings, Game 2)

The Cardinals led for much of the second game of the doubleheader, but things went south in the final inning.  Austin Gomber was the Game 2 starter and he tossed three scoreless innings.  The left hander allowed five hits, struck out six and walked one.

Alex Reyes

Alex Reyes relieved in the fourth, escaping a bases-loaded with no out jam.  The right-hander pitched two scoreless innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts.  Genesis Cabrera yielded a solo home run in the sixth and with one out, Gant finished the frame with no further damage.

Giovanny Gallegos started the seventh.  The closer walked his first batter and gave up single to the second.  The third Tiger hitter, Jonathan Schoop, singled on a ground ball to center. Harrison Bader threw home and the throw was offline, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.  The game was then delayed as Gallegos was taken out due to a groin injury.

Ryan Helsley took over on the mound as Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked to load the bases.  The next batter singled and two runs scored to give Detroit the 4-3 lead. After a double play off the bat of the next hitter, Helsley gave up a back-breaking two-run home run to Jeimer Candelario and the Tigers led 6-3.  The injured Gallegos took the loss.

The Cardinals scored their first run in the second inning.  Paul DeJong led off with a single and later scored on Matt Carpenter’s single.  DeJong crossed the plate again in the fourth when he drew a walk and was again plated by Carpenter, this time on a double to center field.

Matt Carpenter

The third run was added in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Tommy Edman.  The Cardinals carried their 3-1 lead into the seventh inning when the wheels came off the bus.  Edman and Carpenter had two hits each.

Edman was caught stealing for the third time this season.  The aforementioned throwing error by Bader was his second of the season.

The Chicago Cubs won Thursday evening and their National League Central Division lead over St. Louis is three games.

Friday’s game:  vs. Reds at 7:15 pm.  Adam Wainwright (4-0, 2.68) vs. Luis Castillo (1-5, 3.95), FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX/WIJR


Related article

Cardinals Place Starting Pitcher Johan Oviedo on the Injured List


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The Next Turn in Carlos Martinez’ Winding 2020 Road is Just Ahead


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of August 31-September 6

The St. Louis Cardinals won both road series this week to pull within a game and a half of the division lead. On Sunday, one of the greatest Cardinals ever, Lou Brock, passed away. Our history feature covers the story of the first woman to bat in a Major League game.



Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Lou Brock passes away at age 81

Early Sunday evening, word came that an icon of St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and a beloved Baseball and team Hall of Famer, Louis Clark Brock, “Sweet Lou,” had passed away at the age of 81.

Brock has meant so much to the Cardinal family that it is difficult to summarize.  This author grew up in the 1960s when Brock, Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, and the World Series Champions of 1964 and 1967 were in their zenith.  Brock was the stolen base king to this child of the decade, best known for breaking the all-time stolen base record in 1977, a record held by the legendary Ty Cobb.

Brock came to the Cardinals in a trade many consider to be one of the worst in baseball history.  Worst for the Cubs, at least, as they dealt Brock to St. Louis in June 1964 for pitcher Ernie Broglio.  The Cubs had given up on Brock, thinking he would never hit, and off he went to St. Louis.  Broglio had won 18 games for the Cardinals the year before and the trade was initially seen as a heist for the Cubs.  Broglio did not produce for the Cubs, however, and was out of baseball two years later, the victim of a broken down pitching arm.  Brock would go on not only to break the stolen base record but would help lead the Cardinals to two World Championships and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

Brock retired from baseball at the end of the 1979 season having reached the 3,000 hit plateau that August 13, ironically against the Cubs.  In his 19 years in the major leagues, the outfielder led the National League in stolen bases eight times.  His career batting line was .293/.343/.410 with 149 home runs and 900 RBI.  Not bad for a guy the Cubs thought couldn’t hit.

Inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2014, Brock was a fixture at Opening Day ceremonies in his red jacket.  Lou suffered from diabetes, and as a result his left leg was amputated below the knee in 2015.  That didn’t stop Brock from attending Opening Day thereafter, he showed up and proudly walked with his prosthetic leg and his cane.

Brock was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in April 2017, but was reported to be cancer free by July of that year. This summer, when Brock turned 81, friends showed up at his home to sing him “Happy Birthday” as he stood on his porch to observe during this year of COVID-19.

As of this writing, cause of death has not been disclosed, but Cardinals fans who have loved and known Lou will never forget him.  He will be sorely missed wearing his red jacket, smiling and waving to fans during Opening Day ceremonies.  Those who knew him or met him talk about his kindness and generosity.  He was a great one indeed.

Rest in peace, Sweet Lou.

Cardinals and Baseball Mourn Passing of Hall of Famer Lou Brock

Game Recaps

Monday, August 31, 2020 – Cardinals 7 at Reds 5

The Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the first of the three-game road set on Monday.  Dakota Hudson earned his first win of the season in a seven-inning outing. The right-hander gave up two runs, one earned on four hits.  He fanned seven and walked no one, tossing 95 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Dakota Hudson via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Austin Gomber relieved in the eighth and yielded one run.  Jake Woodford began the ninth but allowed two runs while recording only one out.  Giovanny Gallegos retired the next two hitters to end the game and was rewarded with his second save of the season.

The Redbirds offense scored seven runs on 10 hits.  Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI double in the first inning put his team on the board. The Reds quickly tied it in the bottom of the frame.

In the second, following a Matt Carpenter walk and a Dexter Fowler single, Kolten Wong broke the tie with a ground ball single to plate Carpenter. Yadier Molina increased the lead to 3-1 with a sac fly in the third.

The Cardinals added on in a big way in the fourth inning.  Wong singled, and Goldschmidt and Brad Miller drew walks.  Paul DeJong followed with his first career grand slam to give the Cardinals a 7-1 lead.  The Reds would make it closer in the later innings, but the visitors held on to claim victory in the end.

Both Goldschmidt and DeJong claimed their first stolen base of the season.  The only blemish in the field was a passed ball by Molina.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020 – Cardinals 16 at Reds 2

Following a close win the previous night, the Cardinals offense took the ball and more than ran with it, pummeling the Reds for a 16-2 drubbing in Game 2 of the series.

It began immediately, with a six-run first inning by St. Louis’ offense. Opening singles by Kolten Wong and Tommy Edman and a walk by Paul Goldschmidt loaded the bases for Brad Miller.  Miller doubled to right field to score Wong and Edman.

Kolten Wong via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

With two outs in the inning, Matt Carpenter drew a walk. Dexter Fowler singled to plate Goldschmidt and Miller. Lane Thomas walked, Wong then singled, and Carpenter and Fowler came home.  The Cardinals led 6-0.

In the second, Goldschmidt doubled, and Miller blasted a two-run long ball to make it 8-0.  Wong singled, and Edman doubled him home in the third inning for a 9-0 lead.

The Cardinals did not score in the fourth, but in the fifth, Wong doubled, Goldschmidt walked, and Miller drove Wong home on a single.  Yadier Molina singled to plate Goldschmidt. The lead increased to 11-0.

Lane Thomas doubled to right in the sixth inning and Wong was hit by a pitch.  A single by Andrew Knizner plated Thomas and Wong for a 13-0 lead.

The Reds finally got on the board with a run in the bottom of the sixth.  The Cardinals responded with an additional run in the seventh when Carpenter scored from third base on a passed ball.

The Cardinals took a 14-1 lead into the eighth and added on.  Knizner singled and Miller hit a two run bomb  to right to make the lead 16-1.  The Reds scored their second run in the bottom of the ninth for the final score of 16-2.

Wong went 4-for-4, Edman was 3-for-7, Miller was 4-for-6 and Molina was 3-for-6.  Knizner and Paul DeJong each had two hits.

Amid all the scoring there was Cardinals pitching.  Kwang-Hyun Kim tossed five scoreless innings to start.  The lefty allowed three hits, struck out four and walked two.  Ryan Helsley yielded one run in the sixth before Tyler Webb and Ryan Meisinger each pitched a scoreless inning. Seth Elledge allowed the second Reds run in the ninth.  Kim earned his second win.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 – Cardinals 3 at Reds 4

The Cardinals failed to sweep the Reds, falling in the final inning of the final game of the series, edged 4-3.

Starter Johan Oviedo pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits.  The right-hander struck out five and walked one.

Genesis Cabrera tossed two scoreless innings of relief.  John Gant and Austin Gomber combined for 1 1/3 scoreless frames.  Giovanny Gallegos took the ninth but absorbed the loss, as he yielded the walk off RBI single by Joey Votto.

St. Louis’ offense got on the board in the second inning on a solo home run by Brad Miller.  The Reds tied it up in the bottom half.

In the fifth, Yadier Molina hit a bases-empty home run to regain the lead and Kolten Wong added an RBI double to make it 3-1.  The Red knotted it up again with two in the bottom of the fifth and the score remained knotted until Votto’s walk off in the ninth.

Miller went 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits.

Thursday, September 3, 2020 – Off day

Friday, September 4, 2020 – Cardinals 1 at Cubs 4

The Cardinals met the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday night for the opener of a five-game series.  The Redbirds offense could not figure out Cubs starter Yu Darvish, who tossed seven shutout innings, and were defeated 4-1 on just two hits.

The only scoring for the Cardinals came on a solo home run by Matt Carpenter in the sixth inning.  A single by Yadier Molina was the only other hit for St. Louis.  The offense struck out 14 times, including three times by LF Tyler O’Neill, and two times each by Carpenter, Tommy Edman, and Brad Miller.  Kolten Wong was the only Cardinal who drew a walk.

Jack Flaherty started and struggled with his command, but despite throwing over 40 pitches in the first inning, escaped with just two runs scored. Trouble returned in the third, however, and he was pulled with two outs in the frame. Flaherty allowed three runs on four hits, struck out four and walked two.   He threw 69 pitches, 42 for strikes.

Jake Woodford relieved Flaherty. He pitched a total of three innings and gave up one run on three hits.  Tyler Webb tossed a scoreless inning, and Alex Reyes finished the game with 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Webb made a fielding error in the seventh inning on a dropped popup.  Dylan Carlson threw out Cameron Maybin at second base in the fourth inning for an outfield assist.

Saturday, September 5, 2020 – Cardinals 4 at Cubs 2 (Game 1, seven innings)

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals defeated the Cubs 4-2, behind solid pitching from veteran right hander Adam Wainwright. Wainwright tossed 6 1/3 innings and yielded two runs on six hits for a quality start.  His only blemish was two long balls off the bat of Ian Happ, who has hit Wainwright well in the past.  The 39-year old fanned six Cubs and walked only one

Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Giovanny Gallegos relieved with one out and one on in the seventh inning, beginning with Happ at the plate.  Gallegos retired Happ, and after a Tommy Edman fielding error put the next hitter on base, Gallegos fanned Anthony Rizzo to end the game.  Wainwright earned his fourth win of the season and Gallegos his third save.

Though the Redbirds initially fell behind 1-0, the offense surged in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead.  In the third, Kolten Wong and Edman led off the inning with singles.  Brad Miller walked to load the bases and Paul DeJong drove in Wong on a force out.  Yadier Molina drew a walk to reload the bases and Matt Carpenter walked to plate Edman for the second run of the inning.

In the fourth, Lane Thomas led off with a double and Wong followed with a single.  Edman plated Thomas on a sac fly. Wong later scored the second run on a single by DeJong.  Wong went 2-for-4 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits.

Saturday, September 5, 2020 – Cardinals 5, Cubs 1 (Game 2, seven innings)

In the second game of the twin bill, a makeup contest in which St. Louis was the home team, the Cardinals blew past the Cubs 5-1 on the strength of long balls by Paul DeJong and Tyler O’Neill.  Both home runs came in the second inning, as DeJong first blasted a solo shot to left field on the first pitch he saw.  After Lane Thomas drew a walk, O’Neill thumped a two-run home run to right center to give the Redbirds the 3-0 lead.

Tyler O’Neill via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinals added to their lead in the third inning on consecutive singles by Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Brad Miller.  In the fourth, O’Neill led off with a double to center, and advanced to third on a ground ball force out by Matt Wieters.  Harrison Bader’s sac fly to right plated O’Neill to increase the Redbirds lead to 5-0.  O’Neill was 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits.

The pitching in this second game was a bullpen effort.  Austin Gomber started and pitched 2 2/3 solid innings.  The left hander allowed only one hit, struck out five and walked three.  Ryan Helsley relieved with two outs in the third and tossed 1 1/3 relief innings.  Helsley gave up a leadoff single to Nico Hoerner in the fifth.  Genesis Cabrera relieved and sent Hoerner to third base on two wild pitches.  Hoerner later scored on a ground out with the run charged to Helsley.

Cabrera got two outs in the fifth before being pulled for John Gant, who fanned Javy Baez to end the inning.  Gant returned to toss a scoreless sixth.  Andrew Miller, fresh off the injured list, retired all three batters in the seventh to close out the day

Sunday, September 6, 2020 – Cardinals 7 at Cubs 3

Following a sweep of the Cubs in a doubleheader on Saturday, the Cardinals tasted victory again by a 7-3 score on Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

With an extra day of rest due to him taking Kwang Hyun Kim’s turn, Dakota Hudson made the start against Jon Lester for the Cubs.  Hudson tossed five innings and yielded three runs on five hits.  The right-hander fanned four and walked two to earn his second win of the season.

Alex Reyes took over mound duties in the sixth inning and hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.  He allowed no hits and struck out three. Genesis Cabrera relieved Reyes with two outs in the seventh, pitching to Cubs switch hitter Ian Happ and retiring him on three strikes.  Cabrera returned to pitch the eighth and gave up a double to Kris Bryant then fanned the next three batters.

Giovanny Gallegos closed out the game.  The right-hander faced three hitters in the ninth and retired all three.

The Cardinals offense struck first via a solo home run by Tommy Edman in the first inning.  The Cubs responded to tie it in the bottom of the inning on a bases-empty shot by Anthony Rizzo.

Paul Goldschmidt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cubs took a 3-1 lead in the second on a two-run home run by Jason Kipnis.  St. Louis pitching would shut the Cubs down from there, not allowing a runner past second base the rest of the evening.  In the top of the third, Harrison Bader led off with a hit by pitch.  Kolten Wong doubled and with a man on second and third, Tommy Edman hit a ground ball to short and Bader was thrown out at home.  Paul Goldschmidt blasted a three-run home run out of Wrigley Field and on to Waveland Ave.  The Cardinals led 4-3 but were not done. Tyler O’Neill singled, and Rangel Ravelo doubled to plate O’Neill for a 5-3 lead.

The Redbirds added on to their lead in the sixth inning. Lane Thomas singled and Bader doubled on a ground ball past the shortstop.  Wong followed with a single to short to score Thomas.  Paul DeJong singled to plate Bader and the Cardinals were ahead 7-3.

Every hitter in the Cardinal lineup had a hit except Yadier Molina, who drew a walk.  Bader was 3-for-3 including two doubles.  Wong was 2-for-5 including a double and DeJong was 2-for-4 with a walk.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals took 2 of 3 from the Reds to begin the week and have won 3 of 4 from the Cubs with one more game in the series on Monday.  The 5-2 record for the week puts the Cardinals in a good position against the Cubs with one more game to play in the series.  They are now only 1.5 games behind Chicago with a record of 17-15.

The offense has been good for the week with the exception of the Friday game against the Cubs that ended with 14 strikeouts and only one run scored, with Yu Darvish on top of his game.  Top hitters for the week were Paul DeJong, Paul Goldschmidt, Kolten Wong and Brad Miller.  Tyler O’Neill, who had been sidelined due to his struggles at the plate, re-emerged and has shown some improvement in a small sample size.  Dylan Carlson continues to struggle and has seen less playing time during the week.   Matt Carpenter also is in a rough period at the plate and has been for several weeks, though he continues to play most every day.

Pitching remained strong during the week.  Dakota Hudson earned his first two wins. Adam Wainwright has been very good, as was Kwang-Hyun Kim in his one start.  Kim is now on the IL and his spot in the rotation is unfilled at this time, though Carlos Martinez is expected to be activated from the IL on Tuesday.  The bullpen has been solid as well, though Ryan Helsley and Jake Woodford have had some struggles.

Kwang-Hyun Kim via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Defense improved over the eight errors from the week before.  The outfield has been a revolving door of sorts, with Tommy Edman as a replacement for the ailing Dexter Fowler and the other two spots being occupied by O’Neill, Lane Thomas and Dylan Carlson.  Harrison Bader has mostly been a defensive replacement with the exception of the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s game.  The infield has seen the struggling Carpenter at third, sending Edman to the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup.  Edman is primarily an infielder, so his occupation of an outfield spot is not ideal but has not been a serious problem so far.

The Cardinals play one more game against the Cubs on Monday, then return home for a doubleheader with the Twins on Tuesday.  A second doubleheader against the Tigers will be played on Thursday and then the Reds come to St. Louis for a three-game weekend series.  The schedule for the week is not easy, and wins against a tough Twins team would he helpful.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 23 18 0.561
St. Louis 17 15 0.531 1.5
Milwaukee 18 21 0.462 4
Cincinnati 18 23 0.439 5
Pittsburgh 13 26 0.333 9

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

The trade deadline came and went on August 31 with the Cardinals making no moves.

Transactions

  • 8/31 The Cardinals activated OF Lane Thomas from the injured list.
  • 8/31 The Cardinals transferred LHP Ricardo Sanchez from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list.
  • 8/31 The Cardinals optioned 1B John Nogowski to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/1 The Cardinals activated RHP Ryan Helsley from the injured list.
  • 9/1 The Cardinals optioned LHP Rob Kaminsky to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/1 The Cardinals designated RHP Jesus Cruz for assignment.
  • 9/2 The Cardinals activated 1B Rangel Ravelo from the injured list.
  • 9/2 The Cardinals placed RF Dexter Fowler on the injured list.
  • 9/2 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Meisinger to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/2 The Cardinals recalled LHP Rob Kaminsky from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/3 The Cardinals sent RHP Jesus Cruz outright to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/4 The Cardinals activated C Matt Wieters from the 10-day injured list.
  • 9/4 The Cardinals optioned C Andrew Knizner to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 9/5 The Cardinals placed LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim on the 10-day injured list retroactive to September 2, 2020.
  • 9/5 The Cardinals activated LHP Andrew Miller from the 10-day injured list.
  • 9/5 The Cardinals recalled RHP Nabil Crismatt from the Alternate Training Site (29th man).
  • 9/6 The Cardinals optioned RHP Nabil Crismatt to the Alternate Training Site.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) had arm surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
  • RHP Carlos Martinez has been throwing to live hitters at the Alternate Training Site. The right hander is expected to be activated and make a start in Tuesday’s doubleheader.
  • RHP Ryan Helsley was activated from the injured list and appeared in Saturday’s doubleheader.
  • RHP Kodi Whitley (COVID-19 positive) had experienced discomfort in his pitching elbow during throwing sessions at the Alternate Training Site. He was sent to St. Louis for an MRI and no structural damage was found.  Whitley has returned to Springfield and has begun playing catch.
  • OF Austin Dean (COVID-19 positive) continues to work out at the Alternate Training Site. No timetable for a return to the roster has been announced.
  • OF Lane Thomas was activated from the injured list and has appeared in multiple games.
  • 1B Rangel Ravelo (COVID-19 positive) has been activated from the injured list and started on Sunday.
  • C Matt Wieters was activated from the 10-day injured list and started in Saturday’s doubleheader.
  • LHP Ricardo Sanchez was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list. Left elbow pain.
  • LHP Andrew Miller has been activated from the injured list and appeared in Saturday’s doubleheader.
  • LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim was placed on the 10-day injured list. Kidney ailment. Kim has returned to St. Louis and his timing is unknown, but there is optimism he can be back in 2020.
  • RF Dexter Fowler was placed on the injured list. Stomach ailment.  Fowler has returned to St. Louis and will remain out for at least two weeks.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals will finish the five-game series with the Cubs on Monday.  Johan Oviedo will make the start.

The team returns to St. Louis to play a doubleheader with the Twins on Tuesday at Busch Stadium.  No pitchers have been announced for the twin bill, but it is likely Carlos Martinez will be activated from the injured list to make one of the starts.

Following a Wednesday off day, the Tigers will come to Busch Stadium for a doubleheader on Thursday.

The Cardinals continue the homestand on Friday with a weekend series against the Reds.

Blast from the Past

The Cardinals and the Reds completed a three-game series in Cincinnati earlier in the week.  The two teams are set to play another series at Busch Stadium next weekend.  This week’s Blast From the Past tells the tale of an unusual event in a game between the two teams 85 years ago at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

The date was July 31, 1935.  The Cardinals were facing the Reds in a night game at Crosley Field.  The first game in MLB history under the lights had taken place just two months earlier at Crosley.  The game was oversold that night, with 36,000 fans crammed into a ballpark with a capacity of 26,000.  The extra 10,000 fans were in a roped off area in foul territory between home plate and the outfield fences on both sides of the field.

Ducky Medwick

The Cardinals were leading the Reds 2-1 in the eighth inning.  Ducky Medwick stepped to the plate to bat, and a female fan named Kitty Burke, standing in the roped off area near home plate, yelled at Medwick.  Burke, a blues singer and rabid Reds fan, intensely disliked Medwick.  Burke yelled that Medwick “couldn’t hit the ball with an ironing board”.  Medwick replied to Burke that she couldn’t hit even if she was swinging an elephant.

Medwick took his at bat and grounded out to the pitcher for the final out of the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, as Reds LF Babe Herman came to the plate to take his at bat, Burke yelled to Herman to lend her his bat.  Herman decided to comply and called time to give his bat to Burke.

Burke, wearing a dress and high heels, took Herman’s bat and marched to the batter’s box.  Baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis was in the stands that night and took no action to stop Burke.  The umpire also did nothing.  Burke shouted at Cardinals pitcher Paul “Daffy” Dean to throw her a pitch.  Dean stood there while the crowd roared with laughter.  Umpire Bill Stewart yelled, “Play ball!”

Dean threw an underhanded pitch to Burke.  Burke swung and hit a dribbler back to Dean.  Dean picked up the ball and threw Burke out at first base. Burke went back into the crowd and out of the annals of baseball history, though her at bat was never recorded in the box score.  Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch argued unsuccessfully that the Reds should be charged with an out.

The Cardinals went on to lose the game, 4-3.

Though Burke’s at-bat was never officially recognized, she went on the Burlesque circuit afterward and billed herself as the first woman to bat in a major league game.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

St. Louis Cardinals Draft Recap 2009-2019 – 11th-20th Rounds


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© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals Game Recap – Saturday, September 5, 2020

photo: Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals claimed their first doubleheader sweep at Wrigley Field since August 2002 as the pitching, led by Adam Wainwright, held the Cubs to three runs over 14 innings.



Saturday, September 5, 2020 – Cardinals 4 at Cubs 2 (Game 1, seven innings)

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-2, behind solid pitching from veteran right hander Adam Wainwright. Wainwright tossed 6 1/3 innings and yielded two runs on six hits for a quality start.  His only blemish was two long balls off the bat of Ian Happ, who has hit Wainwright well in the past.  The 39-year old fanned six Cubs and walked only one.

Giovanny Gallegos relieved with one out and one on in the seventh inning, beginning with Happ at the plate.  Gallegos retired Happ, and after a Tommy Edman fielding error put the next hitter on base, Gallegos fanned Anthony Rizzo to end the game.  Wainwright earned his fourth win of the season and Gallegos his third save.

Though the Redbirds initially fell behind 1-0, the offense surged in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead.  In the third, Kolten Wong and Edman led off the inning with singles.  Brad Miller walked to load the bases and Paul DeJong drove in Wong on a force out.  Yadier Molina drew a walk to reload the bases and Matt Carpenter walked to plate Edman for the second run of the inning.

In the fourth, Lane Thomas led off with a double and Wong followed with a single.  Edman plated Thomas on a sac fly. Wong later scored the second run on a single by DeJong.  Wong went 2-for-4 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits.


Cardinals 5, Cubs 1 (Game 2, seven innings)

In the second game of the twin bill, a makeup contest in which St. Louis was the home team, the Cardinals blew past the Cubs 5-1 on the strength of long balls by Paul DeJong and Tyler O’Neill.  Both home runs came in the second inning, as DeJong first blasted a solo shot to left field on the first pitch he saw.  After Lane Thomas drew a walk, O’Neill thumped a two-run home run to right center to give the Redbirds the 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the third inning on consecutive singles by Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Brad Miller.  In the fourth, O’Neill led off with a double to center, and advanced to third on a ground ball force out by Matt Wieters.  Harrison Bader’s sac fly to right plated O’Neill to increase the Redbirds lead to 5-0.  O’Neill was 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits.

The pitching in this second game was a bullpen effort.  Austin Gomber started and pitched 2 2/3 solid innings.  The left hander allowed only one hit, struck out five and walked three.  Ryan Helsley relieved with two outs in the third and tossed 1 1/3 relief innings.  Helsley gave up a leadoff single to Nico Hoerner in the fifth.  Genesis Cabrera relieved and sent Hoerner to third base on two wild pitches.  Hoerner later scored on a ground out with the run charged to Helsley.

Cabrera got two outs in the fifth before being pulled for John Gant, who fanned Javy Baez to end the inning.  Gant returned to toss a scoreless sixth.  Andrew Miller, fresh off the injured list, retired all three batters in the seventh to close out the day.

The sweep of the doubleheader by the Cardinals puts them one game over .500 with a record of 16-15.  St. Louis is now 2.5 games back of the Cubs in second place in the NL Central, with two more games to go in the five-game series that ends on Monday.

Sunday’s game:  vs. Cubs at 6:08 p.m. CT.  Dakota Hudson (1-2, 2.77) vs. Jon Lester (2-1, 5.11), ESPN/KMOX


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St. Louis Cardinals Game Recap – Friday, September 4, 2020

photo: Jack Flaherty via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Friday, September 4, 2020 – Cardinals 1 at Cubs 4

The St. Louis Cardinals met the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday night for the opener of a five-game series.  The Redbirds offense could not figure out Cubs starter Yu Darvish, who tossed seven shutout innings, and were defeated 4-1 on just two hits.

The only scoring for the Cardinals came on a solo home run by Matt Carpenter in the sixth inning.  A single by Yadier Molina was the only other hit for St. Louis.  The offense struck out 14 times, including three times by LF Tyler O’Neill, and two times each by Carpenter, Tommy Edman, and Brad Miller.  Kolten Wong was the only Cardinal who drew a walk.

Jack Flaherty started and struggled with his command, but despite throwing over 40 pitches in the first inning, escaped with just two runs scored. Trouble returned in the third, however, and he was pulled with two outs in the frame. Flaherty allowed three runs on four hits, struck out four and walked two.   He threw 69 pitches, 42 for strikes.

Once again, the bullpen performed well. Jake Woodford relieved Flaherty. He pitched a total of three innings and gave up one run on three hits.  Tyler Webb tossed a scoreless inning, and Alex Reyes finished the game with 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Webb made a fielding error in the seventh inning on a dropped popup.  Dylan Carlson threw out Cameron Maybin at second base in the fourth inning for an outfield assist.

The loss puts the Cardinals at 14-15 on the season and tied them with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the division, 4.5 games back of the Cubs.

Saturday’s games: doubleheader vs. Cubs at 4:15 p.m. CT, Game 1, Adam Wainwright (3-0, 2.65) vs. Adbert Alzolay (0-0. 0.00); and vs. Cubs Game 2, 45 minutes after Game 1, Dakota Hudson (1-2, 2.77) vs. bullpen start, FOX Sports Midwest / KMOX

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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of August 24-30

photo: Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)

A gutsy Sunday complete game by Adam Wainwright enabled the St. Louis Cardinals to break a four-game losing skid and salvage a 6-6 homestand. Our history feature outlines prior complete-game gems in Wainwright’s illustrious 15-year career.

Game Recaps

Monday, August 24, 2020 – Cardinals 9, Royals 3

In the first game of a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals bats were active as they defeated their cross-state visitors, 9-3.

The Redbirds got on the board in the first inning on a sac fly by Paul DeJong.  Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt drew walks and Matt Carpenter was hit by a pitch to load the bases. DeJong drove in Edman on a fly ball to right field.

The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning.  Edman and Brad Miller singled, and Goldschmidt drove in Edman on an infield single.  Carpenter walked and DeJong doubled to score Miller and Goldschmidt.  Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch, then Dexter Fowler plated Carpenter and DeJong on a double to right field.  The Cardinals led 6-0.

Paul Goldschmidt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Royals scored three in the top of the sixth to cut the Cardinals lead in half.  In the bottom half of the inning, Miller singled, and Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run to left center field to make it 8-3. The Cardinals added on a run in the seventh on an Edman RBI single.

Starter Jack Flaherty tossed five scoreless innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts.  He threw 64 pitches, 41 for strikes.

Alex Reyes started the sixth but struggled.  The right hander yielded three runs, two earned, and was replaced with one out in the inning by Austin Gomber.  Gomber pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Jake Woodford hurled the final two scoreless innings.  Flaherty earned the win.

St. Louis’ defense committed three errors, on throws by Brad Miller and Paul DeJong, and a fielding miscue by Tommy Edman.  Harrison Bader stole his second base of the season.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 – Cardinals 4, Royals 5

The Cardinals were edged by the Royals in the second game of the series.  A four-run burst was not enough to hold off the Royals offense.

Adam Wainwright took the mound to start.  It was a struggle for the veteran right hander, but he kept his team in the game for seven innings.  Wainwright allowed four runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked two.  He threw 98 pitches, 62 for strikes.

John Gant relieved in the eighth and yielded the winning run.  Tyler Webb tossed a scoreless ninth.

The offense put all four runs on the board in the third inning, but did not score again.  Dylan Carlson singled and Harrison Bader drew a walk.  Tommy Edman’s ground rule double plated both runners. The inning continued as Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk and Brad Miller singled to right to score Edman.  Goldschmidt came in via an infield single by Paul DeJong.

DeJong went 3-for-4, all singles.  The Redbirds had three extra base hits, a triple by Bader, and doubles by Edman and Molina.

Edman made a throwing error, his fourth miscue of the season.  Carlson had an outfield assist at third base.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – Cardinals 6, Royals 5

It was the Cardinals turn to win by a thin margin as they defeated the Royals in the rubber game of the series 6-5.  This time the four-run surge came in the ninth, enabling St. Louis to overcome a 5-2 deficit.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the third, but the Redbirds cut the lead by one run in the bottom half of the inning.  Kolten Wong drew a walk to lead off and Tommy Edman’s single advanced Wong to third base.  Paul Goldschmidt followed with a sac fly.  The Cardinals tied the game up at 2-2 in the fourth innings on an RBI double by Dylan Carlson.

The game remained tied until the top of the eighth when the Royals pulled ahead, 3-2.  The Royals added two more runs for 5-2 lead in the top of the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Goldschmidt walked and Brad Miller hit a ground rule double.  Paul DeJong walked to load the bases.  Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch and Goldschmidt scored.  Tyler O’Neill singled to plate Miller and DeJong.  Molina advanced from second to third on a wild pitch and Carlson drew a walk to load the bases.  Wong followed with a walk that pushed Molina in with the winning run.

Dakota Hudson via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Starter Dakota Hudson pitched six innings and gave up two runs on three hits.  The right hander struck out three and walked three.  He threw 83 pitches, 49 for strikes.

Genesis Cabrera relieved in the seventh and yielded one run on two hits.  Alex Reyes tossed the final two innings and earned the win. Reyes yielded two runs on two  hits, struck out two and walked two.

Molina had a passed ball and a throwing error in the field. Edman stole his first base of the season.

Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Pirates 4 at Cardinals 3 (eight innings, Game 1)

In the first game of a twin bill, the St. Louis Cardinals were edged by the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in extra innings on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.  An eighth inning rally fell short for the Redbirds.

Left hander Kwang-Hyun Kim made the start and pitched six innings, yielding one unearned run on three hits.  Kim fanned three, walked one, and threw 80 pitches, 52 for strikes.

Kwang-Hyun via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Giovanny Gallegos took the seventh and tossed a scoreless frame with only one hit allowed.  John Gant and Tyler Webb combined for the extra, eighth inning, as a shaky Gant gave up three runs, one earned, on two hits.  After a runner started the inning on second base, a costly fielding error by third sacker Brad Miller led to the winning run.  Webb recorded the final out. Gant was tagged with the loss.

St. Louis’ offense was kept off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning.  Yadier Molina hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left center field to tie the game at 1-1.

After Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals rallied.  The inning began with Dexter Fowler on second base, and Dylan Carlson led off with a single to left that moved Fowler to third.  Kolten Wong added a sac fly to plate Fowler and it was 4-2.

Tommy Edman was next with a single to center field. With Carlson on second, Paul Goldschmidt singled to right and Carlson came home to make it 4-3.  However, the rally ended there, as the next two Cardinals hitters, Brad Miller and pinch hitter Max Schrock, struck out to end the game.

In addition to the Miller fielding error, Wong also made a fielding miscue.  Fowler was caught stealing for the first time this season.

Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Pirates 2 at Cardinals 0 (seven innings, Game 2) 

Game 2 of the doubleheader began with rookie right hander Johan Oviedo on the mound for the Redbirds. Oviedo tossed two scoreless innings but ran into some trouble in the third.  With one out, Oviedo issued a walk and gave up back to back singles that led to a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.  A third single plated a second run, and the Pirates were up 2-0, a lead they would not relinquish.

Oviedo tossed two more scoreless innings and was relieved by Austin Gomber.  The left hander hurled the final two scoreless frames, yielded two hits, and struck out two. Gomber threw 20 pitches, 18 for strikes. Oviedo took the loss.

Austin Gomber via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis offense scattered just five hits over the seven innings. Paul Goldschmidt and Dylan Carlson each doubled, and Brad Miller tripled in the sixth but was stranded.  Singles by Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina rounded out the meager five-hit effort. The offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

The two losses to the last-place Pirates dropped the Cardinals to 11-11, three games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division.

Friday, August 28, 2020 – Indians 14 at Cardinals 2

The St. Louis Cardinals met the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a three-game set on Friday night at Busch Stadium.  The Indians pounded Redbirds pitching to the tune of a 14-2 drubbing.

Daniel Ponce de Leon made the start and didn’t make it out of the first inning.  In 2/3 innings, the right-hander yielded four runs on two hits and walked four.  Jake Woodford tossed 3 1/3 innings of relief, yielding two runs on five hits.  The 23-year old righty fanned three and issued no free passes.

Junior Fernandez began the fifth and took a mound beating.  In his first action off the COVID IL, the right-hander allowed six runs on six hits, walked two and struck out one.  Cleveland tacked two more runs onto its tally off left hander Ricardo Sanchez, who hurled the sixth and seventh.

Tyler Webb pitched a scoreless eighth inning and infielder Max Schrock got the ball to pitch the ninth.  Schrock retired all three batters he faced for a scoreless inning to close the game.

Dexter Fowler via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Scoring for the Cardinals was limited to a two-run home run in the second inning off the bat of Dexter Fowler.  Paul DeJong went 3-for-4 and Brad Miller had the only other extra base hit, a double in the eighth inning and he was 2-for-3. With his two-base hit, Miller became the only Cardinals runner in scoring position all evening, but neither Matt Carpenter nor Schrock could bring him home.

On defense, Yadier Molina made a costly throwing error in the first inning on a stolen base attempt that led to a Cleveland run.  The game also featured a 3-2-8 double play.  Dylan Carlson made an outfield assist at second base but as a batter, he had three of the team’s five strikeouts.

Their third consecutive loss dropped the Cardinals to a record of 11-12. They remain three games back of the Chicago Cubs, who suffered a 6-5 loss to the Reds.

Saturday, August 29 – Cardinals 1, Indians 2 (12 innings)

In Saturday’s second of the three-game weekend set against Cleveland, the St. Louis Cardinals battled into extra innings but were finally edged by the visiting Indians due to a run in the top half of the 12th inning.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty tossed five innings, yielding one run on three hits.  The right-hander fanned five and walked two.  Flaherty threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes and faced 20 batters in his five innings pitched.

Jack Flaherty via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Genesis Cabrera relieved for the sixth inning and gave up no runs and no hits. The 23-year old lefty struck out three and walked one.  Another left hander, Austin Gomber, followed with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.  Gomber allowed one hit and walked two.

Next up in relief was Giovanny Gallegos who hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings, with no hits, no walks, and one strikeout.  John Gant started the first extra inning, and had a scoreless, no hit, one walk outing.

Alex Reyes closed out the final two innings, striking out three but relinquishing the winning run, unearned due to the runner starting on second base. He took the loss.

As in the first game of the series, there was a dearth of offense. Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a double and was the only Redbird with multiple hits.  Matt Carpenter’s single in the seventh plated the only Cardinals run.  Yadier Molina had the only other hit, a single. Batting ahead of Molina, Brad Miller was walked three times, two intentionally. Collectively, the Cardinals were a dismal 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Baserunning was another nemesis for St. Louis.  In the 10th inning, the runner on second to start the inning, Paul DeJong, failed to tag up on a fly ball by Paul Goldschmidt.  Brad Miller was intentionally walked, and the next batter, Yadier Molina, grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Another important baserunning mistake occurred in the 12th inning.  Molina, the potential tying run, was on third and only one out as Matt Carpenter grounded toward first. Molina, apparently thinking the ball was foul when it was not, had taken off from third base and did not return there as Carpenter was retired.  A quick throw over and Molina was caught in a rundown for the game-ending double play.

In the field, Molina had a passed ball and made a throwing error.  Harrison Bader had an important outfield assist at home plate in the second inning.

St. Louis’ record now stands at 11-13 with this fourth consecutive loss and fifth in the last six games.

Sunday, August 30, 2020 – Cardinals 7,    Indians 2

The Cardinals avoided being swept with a win over the Indians on Sunday at Busch Stadium in the third and final game of the series.  Adam Wainwright, on his 39th birthday, pitched a complete game, his first since July 16, 2016.

Wainwright allowed two runs on four hits in his nine innings pitched.  He fanned nine and walked two.  It was a brilliant, memorable performance for the veteran.  The right hander threw 122 pitches, 82 for strikes.

Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Indians took an early 2-0 lead on a home run in the second inning, but it was lights for Wainwright going forward.  In the bottom of the second, Paul DeJong singled, Yadier Molina singled, and Matt Carpenter walked to load the bases.  Dexter Fowler to right to plate DeJong and Molina.  Dylan Carlson followed with a single that scored Carpenter and Fowler to make it 4-2.

The Cardinals added on with one run in the third.  Paul Goldschmidt doubled and advanced to third on a groundout by Brad Miller.  Goldschmidt scored on a balk.

The score remained 5-2 until the seventh, when Fowler hit a solo home run to lead off the inning.  In the eighth, DeJong hit a ground rule double and Molina singled to drive him home for the 7-2 final score. It was Molina’s 2000th game as a Cardinal, third all-time.

The Cardinals’ bats generated 11 hits on Sunday.  DeJong led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.  Fowler added a double to his long ball in three at bats, touching home twice and driving in three. Left fielder Tommy Edman joined Molina and Fowler with two hits.

Edman and Dylan Carlson were each caught stealing.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals ended a four-game losing streak with the Sunday win over Cleveland.  The team took 2 of 3 from the Royals, lost both games of a doubleheader to Pittsburgh, and won 1 of 3 against Cleveland for a 3-5 week.  The homestand ended at 6-6. The Cardinals remain in second place in the division, 3.5 games behind the Cubs.

Lack of offense and some uncharacteristic defensive issues were the main factors in the losses.  Some baserunning blunders were also in the mix.  The top OPS’s in the last seven days (not including Sunday’s game) were Harrison Bader with an OPS of 1.088, Brad Miller and Paul Goldschmidt at .947, Yadier Molina at .889, and Dylan Carlson at .806. While Miller, Goldschmidt, Molina, and Carlson have been full time starters in the last week, Bader has not. Tyler O’Neill and Kolten Wong struggled at the plate during the week.

Starting pitching has been mostly fine, with Jack Flaherty and Kwang-Hyun Kim the top starters for the week. Daniel Ponce de Leon struggled in his start and was optioned to the Alternate Training Site in Springfield, to be replaced in the rotation by rookie Johan Oviedo.  In relief, Giovanny Gallegos and Austin Gomber have stood out, Alex Reyes has been up and down.

Defense has been shaky, with eight errors over the past week.  Baserunning miscues by Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina in Saturday’s game were especially costly.

The Cardinals play in Cincinnati for three games to start the next week and then move to Chicago for a four game series.  These will be a challenge for the Cardinals, but they need to make up some ground, especially against the Cubs.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 20 14 0.588
St. Louis 12 13 0.480 3.5
Milwaukee 15 18 0.455 4.5
Cincinnati 15 19 0.441 5
Pittsburgh 10 21 0.323 8.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

As Monday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline nears, there are no trade or acquisition rumors involving the Cardinals to report.

Transactions

  • 8/27 The Cardinals activated RHP Junior Fernandez from the injured list.
  • 8/27 The Cardinals placed LHP Andrew Miller on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 24, 2020. Left shoulder fatigue.
  • 8/27 The Cardinals optioned SS Edmundo Sosa to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/27 The Cardinals recalled RHP Seth Elledge from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/28 The Cardinals optioned RHP Seth Elledge to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Meisinger from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals recalled 1B John Nogowski from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals optioned 2B Max Schrock to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals optioned RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals optioned RHP Junior Fernandez to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals recalled RHP Rob Kaminsky from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals recalled RHP Seth Elledge from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/29 The Cardinals placed LHP Ricardo Sanchez on the 10-day injured list. Left elbow pain.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) had surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
  • RHP Junior Fernandez and SS Edmundo Sosa were activated from the injured list and optioned to the Alternate Training Site.
  • RHP Carlos Martinez has been throwing to live hitters at the Alternate Training Site. The right hander is expected to be activated and make a start for one of the upcoming doubleheaders.
  • RHP Ryan Helsley (COVID-19 positive) is throwing live batting practice. He is expected to be activated early in the week.
  • Ryan Helsley via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
  • RHP Kodi Whitley (COVID-19 positive) experienced discomfort in his right elbow during throwing sessions at the Alternate Training Site. He returned to St. Louis to receive a scan on his elbow.
  • OFs Lane Thomas and Austin Dean (COVID-19 positive) continue to work out at the Alternate Training Site. No timetable for a return to the roster has been announced.
  • 1B Rangel Ravelo (COVID-19 positive) has been sent to the Alternate Training Site and is getting live at bats as he works to return to the roster.
  • C Matt Wieters remains on the 10-day injured list. Right great toe contusion.  Wieters was running the bases and working out before Saturday’s game.  He will make the road trip with the Cardinals and will be activated some time during it.
  • Matt Wieters via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
  • LHP Ricardo Sanchez has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Left elbow pain.
  • LHP Andrew Miller has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Left shoulder fatigue.
  • LHP Genesis Cabrera left Saturday’s game with a cracked fingernail on his left middle finger. He hopes to return Tuesday or Wednesday.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals head out on the road for a three-game series in Cincinnati beginning on Monday.  Dakota Hudson is scheduled to make the Monday start, with Kim starting on Tuesday, and Oviedo on Wednesday.

The team has a travel day on Thursday before playing the Chicago Cubs in a four-game weekend set at Wrigley Field.

The Cardinals return home on Tuesday, September 8 for a doubleheader against the Twins at Busch Stadium.

After an off day a week from Wednesday, the Cardinals will face the Tigers in a doubleheader on Thursday.

Blast from the Past

On Sunday, veteran starting pitcher Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game against the Cleveland Indians on his 39th birthday.  Wainwright’s 15-year career with the Cardinals features 23 complete games, including Sunday.  This week’s Blast from the Past takes a look at some of the memorable complete games in Wainwright’s career.

Adam Wainwright (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Wainwright pitched his first complete game on August 10, 2007 in a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers at Busch Stadium.  In that outing, Wainwright gave up two runs on six hits, struck out five and walked one.  The Dodgers scored on a two-run home run by 1B James Loney in the ninth inning.

Wainwright tossed one complete game in 2008 and 2009.  He finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2009 with a record of 19-8 and an ERA of 2.63.

In 2010, Wainwright authored five complete games.  He came in second in the Cy Young voting that year, with a record of 20-11 and an ERA of 2.42.  On June 4, he pitched a complete game shutout against the Brewers in an 8-0 win. Wainwright allowed only two hits, struck out eight, and walked one.

On August 6, Wainwright spun another complete game shutout against the Marlins in a 7-0 victory.  He again allowed only two hits, struck out seven, and walked three.

In 2013, Wainwright again twirled five complete games, and that year led the NL in complete games.  He finished second again in the Cy Young voting, with a record of 19-9 and an ERA of 2.94.  The right hander pitched another 8-0 complete game against the Brewers on April 13, and a 3-0 complete game against the Rockies on May 11.

Wainwright tossed five complete games and had a record of 20-9 and an ERA of 2.38 in 2014, finishing third in the Cy Young voting.  That year, he pitched an 8-0 complete game against the Nationals on April 17, a 5-0 complete game against the Diamondbacks on May 20 and a 2-0 complete game over the Brewers on September 17.

Wainwright had no complete games in 2015, as he sat out most of that season with an Achilles tendon injury.   His last complete game prior to Sunday’s win over Cleveland was on July 16, 2016, a 5-0 win over the Marlins.  He gave up three hits, struck out five and walked two.

Wainwright has had a stellar career with the Cardinals and will no doubt be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame someday.  He may not be finished, as he has said he would like to return for 2021.  But whether or not 2020 is his final season, he is certainly one of the team’s top pitchers of all time.


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St. Louis Cardinals Game Recap – Saturday, August 29, 2020

photo: Jack Flaherty via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals again struggled to get baserunners home Saturday while dropping their fourth straight. A strong start by Jack Flaherty and six scoreless innings of relief were wasted when the Indians scored the winning run in the 12th inning.



Saturday, August 29, 2020 – Indians 2 at Cardinals 1 (12 innings)

In Saturday’s second of the three-game weekend set against Cleveland, the St. Louis Cardinals battled into extra innings but were finally edged by the visiting Indians due to a run in the top half of the 12th inning.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty tossed five innings, yielding one run on three hits.  The right-hander fanned five and walked two.  Flaherty threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes and faced 20 batters in his five innings pitched.

Genesis Cabrera relieved for the sixth inning and gave up no runs and no hits. The 23-year old lefty struck out three and walked one.  Another left hander, Austin Gomber, followed with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.  Gomber allowed one hit and walked two.

Next up in relief was Giovanny Gallegos who hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings, with no hits, no walks, and one strikeout.  John Gant started the first extra inning, and had a scoreless, no hit, one walk outing.

Alex Reyes closed out the final two innings, striking out three but relinquishing the winning run, unearned due to the runner starting on second base. He took the loss.

As in the first game of the series, there was a dearth of offense. Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a double and was the only Redbird with multiple hits.  Matt Carpenter’s single in the seventh plated the only Cardinals run.  Yadier Molina had the only other hit, a single. Batting ahead of Molina, Brad Miller was walked three times, two intentionally. Collectively, the Cardinals were a dismal 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Baserunning was another nemesis for St. Louis.  In the 10th inning, the runner on second to start the inning, Paul DeJong, failed to tag up on a fly ball by Paul Goldschmidt.  Brad Miller was intentionally walked, and the next batter, Yadier Molina, grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Another important baserunning mistake occurred in the 12th inning.  Molina, the potential tying run, was on third and only one out as Matt Carpenter grounded toward first. Molina, apparently thinking the ball was foul when it was not, had taken off from third base and did not return there as Carpenter was retired.  A quick throw over and Molina was caught in a rundown for the game-ending double play.

In the field, Molina had a passed ball and made a throwing error.  Harrison Bader had an important outfield assist at home plate in the second inning.

St. Louis’ record now stands at 11-13 with this fourth consecutive loss and fifth in the last six games.

Sunday’s game:  vs. Indians, 1:15 p.m., Adam Wainwright, RHP (2-0, 2.88) vs. Aaron Civale, RHP (3-3, 3.15), FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX/WIJR


Related article

https://thecardinalnation.com/cardinals-option-out-ponce-de-leon-add-oviedo-to-rotation/


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St. Louis Cardinals Game Recap – Friday, August 28, 2020

photo: Mike Shildt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

For the first time in 23 games in 2020, the St. Louis Cardinals were blown out, losing at home to the Cleveland Indians by a 14-2 score Friday evening. It was St. Louis’ third consecutive defeat, all at Busch Stadium.



Friday, August 28, 2020 – Indians 14 at Cardinals 2

The St. Louis Cardinals met the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a three-game set on Friday night at Busch Stadium.  The Indians pounded Redbirds pitching to the tune of a 14-2 drubbing on Jackie Robinson Day across Major League Baseball.

Daniel Ponce de Leon made the start but did not make it out of the first inning.  In 2/3 innings, the right-hander yielded four runs on two hits and walked four.  Jake Woodford tossed 3 1/3 innings of relief, yielding two runs on five hits.  The 23-year old righty fanned three and issued no free passes.

Junior Fernandez began the fifth and took a mound beating.  In his first action off the COVID IL, the right-hander allowed six runs on six hits, walked two and struck out one.  Cleveland tacked two more runs onto its tally off left hander Ricardo Sanchez, who hurled the sixth and seventh.

Tyler Webb pitched a scoreless eighth inning and infielder Max Schrock got the nod to pitch the ninth.  Schrock also retired all three batters he faced for a scoreless inning to close the game.

Scoring for the Cardinals was limited to a two-run home run in the second inning off the bat of Dexter Fowler.  Paul DeJong went 3-for-4 and Brad Miller had the only other extra base hit, a double in the eighth inning and he was 2-for-3. Miller became the only Cardinals runner in scoring position all evening, but neither Matt Carpenter nor Schrock could bring him home.

On defense, Yadier Molina made a costly throwing error in the first inning on a stolen base attempt that led to a Cleveland run.  The game also featured a 3-2-8 double play.  Dylan Carlson made an outfield assist at second base but as a batter, he had three of the team’s five strikeouts.

Their third consecutive loss dropped the Cardinals to a record of 11-12. They remain three games back of the Chicago Cubs, who suffered a 6-5 loss to the Reds.

Saturday’s game: vs. Indians at 12:15 p.m.  Jack Flaherty, RHP (2-0, 1.98) vs Carlos Carrasco, RHP (2-3, 4.50). FOX Network/KMOX/WIJR


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St. Louis Cardinals Games Recap – Thursday, August 27, 2020

photo: Kwang-Hyun via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Good pitching was not enough as the St. Louis Cardinals dropped both ends of their Thursday home doubleheader to the MLB team with the fewest wins, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kwang-Hyun Kim dominated in Game 1 but took the loss due to continued defensive lapses and a lack of timely hitting.



Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Pirates 4 at Cardinals 3 (eight innings, Game 1)

In the first game of a twin bill, the St. Louis Cardinals were edged by the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in extra innings on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.  An eighth inning rally fell short for the Redbirds.

Left hander Kwang-Hyun Kim made the start and pitched six innings, yielding one unearned run on three hits.  Kim fanned three, walked one, and threw 80 pitches, 52 for strikes.

Kwang-Hyun Kim

Giovanny Gallegos took the seventh and tossed a scoreless frame with only one hit allowed.  John Gant and Tyler Webb combined for the extra, eighth inning, as a shaky Gant gave up three runs, one earned, on two hits.  After a runner started the inning on second base, a costly fielding error by third sacker Brad Miller led to the winning run.  Webb recorded the final out. Gant was tagged with the loss.

St. Louis’ offense was kept off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning.  Yadier Molina hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left center field to tie the game at 1-1.

Yadier Molina

After Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals rallied.  The inning began with Dexter Fowler on second base, and Dylan Carlson led off with a single to left that moved Fowler to third.  Kolten Wong added a sac fly to plate Fowler and it was 4-2.

Tommy Edman was next with a single to center field. With Carlson on second, Paul Goldschmidt singled to right and Carlson came home to score to make it 4-3.  However, the rally ended there, as the next two Cardinals hitters, Brad Miller and pinch hitter Max Schrock, each struck out to end the game.

In addition to the Miller fielding error, Wong made a fielding miscue.  Fowler was caught stealing for the first time this season.


Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Pirates 2 at Cardinals 0 (seven innings, Game 2) 

Game 2 of the doubleheader began with rookie right hander Johan Oviedo on the mound for the Redbirds. Oviedo tossed two scoreless innings but ran into some trouble in the third.  With one out, Oviedo issued a walk and gave up back to back singles that led to a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.  A third single plated a second run, and the Pirates were up 2-0, a lead they would not relinquish.

Johan Oviedo

Oviedo tossed two more scoreless innings and was relieved by Austin Gomber.  The left hander hurled the final two scoreless innings, yielded two hits, and struck out two. Gomber threw 20 pitches, 18 for strikes. Oviedo took the loss.

Austin Gomber

The St. Louis offense scattered just five hits over the seven innings. Paul Goldschmidt and Dylan Carlson each doubled, and Brad Miller tripled in the sixth but was stranded.  Singles by Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina rounded out the meager five-hit effort. The offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

The two losses to the last-place Pirates dropped the Cardinals to 11-11, three games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division.

Notes

Friday’s game:  vs. Indians, 7:15 p.m. CT.  RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-2, 5.25) vs. RHP Triston McKenzie RHP (1-0, 1.50). FOX Sports Midwest // FOX Sports 1 // KMOX // WIJR.


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of August 17-23

photo: Yadier Molina (Frank Ramirez/The Cardinal Nation)

This past week, the St. Louis Cardinals completed their compressed .500 road trip to Chicago and returned home to defeat Cincinnati in three of four games over the weekend. Regulars Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong were activated off the injured list and the catcher contributed immediately. Our Blast from the Past outlines memorable moments during this past week in team history.

Game Recaps

Monday, August 17, 2020 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 1 (seven innings)

The St. Louis Cardinals began a five game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday.  The series featured two sets of doubleheaders.  This is the Game 1 of the first twin bill.  The Cardinals were the winners over their rival, 3-1.

Starter Kwang-Hyun Kim tossed 3 2/3 innings.  The lefty gave up one run on three hits, struck out one and walked three. John Gant took over with two outs in the fourth and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, including three punch outs for the righty reliever.

Giovanny Gallegos

Giovanny Gallegos took over in the sixth inning and hurled a scoreless frame, striking out two Cubs.  He picked up the win. Andrew Miller threw a scoreless seventh for his first save of the season.

The offense was light but sufficient for the win.  The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a solo home run by Dexter Fowler.  The Cubs tied it up in the fourth and the score remained 1-1 until the seventh inning when Brad Miller thumped a two run double to left field.

Paul Goldschmidt contributed a double and Matt Carpenter hit a single to top out the meager four-hit output by the Redbirds. Tyler O’Neill drew the only free pass.

Monday, August 17, 2020 – Cardinals 4 at Cubs 5 (seven innings)

Game 2 of the twin bill was a loss for the Cardinals, who were the home team at Wrigley in a make-up contest for one in St. Louis that had been postponed.  A big sixth inning comeback by the Cubs gave them the winning edge.

Though the Cubs took the early 1-0, lead the Redbirds came back with two runs in the bottom half of the second inning.  Brad Miller was again the standout offensively, with a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth. Max Schrock joined Miller in the long ball race with his bases-empty shot in the fourth.  The Cardinals had a 4-1 lead.  Tommy Edman and Harrison Bader each contributed a single to the effort.

Brad Miller

Game 2 pitching was a combined bullpen effort.  Starter Alex Reyes tossed the first inning and yielded a run on a solo home run by Ian Happ.  Reyes fanned two and walked three.

Following Reyes, four left handers took the next five innings, beginning with a two-inning scoreless outing by lefty Ricardo Sanchez.  Sanchez struck out three Cubs and walked two.   The second lefty, Rob Kaminsky, hurled another scoreless inning with one strikeout.  Genesis Cabrera gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings.  Left hander Tyler Webb finished the sixth inning by yielding three runs on two hits.  The Cubs took the lead in the sixth with four runs off Cabrera and Webb.

Right-hander Nabil Crismatt closed out the game with a scoreless seventh.  He allowed one hit, fanned two and walked one.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 6

The Cardinals were defeated again by the Cubs in the only nine inning contest in the five-game series.  Daniel Ponce de Leon started and lasted 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander gave up two runs on three hits, walked three, but also fanned seven Cubs.

The bullpen took over with one out in the fourth inning, beginning right hander Seth Elledge.  Elledge got the last two outs of the inning and yielded two additional runs on two hits, with two strikeouts and two walks.

Ryan Meisinger began the fifth and continued through the second out of the sixth.  The righty allowed no runs and only one hit.  He struck out two Cubs and walked two.  The seventh was handled by Jesus Cruz, who relinquished two runs on three hits.  Nabil Crismatt closed out the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.  Ponce de Leon took the loss.

The offense scored three runs on nine hits.  Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4, including an RBI single in the fifth inning for the first Cardinals run. The first baseman contributed two additional singles.

Paul Goldschmidt

The Redbirds added two runs in the eighth on a single by Matt Carpenter and as a result of a double play off the bat of Dylan Carlson.  Carpenter and Kolten Wong were each 2-for-4.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 – Cardinals 9 at Cubs 3 (seven innings)

The Cardinals handily defeated the Cubs in the first game of the second doubleheader in three days.  This was the first start for right hander Jack Flaherty since the return of the Cardinals from their 17-day break.

The nine-run effort began with a grand slam by Matt Carpenter in the first inning.  It was set when Kolten Wong led off by being hit by a pitch from Cubs starter Alec Mills.  Tommy Edman followed with a single and Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk to load the bases.

Matt Carpenter

The Redbirds added a fifth run in the second on an Edman RBI single.  In the fourth, Goldschmidt singled to plate Wong, who reached via a single to left field.

Edman again contributed an RBI single and Brad Miller doubled to score two more runs in the sixth inning to bring the score to 9-1.  The Cubs added two in the bottom of the seventh for the 9-3 final score.

For the game, Edman was 3-for-4, with two runs scored and two RBI.

Flaherty was understandably a little rusty in his start.  He was on a pitch count and therefore was pulled after 1 2/3 innings.  The right-hander yielded a first inning solo home run to Ian Happ, struck out three and walked two.

Four relievers combined to pitch the remaining 5 1/3 innings.  Austin Gomber, Tyler Webb (win), and John Gant each contributed 1 1/3 scoreless frames.  Ricardo Sanchez yielded two Cubs runs in the final 1 1/3 innings.

Kolten Wong and Dylan Carlson each stole their first base of the season.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 – -Cardinals 2 at Cubs 4 (seven innings)

The second game of the twin bill and the final game of the series ended with a St. Louis loss.  The game was a combined pitching effort from a rookie and three relievers.

Johan Oveido was added to the roster and called up from the Alternate Training Site in Springfield to make the start.  In his MLB debut, Oviedo pitched five innings and allowed two runs on two hits.  The right hander fanned four and issued two free passes.

Johan Oviedo

Genesis Cabrera tossed a scoreless sixth in relief.  Andrew Miller began the seventh but yielded two runs on three hits while recording only one out.  Giovanny Gallegos secured the final two outs without relinquishing additional runs.  Gallegos gave up one hit and struck out one.

The offense scored one run each in the fifth and sixth innings on only three hits.  Andrew Knizner drove in the first run on a sac fly in the fifth.  Brad Miller’s single in the sixth plated the second and final Redbird run. Kolten Wong and Matt Carpenter contributed the other hits, both singles.

An outfield assist by Harrison Bader at third base was the notable defensive play of the game.

Thursday, August 20, 2020 – -Cardinals 5, Reds 4

Opening the first series at Busch Stadium since the initial series of the season, the Cardinals defeated the Reds in a walk off win on Thursday.

Adam Wainwright made the start and tossed seven innings, yielding four runs on six hits.  The right hander struck out four and issued no free passes. Wainwright took a no decision as the Reds had the lead until the ninth inning. A messy first inning on the field, with errors by third baseman Brad Miller and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, did Wainwright no favors.

Adam Wainwright

Following Wainwright in relief was Alex Reyes, who pitched a scoreless eighth, allowed one hit, fanned one and walked one.  Seth Elledge pitched the ninth, and though it was a lengthy inning with three walks and a bases loaded jam, he emerged unscathed to get the win as the offense mounted its comeback.

The Reds took an early 3-0 lead, but the Redbirds made a dent in the bottom of the second inning.  In his first game back from a positive test and a COVID-19 quarantine, Yadier Molina never missed a beat.  The veteran catcher singled with the bases loaded in his first at bat and brought two runs home to decrease the lead to 3-2.

The Reds added another run in the top of the third to make it 4-2.  The Cardinals were unable to penetrate that lead until the ninth inning.  Brad Miller led off the inning and was hit by a pitch.  Tyler O’Neill drew a walk.  Dexter Fowler singled on a ground ball to right field and the bases were loaded.

Once again it was Molina at the plate with the bases loaded.  He singled and plated Miller to make it 4-3.  Reds closer Raisel Iglesias balked and O’Neill scored to tie the game at 4-4.  Dylan Carlson struck out for the first out.  After a pitching change, and on a 2-1 count, Kolten Wong tattooed the pitch into the right center field gap to score Fowler for the walk off win.

Kolten Wong

There was a socially distanced celebration after.

Friday, August 21, 2020 – Cardinals 2, Reds 4

In the second game of the four game series, the Cardinals fell to the Reds 4-2.  St. Louis led 2-0 much of the way, but a key defensive error snowballed into a four-run sixth inning for the Reds that the Cardinals didn’t overcome.

St. Louis’ offense got on the board in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead.  Harrison Bader drew a walk and Kolten Wong followed with an infield single.  Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Matt Carpenter drew a walk and Bader scored.

In the fifth, Wong, Paul Goldschmidt, and Carpenter walked.  With the bases loaded, Brad Miller grounded into a force out and Wong scored to increase the lead to 2-0.

In the top of the sixth, with two outs on the board, Harrison Bader failed to catch a fly ball in center off the bat of Eugenio Suarez.  Suarez advanced to third on a missed catch error by Tommy Edman on a throw by Bader.  Reliever Genesis Cabrera walked the next batter and hit the subsequent batter with a pitch to load the bases.  Tyler Webb relieved Cabrera and gave up a grand slam to pinch hitter Matt Davidson to give the Reds a 4-2 lead.

The offense managed only three hits, singles by Wong, Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler.

Dakota Hudson

Dakota Hudson made the start.  The right hander pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed one hit, struck out six and walked two.  Genesis Cabrera relieved with one out in the fifth, and returned to start the sixth.  Three of the four unearned runs scored in the sixth inning were Cabrera’s and he was tagged with the loss.  Tyler Webb relieved with two outs in the sixth and was charged with the last of the four runs scoring on his grand slam allowed. Webb pitched 1 1/3 innings.  Jake Woodford tossed the final two scoreless innings.

Saturday, August 22, 2020 – Cardinals 3, Reds 0

In the third game of the weekend series, the Cardinals bounced back from the heartbreaking loss in Game 2 to blank the Reds 3-0.

Kwang-Hyun Kim

Starter Kwang-Hyun Kim earned his first major league win. The left-hander hurled six scoreless innings, allowed only three hits, and struck out three.   Only one Reds batter reached second base against him.  Kim threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes.

John Gant tossed a scoreless seventh, allowing no hits and walking one.  Andrew Miller started the eighth and faced three batters.  The left-hander yielded one hit and walked one.  Giovanny Gallegos got the final out of the eighth and returned to pitch the ninth.  The right hander allowed no runs, no hits, and struck out one to earn his first save of the season.

The Redbirds offense got on the board in the second with two runs scored.  It began with a bloop hustle double to shallow right by Harrison Bader.  Kolten Wong followed with a bloop single to left, with Bader advancing to third and Wong taking second on the throw home.  Tommy Edman singled on a line drive to left field to plate both Bader and Wong.

In the fifth, Harrison Bader’s solo home run to right field increased the lead to 3-0.  Bader went 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Tommy Edman drove in two.  All total, the offense had seven hits.

This game went at a quick pace, ending 2 hours and 15 minutes after the first pitch.

Sunday, August 23, 2020 – Cardinals 6, Reds 2

In the fourth and final game of the Reds series, the Cardinals blasted their way to 6-2 win.  Offense came from three players and pitching, both starting and relieving, held the visitors to two runs.

Daniel Ponce de Leon made the start, and though he was shaky at times, he kept the Cardinals in the game for 4 2/3 innings. The right hander allowed two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out two.  Because he didn’t go a full five innings, he didn’t get the win.

Genesis Cabrera relieved with two outs in the fifth.  The 23-year old lefty tossed two innings with one walk and not hits allowed.  John Gant retired the only batter he faced in the seventh.  Cabrera earned the win.

Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless eighth, striking out one and yielding no runs or hits.  Alex Reyes closed the game in the ninth with one walk and no hits allowed.

Harrison Bader, Yadier Molina, and Dylan Carlson were the RBI guys.  Bader hit a two-run home run in the second inning to tie the game at 2-2.  In the third, Molina plated a run on a single to center field to make it 3-2.

Yadier Molina

Molina singled again to score Matt Carpenter in the seventh for a 4-2 lead.  In that same inning Dylan Carlson hit his first major league home run, a two run shot, to bring the score to the final 6-2.

Molina went 4-for-5 on the afternoon.  Carlson was 2-for-4 and Bader was 2-for 3.  Bader hit a ground rule double in the seventh following Carlson’s long ball, but was left stranded.  Carlson singled in the fourth.

Kolten Wong stole his second base of the season.

Big Picture

The Cardinals went 5-4 for the week, taking 2 of 5 from the Cubs and 3 of 4 from the Reds.  They stand in second place in the NL Central with a record of 9-8, and are three games behind the Cubs.

Offense has picked up over the last week, with standouts being Brad Miller, Paul Goldschmidt, Kolten Wong, and most recently Harrison Bader and Yadier Molina.  Bader’s offense picked up significantly over the weekend and Molina, who was activated from the injured list on Thursday, has been gangbusters with the bat, including going 4-for-5 on Sunday, the same day Paul DeJong returned to the lineup.

In a special note, on Saturday, Molina passed Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith (1982-96) for third all-time in franchise history in games played with 1,991.

Most the of hitters have improved or remained steady, with the exception of Tyler O’Neill, who has hit a slump, and Dylan Carlson, who performed well in Sunday’s game but had been slow to adjust up to that point.

On the pitching side, Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, and Kwang-Hyun Kim had very good starts this past week.  Jack Flaherty’s first start since the 17-day hiatus was a struggle and was shortened due to a pitch count.  He is scheduled to pitch again on Monday. Daniel Ponce de Leon started on Sunday and has yet to go five innings.

The bullpen has received a workout due to multiple doubleheaders during the week, necessitating two bullpen games.  Standouts have been Giovanny Gallegos and John Gant.  The bullpen has been a revolving door of callups from and returns to the Alternate Training Site in Springfield.  Johan Oviedo was added to the 40-man and active rosters this week and performed well in his one start.

John Gant

Along with Oviedo, Ryan Meisinger, Nabil Crismatt and Jesus Cruz increased the Cardinals total of big-league debuts this season to 13, most in MLB this season.

Defense and baserunning remain steady for the most part with a few hiccups along the way.  The defense made Adam Wainwright’s first inning on Thursday difficult, with errors by Paul Goldschmidt and Brad Miller that led to unearned runs.  An uncharacteristic misplay of a fly ball by Harrison Bader on Friday led to a grand slam and the one loss to the Reds.  The error was blunted somewhat by Bader’s uptick in offense on Saturday and Sunday.

The Cardinals open a three-game series with the Royals on Monday.  The Royals are in last place in their division and the Cardinals generally play them well.  A doubleheader with the Pirates is coming on Thursday, and a series with the Indians over the weekend. On paper, the Indians should be the Cardinals’ toughest foe in the upcoming week.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 17 10 0.630
St. Louis 9 8 0.529 3
Cincinnati 11 15 0.423 5.5
Milwaukee 11 15 0.423 5.5
Pittsburgh 7 17 0.292 8.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/17 The Cardinals optioned RHP Roel Ramirez and 1B John Nogowski to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/17 The Cardinals selected the contracts of RHP Ryan Meisinger and RHP Nabil Crismatt from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/17 The Cardinals recalled RHP Jake Woodford from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/18 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford and LHP Rob Kaminsky to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/18 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Jesus Cruz from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/19 The Cardinals activated LHP Austin Gomber from the injured list.
  • 8/19 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Meisinger and RHP Jesus Cruz to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/19 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Johan Oveido from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/19 The Cardinals recalled RHP Jake Woodford from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals activated C Yadier Molina from the injured list.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals placed C Matt Wieters on the injured list.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford and RHP Nabil Crismatt to the Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/21 The Cardinals sent RHP Alvaro Seijas outright to the Springfield Cardinals.
  • 8/23 The Cardinals activated SS Paul DeJong from the injured list.
  • 8/23 The Cardinals optioned RHP Seth Elledge to the Alternate Training Site.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, made the decision to opt out and was placed on the restricted list.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) had surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
  • RHP Junior Fernandez, and Kodi Whitley, SS Edmundo Sosa, and 1B Rangel Ravelo, are on the injured list due to positive COVID-19 tests. Fernandez, Ravelo, and Sosa have been sent to the Alternate Site with no return date yet announced.  Whitley was said to be “on his way” to the Alternate Training Site as of Friday and was playing catch at Busch Stadium.
  • RHP Carlos Martinez was initially placed on the injured list with no reason given. It was revealed this past week that he was one of the COVID-19 positives.  Martinez has been cleared for baseball activities and has been throwing bullpen sessions, but no return date has been reported.  He is scheduled to throw to live hitters on Monday.
  • OF Lane Thomas, OF Austin Dean, and RHP Ryan Helsley have been on the injured list due to positive COVID-19 tests. Helsley has been cleared for baseball activities and has done some “aggressive long toss”.  He will throw his first bullpen on Monday.  Dean and Thomas had not yet been cleared to return to baseball activity as of Sunday.
  • C Yadier Molina has been activated from the injured list and has been in the starting lineup since Thursday.
  • LHP Austin Gomber has been activated from the injured list and made a relief appearance in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
  • C Matt Wieters was placed on the 10-day injured list. Right great toe contusion.
  • SS Paul DeJong was activated from the injured list a day ahead of schedule. DeJong was in Sunday’s starting lineup.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals continue their 12-game homestand against four opponents with a three-game series against the Royals beginning Monday.  Jack Flaherty is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by Adam Wainwright and Dakota Hudson.

The Pirates will come to Busch Stadium for a doubleheader on Thursday for makeups of previously postponed games.

Following the Thursday twin bill, the Cleveland Indians visit Busch Stadium for a weekend set.

The Cardinals return to the road starting on Monday, August 31 for a three-game series in Cincinnati.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past takes a look at notable Cardinals happenings that took place from August 17-23 at various years in the history of the franchise.

  • August 17, 1937 – The Cardinals defeated the Reds 8-6 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati in a game that began at 9:36 p.m. ET. The game ended at 12:02 a.m. and was the first major league game to end after midnight.
  • August 17, 2005 – The Cardinals broke their single season attendance record of 3.43 million fans set in 1989.
  • August 18, 1965 – The Milwaukee Braves defeated the Cardinals in a 5-3 game at Sportsman’s Park. In the eighth inning, Braves RF Hank Aaron hit a home run onto the top of the pavilion.  Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver insisted to home plate umpire Chris Pelekoudas that Aaron stepped out of the batter’s box.  Pelekoudas called Aaron out, citing batter interference and Aaron was denied the home run.
  • Eddie Gaedel’s uniform from the St. Louis Cardinals Museum (Brian Walton photo)
  • August 19, 1951 – In an incident not related to the Cardinals at the time, Little Person Eddie Gaedel pinch hit for RF Ralph Saucier of the St. Louis Browns in a game against the Detroit Tigers in Sportsman’s Park. Current Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. was the Browns’ batboy, and lent Gaedel his uniform as it was the only one that would fit the 3-foot-7 Gaedel. DeWitt still owns the famous uniform today, having loaned it to Cooperstown and also exhibited it at the Cardinals Museum.
  • August 20, 1998 – In the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets in Shea Stadium, Mark McGwire hit his 50th home run of the season, making him the first major leaguer to do so in three consecutive seasons.
  • August 21, 1935 – In a 13-3 win over the Boston Braves at Braves Field, Cardinals first baseman Ripper Collins failed to make a single putout. Collins repeated this against the Dodgers in 1937 while playing first base for the Cubs, making him the only player to accomplish this rare feat twice in the major leagues.
  • August 22, 1982 – Against the Giants, catcher Glenn Brummer stole home in the 12th inning to give the Cardinals the 5-4 walk off win. Brummer recorded only four stolen bases in his entire major league career.
  • August 22, 1999 – Mark McGwire hit home runs 49 and 50 in a game against the Mets in Shea Stadium (see August 20, 1998 above) making this the fourth consecutive season in which McGwire hit 50 long balls.
  • August 22, 2011 – Left fielder Matt Holliday is forced to leave the game when a moth becomes embedded in his right ear. The moth is later extracted and pulled out still alive.
  • August 23, 1952 – The Cardinals defeated the New York Giants 3-1 in a day game at Sportsman’s Park. The day’s notable involved two Giants.  In the seventh inning, third baseman Bob Elliott was ejected by home plate umpire Augie Donatelli for arguing a strike two call.  Teammate Bobby Hofman replaced Elliott in the at bat and was also ejected for arguing the strike three call.
  • August 23, 2009—Long time Braves pitcher and Hall of Famer John Smoltz picked up his only win as a Cardinal. Louis beat the Padres 5-2 with Smoltz pitching five scoreless innings, allowing three hits, and striking out nine.

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Where are they now? St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Bryan Anderson


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Saturday, August 22, 2020

photo: Kwang-Hyun Kim via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Behind the pitching of Kwang-Hyun Kim and hitting of Harrison Bader and Tommy Edman, the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 at Busch Stadium on Saturday evening.

Saturday, August 22, 2020 – Cardinals 3, Reds 0

In the third of the four-game weekend series, the St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in Game 2 to blank the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 at Busch Stadium Saturday evening.

Starter Kwang-Hyun Kim earned his first major league win, saying it was something he dreamed of from when he was a child, and the “dream came true.” The left-hander hurled six scoreless innings, allowed only three hits, and struck out three.   Only one Reds batter reached second base in Kim’s six strong innings.  The left hander threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes.

John Gant tossed a scoreless seventh.  He allowed no hits and walked one.  Andrew Miller started the eighth and faced three batters.  The left hander generated a double play, yielded a hit and walked a batter.  Giovanny Gallegos secured the final out of the eighth and also covered the ninth.  The right-hander allowed no runs, no hits, and struck out one to earn his first save of the season.

Harrison Bader via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Redbirds offense got on the board in the second with two runs scored.  It began with a bloop double to shallow right by Harrison Bader, who hustled to second.  Kolten Wong followed with a bloop single to left, with Bader advancing to third and Wong ending up on second on an ill-advised throw home.  Tommy Edman singled on a line drive to left field to plate both runners.

Tommy Edman via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

In the fifth, Bader hit a solo hone run to right field to increase the lead to 3-0.  Bader went 2-for-3 on the night and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Edman drove in two.  The offense had seven hits in total.

This game went at a quick pace, ending 2 hours and 15 minutes after the first pitch.

The Cardinals improved to 8-8 on the season, three games behind the Cubs. St. Louis is 2-1 on the current homestand and series and 6-5 since their return.

Sunday’s game:  vs. Reds at 1:15 p.m.  RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-2, 6.15) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (0-0, 3.38).  FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX/WIJR/Cardinals Radio Network.


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Friday, August 21, 2020

photo: Dakota Hudson via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Friday, August 21, 2020 – Cardinals 2, Reds 4

In the second installment of the four-game home series, the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Friday evening.  The Cardinals led 2-0 through five innings, but defensive errors snowballed into a four-run sixth for the Reds that the Cardinals didn’t overcome.

St. Louis’ offense got on the board in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead.  Harrison Bader took a free pass and Kolten Wong followed with an infield single.  Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Matt Carpenter drew one of his two walks on the evening and Bader scored.

In the fifth, Wong, Paul Goldschmidt, and Carpenter walked.  With the bases loaded, Brad Miller grounded into a force out and Wong scored to increase the lead to 2-0. So in the two bases-loaded situations, the Cardinals were able to bring in just one run each time.

In the top of the sixth, with two outs, Harrison Bader failed to catch a fly ball in center off the bat of Eugenio Suarez.  Suarez advanced to third on a missed catch error by Tommy Edman on the throw in by Bader.  Reliever Genesis Cabrera walked the next batter and hit the subsequent batter with a pitch to load the bases.  Tyler Webb relieved and gave up a grand slam to pinch hitter Matt Davidson to give the Reds a 4-2 lead, despite having just two hits in the game.

The Cardinals offense was also sparse, managing only three hits, singles by Wong, Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler.

Dakota Hudson

Dakota Hudson made the start for St. Louis.  The right hander pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed one hit, struck out six and walked two before reaching his pitch count.  After the game, Hudson said he had a good curveball and moved it around well.

Cabrera finished the fifth and returned to start the next frame.  Three of the Reds runs in the sixth were charged to Cabrera, all unearned, and he was tagged with the loss.  Webb, who went 1 1/3 innings, was charged with the other run, which was earned.  Jake Woodford tossed the final two scoreless frames.

The Cardinals fell to 7-8 on the season, four games behind the Cubs. St. Louis is 1-1 on the current homestand and 5-5 since their return.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Reds at 7:15 pm.  Kwang-Hyun Kim (0-0, 3.86) vs. Wade Miley (0-2, 16.20). FOX Sports Midwest /KMOX/WIJR/Cardinals Radio Network


Related news

During Friday’s game, the Cardinals announced a player transaction affecting both the 40-man roster and the 60-man player pool.

Cardinals Drop Alvaro Seijas from the 40-Man Roster


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Thursday, August 20, 2020

photo: Kolten Wong via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Thursday, August 20, 2020 – Cardinals 5, Reds 4

In the first game of the first series played at Busch Stadium since the opening set of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds in a walk off win on Thursday.

Adam Wainwright made the start and went seven innings, yielding four runs on six hits.  The right hander struck out four and issued no free passes. Wainwright took a no decision as the Reds held the lead until the ninth inning. A messy first inning on the field, with errors by third baseman Brad Miller and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, did Wainwright no favors.

Adam Wainwright

Following Wainwright on the mound in relief was Alex Reyes, who pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit, fanning one and walking one.  Seth Elledge pitched the ninth, and though it was a lengthy stint with three walks and a bases loaded jam, Elledge emerged unscathed to receive his first major league win.

The Reds took an early 3-0 lead, but the Redbirds made a dent in the bottom of the second inning.  In his first game back from a positive COVID-19 quarantine, Yadier Molina never missed a beat.  The veteran catcher singled with the bases loaded in his first at-bat and brought two runs home to decrease the lead to 3-2.

Yadier Molina

The Reds added another run in the top of the third to make it 4-2.  The Cardinals were unable to respond until the ninth inning.  Brad Miller led off and was hit by a pitch.  Tyler O’Neill drew a walk.  Dexter Fowler singled on a ground ball to right field.

Once again it was Molina at the plate with the bases loaded.  He singled to plate Miller and make it 4-3.  With O’ Neill on third, Fowler on second, and Molina on first, Reds closer Raisel Iglesias balked and O’Neill came home to tie the score.  With two in scoring position, Dylan Carlson fanned for out no. 1.  With Kolten Wong coming to the plate, the Reds pulled Iglesias.  On a 2-1 count, Wong tattooed the ball into the right center field gap to score Fowler for the walk off win.

Kolten Wong

There was a socially distanced celebration after.

The Cardinals are now 7-7 on the season and in second place, 4.0 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division.

Friday’s game: vs. Reds at 7:15 pm.  Dakota Hudson (0-2, 5.40) vs. Anthony Desclafani (1-1, 6.23). FS Midwest/KMOX/WIJR/Cardinals Radio Network


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of August 10-16

photo: Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

After 17 days out, the St. Louis Cardinals returned to play, winning two of three at the White Sox over the weekend. Adam Wainwright’s Game 1 performance set the tone. Our history feature highlights Curt Flood’s eight consecutive hits in a twin-bill held 56 years ago this week.



Game Recaps

Saturday, August 15, 2020 – Cardinals 5 at White Sox 1 (Game 1, seven innings)

After 17 days without playing a game, the St. Louis Cardinals returned to play with a doubleheader against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

The first game began with Adam Wainwright on the bump to start.  The right hander’s last appearance was on July 25 and any long layoff from pitching makes returning to the mound difficult.  Wainwright handled his return like the professional he is.  Wainwright tossed five of the game’s seven innings, allowing one run on two hits. The veteran starter struck out three and walked three.

Adam Wainwright

The final two innings were handled by Giovanny Gallegos, in the sixth inning, and John Gant to close out the seventh.  Gallegos was masterful, striking out all three batters he faced for a perfect inning.  Gant pitched a scoreless seventh, yielding one hit and fanning two.

The game began with leadoff hitter Kolten Wong drawing an eight-pitch walk.  Tommy Edman followed with a single to left field.  Tyler O’Neill and Matt Carpenter were each hit by a pitch, bringing Wong home to score the first run.  Dexter Fowler drove in Edman and O’Neill on a bloop fly ball to center. Andrew Knizner singled to plate Carpenter.  Harrison Bader singled on a grounder to short, but Fowler was thrown out at home attempting to score from second base.  The Cardinals led 4-0.

Dexter Fowler

In the fourth inning, Fowler singled and Bader walked.  Edman reached on a fielding error and Fowler scored to add the Cardinals fifth and final run.

O’Neill was caught stealing in the fifth inning.  Carpenter made a throwing error in the second inning.

Saturday, August 15, 2020 – Cardinals 6 at White Sox 3 (Game 2, seven innings)

In the second game of the twin bill, the Cardinals came back from a two-run deficit in the fourth inning with four big runs to take the lead and keep it.  A sweep of the doubleheader puts the Cardinals back in the thick of the race in the NL Central.

The Cardinals fell behind 1-0 in the third inning but came back in the top of the fourth to tie on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt.  The White Sox took the lead back in the bottom frame of the inning via a two-run home run against reliever Genesis Cabrera.

Undeterred, the offense came back in the fifth.  Max Schrock singled on a shallow fly ball to right field for his first major league hit. Harrison Bader followed with a ground ball to third that was initially ruled a double play.  However, on replay the call was overturned as Bader’s speed led him to beat the throw by a hair.  Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch.  A wild pitch advanced Bader and Edman a base, then Carpenter grounded out and Bader scored.  Paul Goldschmidt was next with a single to short and Edman scored to tie the game at 3-3.  Tyler O’Neill blasted a two-run home run to left field and the Cardinals led 5-3.

Tyler O’Neill

St. Louis added an insurance run in the seventh.  Carpenter singled to center and O’Neill doubled to center.  Carpenter scored on a sac fly off the bat of Brad Miller.

Notably both Schrock and top prospect Dylan Carlson each collected their first major league hit, both in the fifth inning.  Schrock singled and Carlson doubled.

A third Cardinal made his major league debut.  Jake Woodford was the starter and he tossed three innings.  The right-hander gave up one run on one hit, a solo home run, struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Jake Woodford

Genesis Cabrera relieved Woodford in the fourth and yielded two runs on one hit, also a home run.  The left hander struck out two and walked one.  Alex Reyes pitched the fifth, and like his teammate Gallegos in Game 1, struck out all three batters he faced.  Tyler Webb tossed the sixth, and Andrew Miller finished with a scoreless seventh.

Sunday, August 16, 2020 – Cardinals 2 at White Sox 7

The Cardinals met the White Sox in the final game of the three-game series on Sunday.  Dakota Hudson got the start against Dallas Keuchel for the White Sox.

Hudson pitched four innings and gave up one run on two hits, struck out three and walked one.  The right hander took the loss, his second.   Roel Ramirez made his major league debut in relief and it did not go well.  In 2/3 of an inning, Ramirez yielded six runs on six hits, including four consecutive home runs.  The right hander fanned one and walked one.

Dakota Hudson

Seth Elledge, also making his major league debut, relieved Ramirez with two outs in the fifth inning.  He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, struck out five and issued no walks.  Rob Kaminsky followed with a scoreless inning in his initial major league appearance.  The left hander struck out one.

Seth Elledge

The offense was kept off the board until the sixth inning.  After the White Sox took a 7-0 lead with six runs in the fifth, the Cardinals put up two runs.  Another player in his first MLB game, John Nogowski, led off with a single to center and Kolten Wong followed with a single to right.  Tommy Edman grounded into a force out, erasing Wong on the basepaths.  Paul Goldschmidt grounded to first and Nogowski was thrown out attempting to score.  With Goldschmidt and Edman on first and second, Tyler O’Neill drew a walk.  Matt Carpenter then singled to right field, plating Edman and Goldschmidt to decrease the lead to 7-2.  The Cardinals did not score again.

The offense had six hits, including singles by Dylan Carlson and Dexter Fowler.  No Cardinal had multiple hits and none of the six hits went for extra bases.

Andrew Knizner was tagged with an error on a catcher interference and erased two of three runners trying to steal.

The Big Picture

In their first series back after returning to play, the Cardinals won two of three at the home of the White Sox.  This leaves the Cardinals with a 4-4 record in the NL Central, tying them with the Brewers for second place, 3.5 games back of the Cubs.

For the first two games, the doubleheader on Saturday, the offense scored 11 runs.  The offense performed less well on Sunday, with only two runs on six hits.  The hitters couldn’t figure out lefty Dallas Keuchel until the sixth inning. The top performers with the bat so far are Paul Goldschmidt, Dexter Fowler, and Andrew Knizer.  Tyler O’Neill is also hitting well, though he was hitless in the final game of the series.  Top prospect Dylan Carlson has two hits, a double and a single, and drew a walk.

Dylan Carlson

Pitching has been good, with the bullpen seeing the bulk of the work in the White Sox series.  Only Genesis Cabrera and Roel Ramirez allowed runs.  Ramirez struggled with the long ball in the third game of the series.  Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes were standouts in the doubleheaders on Saturday.

Defense has been good, with only two errors over the weekend.  Baserunning has been fine as well, though there were two issues with attempting to score by Fowler in the first game and John Nogowski in the final game.

The Cardinals will remain in Chicago to play five games with the Cubs, including doubleheaders on Monday and Wednesday.  The Cubs have a strong lead in the division, but were swept by Milwaukee over the weekend, so winning this series would put the Cardinals back on solid footing.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 13 6 0.684
Milwaukee 10 10 0.500 3.5
St. Louis 4 4 0.500 3.5
Cincinnati 9 11 0.450 4.5
Pittsburgh 4 14 0.222 8.5

Cardinals finally return to the field

After a 17-day break from game play due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the Cardinals received clearance to return to the field.  The team had been isolated for a week due to additional positive tests after returning to St. Louis from the quarantine in Milwaukee.  10 players and seven staff members had tested positive as of Thursday, and one additional positive, a staff member, was added as the team was preparing to travel to Chicago for their first series in over two weeks.  The staff member had been in isolation for a week and had had no contact with others.

With clearance to play, and in an abundance of caution, the Cardinals decided to forgo a plane trip to Chicago.  Instead the team rented 41 cars and each member of the traveling party drove separately.

Mike Shildt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Prior to the Chicago trip, the Cardinals placed three players, OF Austin Dean, OF Lane Thomas, and RHP Ryan Helsley on the injured list.  All three had tested positive for the virus. LHP Austin Gomber, who had not tested positive, but was identified as having been exposed from contact tracing, was placed on the COVID injured list as a precaution.

The team added five players to the roster on Friday – top prospect Dylan Carlson, 1B John Nogowski, and pitchers Seth Elledge, Roel Ramirez, and Rob Kaminsky.  The Cardinals also recalled pitcher Ricardo Sanchez, who was designated as the 29th man for the Saturday doubleheader.

The moves required other players on the 40-man roster to be moved off to make room.  Placing players on the COVID injured list enables said players to be taken off the roster for the period of time they are on the list.  The players who were moved off the roster have not been identified.  Subsequent moves will have to be made at a later time to open a spot for those players to return.

The players arriving from the Alternate Training site in Springfield traveled to Chicago on a bus.  The team also added three RHP to the taxi squad for the trip, Ryan Meisinger, Nabil Crismatt, and Jesus Cruz, joining catcher Jose Godoy.

The Cardinals added three players, C Pedro Pages, SS Kramer Robertson, and RHP Bryan Dobzanski to their Alternate Training Site.

Willie McGee opts out

On Friday, outfield coach Willie McGee announced that he was opting out from coaching for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Willie McGee (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

The 61-year old Cardinals Hall of Famer became concerned after the recent outbreak among players and staff that sent everyone into quarantine in St. Louis for a week.  While McGee had not tested positive, he was concerned for his own health as well as the health of the large family that resides with him.  He asked the team if he could return to his home in Martinez, California and the Cardinals agreed.

President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told the media that the team understood McGee’s decision and will welcome him back to coaching next spring.  McGee may continue to offer some coaching to players virtually from his home.

The Cardinals added long time coach Jose Oquendo, who had been running the Alternate Training Site, to the major league staff as third base coach.  Also added was Johnson City manager Roberto Espinoza.  Oquendo will also coach the outfield, and Espinoza will help with the bullpen and prepping hitters.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/14 The Cardinals placed LHP Austin Gomber on the COVID-19 injured list retroactive to August 13.
  • 8/15 The Cardinals placed OF Lane Thomas and OF Austin Dean on the injured list.
  • 8/15 The Cardinals placed RHP Ryan Helsley on the injured list.
  • 8/15 The Cardinals selected the contracts of LHP Rob Kaminsky, RHP Seth Elledge, 1B John Nogowski, and OF Dylan Carlson from the Cardinals Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/15 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ricardo Sanchez from the Cardinals Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/16 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford to the Alternate Training Site.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, made the decision to opt out and was placed on the restricted list.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) had surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
  • Six players, RHP Junior Fernandez, and Kodi Whitley, SS Paul DeJong and SS Edmundo Sosa, 1B Rangel Ravelo, and C Yadier Molina were the first group placed on the injured list due to positive COVID-19 tests. The players have isolated for at least eight days and will be eligible to return after two negative tests 24 hours apart.  Some of the players have begun the process to return to play.  After the two positive tests, a physical, a cardiac evaluation, and blood work each player may be cleared for light workouts at Busch Stadium.  The next step will be to send them to the Alternate Training Site for live at bats and bullpen sessions. None are expected to return on the current road trip.
  • RHP Carlos Martinez was placed on the injured list. No reason given.  No timetable for his return has been reported.
  • OF Lane Thomas, OF Austin Dean, and RHP Helsley were placed on the COVID-19 IL. They must follow the same steps outlined above before they can return to baseball activities.
  • LHP Austin Gomber was placed on the COVID-19 injured list as a precaution. He was identified as having been exposed to COVID-19 through contact tracing, though he has not tested positive.  Gomber remains in St. Louis to work out and is expected to rejoin the team in Chicago as soon as Monday.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals returned to play on August 15 after a 17-day hiatus due to a COVID-19 outbreak.  The first game of the series against the White Sox was scheduled to be played on Friday but was postponed a day.  A doubleheader was played on Saturday, followed by the final game of the series on Sunday.

The Cardinals remain in Chicago to play the Cubs beginning on Monday, August 17.  The teams will play doubleheaders on Monday and Wednesday and a single contest on Tuesday.  The doubleheaders will make up previously postponed games.

The pitching lineup is scheduled as follows:  Kwang-Hyun Kim will start the first game on Monday and the second game is to be a bullpen game.  Tuesday’s starter will be Daniel Ponce de Leon.  Jack Flaherty will pitch in one game of the doubleheader on Wednesday and the other game will be a bullpen game.

The Cardinals are then scheduled to return to Busch Stadium on Thursday to begin a four-game series against the Reds.  Cincinnati’s weekend series against Pittsburgh was postponed after a Reds player tested positive.

Blast from the Past

The Cardinals returned on Saturday after 17 days without playing a game due to a COVID-19 outbreak that affected 18 players and staff. Their return began with a doubleheader against the White Sox.  St. Louis took both games, 5-1 and 6-3.

There have been innumerable doubleheaders played by the Cardinals in franchise history.   Twin bills were a staple in the early and mid 20th Century but have become less common in the last few decades.  Among the notable doubleheaders played by the Cardinals, this week’s Blast from the Past remembers one in particular.

Curt Flood (Associated Press photo)

On August 16, 1964 the Cardinals played Los Angeles in a doubleheader at Dodger Stadium.  The starting lineup for the game included CF Curt Flood, who hit leadoff in both games of the doubleheader.  On the day, the future Cardinals Hall of Famer collected eight consecutive hits.

In the opener, Flood led off the first inning with a line drive double to left field off Dodgers starter Sandy Koufax.  Flood was left stranded on the bases after Lou Brock struck out, Dick Groat flied out, and Ken Boyer popped out.

Flood came up to bat again in the third inning, when he hit a ground ball double to left field off Koufax.  He was again left stranded.  In the fifth inning he hit a fly ball single to right field off Koufax for hit number three.  Again, he did not score.

In his final at bat in the seventh inning, he hit a line drive single to center field.  Julian Javier had led off the inning with a single to right field and Flood’s single moved Javier to third base.  Brock struck out to end the inning and left Javier and Flood stranded.

Flood went 4-for-4 but the Cardinals lost 3-0 to the Dodgers.  The only other hits were the single by Javier and singles by Groat and Bill White.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Flood again led off the first inning and tripled to right field off Dodger starter Larry Miller.  Flood scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Groat.

Flood took his second turn at the plate in the third inning.  He hit a line drive single to center field off Miller but was left stranded on the bases.  His turn came again in the fourth.  After singles by Ken Boyer, Carl Warwick, and Javier, Boyer scored on a sac fly by Tim McCarver. Curt Simmons drew a walk in front of Flood, and Flood singled to right field to score Warwick and Javier. Flood and Simmons were left stranded after Charlie James lined out.

In the sixth inning, with two outs, Flood singled to left field but was left stranded when James struck out.  This single was the eighth consecutive hit by Flood in the two games.  Flood finally made an out in the ninth inning when he struck out swinging.  He was probably exhausted from all the hitting and running.

Flood went 4-for-5 in the second game with two RBI.  The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers 4-0 to split the twin bill exactly 56 years ago on Sunday.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Making 15 Additions to the St. Louis Cardinals Player Pool


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of August 3-8

photo: John Mozeliak via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Though the St. Louis Cardinals did not play baseball this past week, there is plenty of news to report. An attempt to restart the season ended in more players and staff infected. The postponed games count is up to 13. Our history feature highlights some of the many one-game-and-done performers in team history.



Day-by-day recap of the past week

Monday, August 3, 2020

The St. Louis Cardinals announced that six of the seven players tested positive for COVID-19 gave permission for their names to be released to the public.  They are RHPs Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley, SS Paul DeJong, SS Edmundo Sosa, 1B Rangel Ravelo and C Yadier Molina.  Everyday starters Molina and DeJong issued short statements regarding their positive tests.  The team remained quarantined in their Milwaukee hotel until cleared to return to St. Louis.

The four-game series between the Cardinals and the Tigers that was scheduled to be played on Tuesday through Thursday was postponed.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The Cardinals announced staff changes at the major league level and at the Cardinals Alternate Training site. These changes were due to positive COVID-19 tests of six major league staff members (though not all are coaches).

Minor League hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn was transferred from the Alternate Training Site to the major league staff.

Assistant Minor League hitting coordinator Joey Hawkins was added to the coaching staff of the Alternate Training Site.

Player Development and Performance Manager Emile Wiebe was added to the Alternate Training Site to assist in the interim.

The Cardinals further announced that the six positive players noted above plus RHP Carlos Martinez were placed on the injured list.

The Cardinals added four players to the major league roster from the Alternate Training Site.  RHPs Genesis Cabrera and Alex Reyes were recalled.  RHP Roel Ramirez and 2B Max Schrock were added to the 40-man roster.

The Cardinals activated IF Brad Miller off the 10-day injured list.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

After two days of all negative tests, the Cardinals were cleared by MLB to leave Milwaukee and return to St. Louis.  The team left Milwaukee by plane shortly before noon.

A workout at Busch Stadium was held from 2:00 to 4:00 on Wednesday.

The Cardinals announced that Kwan-Hyun Kim will replace Carlos Martinez in the rotation.

MLB announced that the “Field of Dreams” game between the Cardinals and the White Sox scheduled for Thursday, August 13 will be postponed until 2021.  It was later announced that the Thursday, August 13 game in Iowa was moved to Friday night in Chicago. Also, the Cardinals will not participate in the game in 2021, but will be replaced by the Yankees, who were originally scheduled to participate before the schedule changes for 2020 dictated in-division play only.

Thursday, August 6, 2020

The Cardinals held a second workout including a simulated game at Busch Stadium in preparation for the weekend series against the Cubs.

MLB announced the rescheduling of the Brewers series and the Tigers series which had been postponed.   The Brewers series will be scheduled to be played as doubleheaders on previously scheduled dates between the two teams.  Those dates are September 14 at Miller Park, September 16 at Miller Park, and September 25 at Busch Stadium.  The Brewers will be the home team for the first game of the doubleheader in St. Louis.

The series against the Tigers will be scheduled as two doubleheaders on August 13 in Detroit and September 10 in St. Louis.

Friday, August 7, 2020

The Cardinals announced three additional positive COVID-19 tests beyond the 13 previously announced.  Results from tests taken in St. Louis the previous two days revealed two more players tested positive and one staff member.  The players were identified as RHP Ryan Helsley and OF Austin Dean after permission was granted by the players.  The staff member was not named.

As a result of the additional positive tests, the three-game weekend series against the Cubs was postponed.  The Cardinals total of positive individuals increased to nine players and seven staff members.

Players are isolated at their homes until further notice.  Further testing will be done daily.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

No additional news was announced.  Testing of all players and staff continues on a daily basis.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

In an interview on KMOX Radio, manager Mike Shildt revealed that some of the players and staff who are positive for COVID-19 have dealt with various symptoms of the virus.  A few, he said, had to receive treatment at the emergency room, but none were hospitalized.  PBO John Mozeliak confirmed to the media on Sunday night that one player and one staff member sought treatment at the ER.

Mozeliak also commented about the frustration of seeing shaming of people who caught the virus by members of the public.

Mozeliak told members of the media on Sunday night that players have been told to stay at home and not go out except for traveling to the ballpark for daily drive-through testing.  Players will continue to test and results from Sunday and Monday will determine where they go from there.

An additional positive test, that of OF Lane Thomas, was confirmed on Sunday.  Thomas was identified through contact tracing as a potential positive. Prior tests were inconclusive and Thomas is the roommate of Ryan Helsley, who was confirmed positive on Friday.

Jose Molina shared on social media that his brother Yadier was to be tested to potentially clear him for returning to play.  Players who are positive must test negative twice, 24 hours apart, and also take an antibody test and pass a cardiac evaluation.

Cardinals brace for lengthy delay

The Cardinals breathed a sigh of relief after three days of negative tests in Milwaukee cleared the team to return home to St. Louis on Wednesday.  The jubilation was short-lived.

On Thursday night the Cardinals received word of positive results from tests taken after the team returned home.  Workouts had been conducted on Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for the upcoming series against the Cubs over the weekend.

On Friday, the team announced two additional players and one staff member had tested positive.  It is believed the individuals were already infected prior to flying home from Milwaukee on Wednesday but had not yet tested positive.  The team was together in travel and over two days for workouts, leaving open the possibility for additional exposures.

Players and staff are in quarantine and are being tested on a daily basis.  It is unclear how long the quarantine will last and when or if the additional postponed games will be made up.

The team identified the two players as RHP Ryan Helsley and OF Austin Dean.  The staff member has not been identified. An additional positive was reported on Sunday night, OF Lane Thomas.  That brings the total to 17.

The series against the Cubs was postponed as well as the Monday through Wednesday series against the Pirates.  On Sunday Night, PBO Mozeliak told the media that there is no timetable for the team to get back on the field.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 10 3 0.769
Milwaukee 6 7 0.462 4
Cincinnati 7 9 0.438 4.5
St. Louis 2 3 0.400 4
Pittsburgh 3 13 0.188 8.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 8/4 The Cardinals placed RHPs Carlos Martinez, Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley, SSs Paul DeJong and Edmundo Sosa, and C Yadier Molina on the injured list.
  • 8/4 The Cardinals activated 2B Brad Miller from the injured list.
  • 8/5 The Cardinals placed 1B Rangel Ravelo on the injured list.
  • 8/5 The Cardinals selected the contracts of RHP Roel Ramirez and 2B Max Schrock from the Cardinals Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/5 The Cardinals recalled LHP Genesis Cabrera and RHP Alex Reyes from the Cardinals Alternate Training Site.
  • 8/6 The Cardinals invited non-roster RHPs Ryan Meisinger and Jesus Cruz to spring training.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, was placed on the restricted list.
  • 3B Brad Miller has been activated from the 10-day injured list.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) will have surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
  • Six players, RHPs Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley, SSs Paul DeJong and Edmundo Sosa, 1B Rangel Ravelo, and C Yadier Molina have been placed on the injured list. Positive COVID-19 tests.  The players will isolate for at least eight days and will be eligible to return after two negative tests 24 hours apart.
  • RHP Carlos Martinez has been placed on the injured list. No reason given.
  • RHP Ryan Helsley and OFs Austin Dean and Lane Thomas tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. It is expected they will be placed on the injured list in the upcoming days.

Looking Ahead

Due to a continuing outbreak of COVID-19 among players and staff, the Cardinals have not played a game since the Twins series in Minnesota on July 28-29.  A total of 17 players and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

No baseball activities have taken place since Thursday.  Players are isolated at home until further notice and are tested daily.

The series against the Pittsburgh Pirates scheduled to begin on Monday has been postponed.  The next scheduled game is a doubleheader on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.  This is a rescheduling of two games of the previously postponed four-game series.

The other two Tigers games are scheduled to be made up in a doubleheader on September 10 at Busch Stadium. The postponed Brewers series will be made up in doubleheaders on September 14 and 16 at Miller Park and September 25 at Busch Stadium.

The future of play for the Cardinals in 2020 remains unclear at this time.  The Cardinals have missed 13 games thus far with more possibly being postponed. It has been acknowledged by Mozeliak as being mathematically difficult to get all remaining games played with the time remaining in the season.

Blast from the Past

The Cardinals were scheduled to play the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, August 13 in the “Field of Dreams’ game in Dyersville, Iowa.  The game was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak among Cardinals players and staff.

The genesis of this game was the movie Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, released in 1989. In that movie was a character named Moonlight Graham, played by the late Burt Lancaster.  Graham was an actual major league baseball player who appeared in one inning of one major league game as a right fielder for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905.  This was Graham’s only major league appearance.  He went on to become a medical doctor in Minnesota and passed away on August 25, 1965.

This week’s Blast from the Past looks at a handful of “one and done” players who made one appearance in one game for the Cardinals over the history of the franchise.

Farmer Burns was born on June 2, 1876 in Ashtabula, Ohio.  Burns’ major league baseball career consisted of one inning of pitching for the Cardinals on July 6, 1901 in a game against the Phillies. Burns walked one and gave up one run on two hits for a career ERA of 9.00.

Alfredo “Al” Cabrera was a shortstop who played in one game for the Cardinals on May 16, 1913 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Cabrera was notable as the first Spanish-born major leaguer and the first player from the continent of Africa.  Cabrera was born on May 11, 1881 in the Canary Islands off the Northwest coast of Africa.  Cabrera went 0-for-2 that day and never played another major league game.

Memo Luna

Coonie Blank (Frank Ignatz Blank) was a catcher who played in one game for the Cardinals on August 15, 1909.  Blank was born in St. Louis on October 18, 1892.  Blank had two at bats with no hits against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Guillermo “Memo” Luna was a left-handed pitcher who pitched in one game with the Cardinals on April 20, 1954.  Luna was born in Mexico City on June 25, 1930.  Against the Cincinnati Reds, Luna faced six batters in 2/3 of an inning.  He gave up two runs on two hits and walked two. The Cardinals lost that game and starter Luna was tagged with the loss in the only major league game in which he played.

Herb Gorman was born on December 19, 1924.  Gorman played 11 seasons in the minor leagues and one at bat in the majors. As a pinch hitter for pitcher Willard Schmidt, he grounded out to second base on April 19, 1952.  This was Gorman’s only major league appearance.  The next year, while playing in a minor league game, he experienced chest pains and died of a heart attack while leaving the field.

Chip Marshall was a catcher who appeared in one game for the Cardinals on June 14, 1941, against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Sportsman’s Park.  Marshall replaced catcher Gus Mancuso as a pinch runner on first base.  Marshall stayed in the game at catcher for the top of the ninth inning.  Marshall, like Moonlight Graham, never got a major league at bat.

These are just a sampling of over two dozen “one and done” players to don the Cardinal uniform.  Many of these players were pitchers.  Like Moonlight Graham, they were able to say they played major league baseball, if only for an instant of time.  We like to say of short termers that they got their “cup of coffee,” but these players unfortunately only tasted a sip.


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of July 27-August 2

To say it was a lost week for the St. Louis Cardinals is an understatement. The team dropped both games in Minneapolis and remained quarantined in their Milwaukee hotel all weekend. Future games have been juggled, but major questions remain after a series of positive COVID tests. Our history feature highlights some of the 44 triple plays turned by the Cardinals since 1882.


Game recaps

Tuesday, July 28 – Cardinals 3 at Twins 6

The St. Louis Cardinals began a two-game series with a tough Twins team on Tuesday in Minneapolis.  Carlos Martinez got his first start of the season and it was a rough one.

Tommy Edman (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Martinez pitched only 3 2/3 innings and gave up all six runs on seven hits, including two home runs.  The right-hander struck out two and walked one.  All but one of the six Twins’ tallies came in the second inning.  After Martinez’ yielded his second long ball – to Josh Donaldson with two outs in the fourth inning – he left the game, replaced by Austin Gomber.

Gomber tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, with no hits, no walks and one strikeout.  In his debut, Giovanny Gallegos secured the next two outs.  Tyler Webb and John Gant each pitched a scoreless inning.

St. Louis’ offense was held scoreless until the fifth inning against former Reds starter Homer Bailey.  After Dexter Fowler led off with a single, Tyler O’Neill thumped a two-run home run to center field.

Tommy Edman added a solo home run in the eighth inning for the final Redbird run.  Edman was 2-for-3, a double and a home run.   Matt Carpenter was 2-for-4.  Other hits were Fowler’s single and a double by Harrison Bader.

Martinez committed a throwing error in the first inning on a pickoff attempt.

Wednesday, July 29 – Cardinals 0 at Twins 3

In the second game of the series, the Cardinals were shut out by the Twins 3-0.  Minnesota pitching held St. Louis’ offense to only three hits.

Kodi Whitley (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Paul Goldschmidt singled on a line drive to left field in the first inning but was left stranded.  Yadier Molina also singled to left in the second inning but was out at second on a force out by Rangel Ravelo.

The Cardinals offense remained hitless until Dexter Fowler singled to left in the eighth.  Fowler was erased in a pop out double play off the bat of pinch hitter Matt Wieters.

Daniel Ponce de Leon got the start and pitched 3 2/3 innings.  The right hander gave up three runs on two hits, one a home run.  Ponce de Leon struck out eight and walked three.  Tyler Webb got the last out of the fourth inning.

Kodi Whitley relieved in the fifth and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.  Andrew Miller followed with two clean outs to close out the loss.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals played only two games, both losses, during the week due to the postponement of the Brewers series in Milwaukee.

St. Louis’ offense was significantly worse than what it had been in the opening Pirates series.  The team managed only 10 hits across the two games.  Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong were hitless in the Twin Cities.  Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina, Tyler O’Neill, and Harrison Bader each had one hit in the series.  Bader’s and O’Neill’s went for extra bases.  Only Edman, Carpenter and Fowler had multiple hits, with two apiece.

Neither starting pitcher in the series finished four innings.  The bullpen was a lockdown in both games, with a combined 9 1/3 scoreless frames.

The defense was good and there was no running in either game.  The only error was made by a starting pitcher.

The Cardinals are scheduled to play four games in Detroit starting Tuesday, assuming the team is cleared to leave quarantine in Milwaukee.  A three-game series against the Cubs is scheduled for the weekend in St. Louis.

The Cardinals missed all three games against the Brewers and those games will likely be made up at some point.  The team will be playing catch up and will need to win both series this week – assuming they can be played.

At this point, the make-up of the active roster for next game is a major question. The number of players to be placed on the injured list due to positive tests as well as their replacements are yet to be announced.

In other words, this week’s Big Picture remains very cloudy.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
Chicago 7 2 0.778
Milwaukee 3 3 0.500 2.5
Cincinnati 4 5 0.444 3
St. Louis 2 3 0.400 3
Pittsburgh 2 7 0.222 5

COVID-19 puts the Cardinals on hold

The Cardinals announced on Friday that two players had tested positive for COVID-19 in a test conducted prior to the Wednesday game in Minnesota.  Since then, additional tests have been conducted.

After the first two positive tests were received on Thursday night, the positive players were isolated in their hotel rooms in Milwaukee.  The entire 58-member traveling party was in quarantine as of 6 am Friday morning.  Additional testing was done and contact tracing began.  A third player was identified from contact tracing as a potential positive.  The original two positive players have since been sent home to St. Louis.

Rapid result testing was done at the hotel and the results uncovered four additional positives.  Saliva tests were conducted and sent to a lab.  On Saturday evening, the third player was confirmed positive and one additional positive, a staff member, was also confirmed.  Four more tests that were inconclusive were also identified.  These four include a fourth player and three staff members.

More tests were conducted, and at least one additional positive was reportedly communicated to the team, but there has been no announcement.  More results were expected on Sunday evening, but the team later issued a statement that there will be no further updates until Monday.

As a result, all three games of the series against the Brewers in Milwaukee were postponed.  The traveling party remains quarantined in their hotel rooms.

The Cardinals are scheduled to travel to Detroit on Monday to begin a series against the Tigers on Tuesday.  As of this writing on Sunday evening, no new results have been communicated and the team remains in Milwaukee.

Given the current situation, whether the Detroit series will be played on schedule remains a major question.

Mikolas out for the season

The Cardinals announced on Tuesday that RHP Miles Mikolas will have surgery on his right forearm and be out for the rest of the season.  He was placed on the 10 day injured list.

Mikolas had issues with his right forearm flexor tendon last fall and again in spring training and was shut down.  The length of time between the shutdown of spring camp in March, and the restart of Summer Camp in July gave Mikolas time to rehab.  He received a platelet rich plasma injection in February and was seemingly healthy when Summer Camp opened.

The discomfort returned when Mikolas pitched in the exhibition game against the Royals on July 23.  An MRI taken on the following Monday revealed significant damage to the tendon, though the ligament remained intact.  Mikolas will undergo surgery to repair the tendon, at a date yet to be determined.  Because this is a repair, not a ligament replacement (Tommy John), the right-hander is expected to be fully healthy for the start of spring training in 2021.

The Cardinals initially replaced Mikolas in the rotation with RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon.  It was thought that LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim might be the choice, but the team had just moved Kim to the back end of the bullpen.  The Cardinals also have LHP Austin Gomber as an experienced starting option if needed.

Mikolas’ Forearm Injury Returns with Gallegos and Woodford Added

MLB and MLBPA agree to seven inning doubleheaders

A joint announcement was made on Friday by MLB and the Players Association of an agreement that all doubleheaders during the 2020 season from August 1 forward will be reduced to seven innings each.

This agreement was made in the interest of player health and safety, to shorten games and reduce the strain on pitchers in particular.   There is a limited amount of time in the season to play 60 games, and more than the usual amount of doubleheaders are expected due to possible COVID related delays.

Seven inning doubleheaders are the norm in the minor leagues and are common in college baseball.  Rules regarding when a game becomes official will remain the same.  The rule that extra innings start with a man on second base, which applies to all MLB games in 2020, will be implemented in the eighth inning of doubleheaders.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 7/28 The Cardinals placed RHP Miles Mikolas on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 25, 2020. Right forearm strain.
  • 7/28 The Cardinals activated RHP Giovanny Gallegos from the 10-day injured list.
  • 7/28 The Cardinals recalled RHP Jake Woodford from Cardinals Alternate Training Site. This filled the active roster at 30 players.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, made the decision to opt out prior to the season and was placed on the restricted list.
  • 3B Brad Miller (right ankle bursitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 20. Miller traveled with the team to Minnesota instead of remaining at the Alternate Training Camp.  He was expected to be available for the postponed Brewers series, but was not activated.
  • RHP Giovanny Gallegos has been activated from the 10-day injured list.
  • RHPs Alex Reyes and Genesis Cabrera (previously quarantined for positive COVID-19 test) are said to be “progressing nicely” at the Alternate Camp Site in Springfield. Both pitchers threw to live batting practice on Wednesday, and both looked sharp according to reports. With potential COVID replacements expected, the duo could be called upon to return to the team.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm strain) will have surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

Looking Ahead

Due to at least four positive COVID-19 tests, the series between the Cardinals and Brewers over the weekend was postponed.

The Cardinals will remain in their Milwaukee hotel until Monday, when they hope to travel to Detroit for a four-game series against the Tigers.  The first game was scheduled for Monday but has been pushed back until Tuesday.  The two teams will play a doubleheader on Wednesday, with the final game on Thursday. The original schedule had two games in each city, but now, all four are scheduled in the Motor City.

The team will then return home for a three-game weekend series against the Cubs.  The homestand will continue the following Monday with a three-game set against the Pirates.

The three games of the Milwaukee series have not been rescheduled at this time.

The full 60-game schedule can be found here.

Blast from the Past

The Chicago Cubs turned a questionable triple play on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.  The replay showed third baseman Kris Bryant did not make the catch on the line drive, as the ball hit the dirt first.  Because infield plays are not reviewable, the triple play remained.  As the “triple play” was the first of the 2020 season and triple plays aren’t that common, it is an interesting subject for this week’s Blast from the Past.

The SABR Triple Play Database indicates that 721 triple plays have been recorded in major league baseball since 1876.  The first occurred on May 13, 1876 in a game between the New York Mutuals and the Hartford Dark Blues.  The Mutuals’ defense turned a 5-3-5 triple play.

The database allows sorting by team. The Cardinals have secured the second highest number of triple plays all time, behind only the Orioles.  Of course, many franchises have moved locations and changed names over time and so the totals include every place where the franchise was located.  For example, the Orioles have 48 total triple plays, 25 as the Baltimore Orioles, and 23 as the St. Louis Browns.

38 of the Cardinals’ 44 triple plays were turned as the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, five as the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, and one as the St. Louis Cardinals of the American Association. The early days are a bit of a murky area, as the team itself does not consider its official start until 1892. The stats-providers do not draw this distinction.

The very first triple play turned by the franchise was on July 26, 1882 against the Baltimore Orioles.  The bases were loaded, and the triple play went 2-5-4, Sleeper Sullivan to Jack Gleason to Bill Smiley.

The Cardinals turned another on June 29, 1894 against the Boston Beaneaters.  This one was 5-4-3-2, Doggie Miller to Joe Quinn to Roger Connor to Heinie Peitz.

Fast forward to July 1944, notable as the Cardinals turned two double plays that month.  The first came on July 1 against the Brooklyn Dodgers, a 6-4-3.  On July 15 against the Cincinnati Reds, a 4-6-3 triple play was turned.

The Cardinals recorded two triple plays in the 1956 season – a 3-3-6 on May 30 (Reds) and on September 25, a 3-6-4-1-5 (Cubs).

Since 1956, the Cardinals turned a 9-6-4-6 triple play against the Astros on May 8, 1977, a 6-2-3-4-5 play versus the Phillies on April 11, 1981, a 5-4-3 on September 5, 1991 against the Padres, a 4-6-3-6 vs. the Mets on May 11, 1993, a 5-5-3 on August 1, 2002 against the Marlins, and a 3-3-6 versus the Padres on May 5, 2005.

The most recent triple play turned by the Cardinals was recorded on June 6, 2014 against the Blue Jays in Toronto.  The play went 4-6-3, Daniel Descalso to Jhonny Peralta to Allen Craig.

The foregoing are just a handful of the 44 triple plays made by the Cardinals in the history of the franchise.


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of July 20-26

photo: Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)

Exhibition game recap

Wednesday, July 22 – Cardinals 6, Royals 3

The St. Louis Cardinals took on the Kansas City Royals in an exhibition game at Busch Stadium to end 2020 Summer Camp.  Former manager Mike Matheny returned to St. Louis to play a game for the first time since he was fired by the Cardinals in 2018.

Paul DeJong (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Miles Mikolas got the start for the Cardinals.  The right hander pitched four innings and gave up two runs on five hits.  He walked one and struck out four.  Carlos Martinez pitched the next four innings and allowed one run on two hits while fanning three and walking one. In his first action as the team’s new closer, Kwang Hyun Kim pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Royals got on the board first with a run in the first inning.  The Cardinals answered with two runs in the second on a double by Tyler O’Neill.  The Royals tied it up in the third on Salvador Perez’ home run, but the Cardinals took the lead in the bottom frame of the third on a sac fly by Paul DeJong.

In the fifth, DeJong hit a two-run home run to center to increase the lead to 5-2.  Rangel Ravelo’s sac fly in the sixth made it 6-2.

The Royals added a run in the seventh on a home run by Bubba Starling.  Cardinals pitching shut it down in the next two innings to secure the home win.

Max Schrock and Yadier Molina each had two hits.

Regular Season game recaps

Friday, July 24 – Cardinals 5, Pirates 4

The Cardinals met the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in a three-game series to open the 2020 season.  Jack Flaherty made the Opening Day start and the Cardinals narrowly defeated the visitors, 5-4.

Jack Flaherty (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Flaherty took up where he left off last season with a masterful performance marred only by a seventh inning in which he gave up two runs after going scoreless for six innings.  The right hander pitched seven full innings and allowed six hits along with the two runs, and no walks while fanning six.  Flaherty earned the win.

Ryan Helsley followed with a scoreless eighth inning.  Kwang Hyun-Kim took the ninth, and though he faltered early, he recovered enough to close out the inning and give the Redbirds the win with two additional runs allowed to earn his first save as a Cardinal.

St. Louis’ offense got on the board in the second inning on a solo home run by Tyler O’Neill.  Dexter Fowler added his own bases-empty shot in the fifth.  An RBI single by Yadier Molina in the sixth and a two run home run by Paul DeJong in the eighth rounded out the Redbirds scoring.  Kolten Wong and Paul Goldschmidt contributed two hits each and Goldschmidt scored two of the five runs.

Tommy Edman committed a fielding error and was caught stealing in the third inning.

Saturday, July 25 – Cardinals 9, Pirates 1

In the second game of the weekend series with Pittsburgh, St. Louis’ offense hammered Pirates pitching in a 9-1 slaughter on Saturday.  Only one long ball contributed to the effort, a solo blast by Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning.

Adam Wainwright (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

RBI singles by Dexter Fowler and Yadier Molina in the fourth inning put two additional runs on the board for a 3-1 lead.  In the seventh, Paul DeJong’s single and Matt Carpenter’s double plated four runs to increase the lead to 7-1.

In the eighth, Tommy Edman tripled to the left center gap to bring the final two runs home.  In total the Cardinals offense had 10 hits, two each by Goldschmidt and DeJong. Kolten Wong, Goldschmidt, DeJong, and Harrison Bader each scored two runs.  Bader stole his first base of the season.

Adam Wainwright pitched a quality start, going six innings and giving up only one run.  The veteran right hander allowed three hits, one walk, and struck out five.

John Gant followed Wainwright with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.  Tyler Webb got the last out of the eighth and the first two outs of the ninth before Daniel Ponce de Leon secured the final out.

Sunday, July 26 – Cardinals 1, Pirates 5

In the final game of the weekend opening series vs. Pittsburgh, the Cardinals offense and pitching faltered as the Pirates took a 5-1 victory over the Redbirds at Busch Stadium.

Dakota Hudson got the start for the Cardinals and it went fine for the first three innings. The right hander gave up a hit in each of the first three frames but kept the Pirates off the board.  In the fourth, however, the wheels came off the bus after Hudson struck out the first two batters.  With a 2-2 count against Colin Moran, Hudson hung a slider and Moran thumped it over the fence in right field.  He gave up a single to Phillip Evans and then Jose Osuna homered on the first pitch he saw from Hudson and the score was 3-1 Pirates.  In the fifth, Hudson yielded a double and a walk and was pulled.  Austin Gomber relieved and the fourth run scored on a sac fly to center.

Gomber continued to pitch for 1 2/3 innings before being Kodi Whitley took over.  Whitley, making his major league debut, pitched a scoreless seventh.  Andrew Miller relieved in the eighth and gave up the fifth and final Pirates run.  Junior Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.  Hudson took the loss.

The sole Cardinals run came in the third inning.  Lane Thomas drew a walk but was thrown out advancing on a wild pitch when he overslid second base.  Kolten Wong singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and Tommy Edman drove him home on a single.

St. Louis’ offense managed just five hits, one each from Wong, Edman, Goldschmidt, DeJong and Molina.  Goldschmidt was thrown out attempting to extend his single to a double.

Molina was his stellar self behind the plate, catching a runner stealing and picking off another runner at first base.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals’ opening series was a success, as they took 2 of 3 from the Pirates.  Offense was plentiful in the first two games, but not on Sunday.  Most of the offense came from the top half of the lineup, though Dexter Fowler and Tyler O’Neill contributed as well, especially in the first game.  The 9th spot in the lineup was hitless, though Harrison Bader got on base and scored.

Pitching by Flaherty and Wainwright in the first two games was very good.  Hudson was shaky in his start.  The bullpen thus far has been good.  Starters Carlos Martinez and Miles Mikolas have yet to pitch.

Defense has been very good and so has baserunning for the most part, minus the miscues by Lane Thomas and Goldschmidt in Game 3.

The Cardinals play a two-game series against the Twins in Minnesota mid-week, and then take on the Brewers in Milwaukee over the weekend.  Both teams will be tough.  A split in Minnesota and a series win in Milwaukee would put the Redbirds in a good spot.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB
St. Louis 2 1 0.667
Chicago 2 1 0.667
Cincinnati 1 2 0.333 1
Milwaukee 1 2 0.333 1
Pittsburgh 1 2 0.333 1

Cardinals set Opening Day roster

The Opening Day roster for the 2020 season was announced by the Cardinals on Thursday.  Each team can have up to 30 players for the first two weeks of the season.  After two weeks, the roster must be reduced to 28, and two weeks thereafter must be reduced to the final 26 for the remainder of the season.

Giovanny Gallegos (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

The initial 29 was announced via a tweet by the Cardinals account.  The final spot is expected to be given to Giovanny Gallegos.  The reliever has been throwing to live hitters and will likely be available by Tuesday’s game against Minnesota.

The remaining players in the 60-man pool who participated in Summer Camp in St. Louis have been sent to the Alternate Camp Site in Springfield.  This list includes top prospect Dylan Carlson, who is likely to make his major league debut sometime in the shortened 2020 season.  That camp is already under way under the direction of Jose Oquendo.

The Cardinals also announced that RHP Jake Woodford and 2B Max Schrock will be the taxi squad for upcoming road games.  Each team is allowed up to three non roster players in the taxi squad and if there is three one must be a catcher. Given that the Cardinals have three catchers on the active roster it was felt two players on the taxi squad would be sufficient.

MLB and MLBPA agree to expanded playoffs for 2020

Major League Baseball and the Players Association reached an agreement this past week on expanding playoffs in the 2020 season to a 16-team format.

The agreement sets out the parameters, which includes eight teams from each league taking part in playoffs that include the normal Wild Card round, followed by a Division Series, a League Championship Series, and a World Series.

The players, who would not have received any salaries in the current playoff model since there would be no gate revenue, are guaranteed at least $50 million under the new agreement if the post-season can be played.

There will be differences other than the expanded number of teams.  The Wild Card Series will be a best of three series rather than the normal one and done Wild Card Game.  Also, the series will feature all eight teams in each league instead of only Wild Card teams, seeded 1 through 8.  The Division winners will be seeded 1 through 3, the second place teams in each division will be seeded 4 through 6 and the two Wild Card teams in each league will be seeded 7 and 8.  Wild Card teams will be decided in the traditional way, by record.

The Series format will be #1 seed against #8 seed, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. #6, and #4 vs. #5.  Ties will be resolved based on head to head record, then intradivision record if there is still a tie, and if a tie still exists, based on record in the final 20 Division games.  All Wild Card games will be played at the higher seed’s ballpark.  Having all games played in one location for the entire series cuts down on travel.

The winners will advance to the Division Series, a best of five series in the traditional 2-2-1 format.  The higher seed receives home field advantage.  Winner of 1 vs 8 will play winner of 4 vs 5. Winner of 2 vs 7 will play winner of 3 vs 6.

The Championship Series will be a best of seven in the traditional 2-3-2 format.  The winner of 1/8 and 4/5 will play the winner of 2/7 and 3/6.  Higher seed gets home field advantage.

The World Series will remain a best of seven in the traditional format, AL winner vs NL winner.  Highest regular season record of the two teams gets home field advantage.

The first round is scheduled to begin Tuesday, September 29 through Friday, October 2.  All but one series will be televised by ESPN. The other series will be televised by TBS.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 7/22 The Cardinals placed 2B Brad Miller on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 20, 2020. Right ankle bursitis.
  • 7/22 The Cardinals released LHP Brett Cecil.
  • 7/23 The Cardinals selected the contract of Kodi Whitley from the Alternate Training Site.
  • 7/23 The Cardinals recalled LF Austin Dean, RHP Junior Fernandez, C Andrew Knizner, and SS Edmundo Sosa from the Alternate Training Site.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, made the decision to opt out and was placed on the restricted list.
  • 3B Brad Miller (right ankle bursitis) has been placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 20. Miller was sent to the Alternate Camp for rehab and the expectation is that he will be available for the Brewers series that begins on Friday.
  • RHP Giovanny Gallegos remains on the injured list but has begun throwing to live hitters. Gallegos is expected to be ready to play on Tuesday in Minnesota.
  • RHPs Alex Reyes and Genesis Cabrera (previously quarantined for positive COVID-19 test) are said to be “progressing nicely” at the Alternate Camp Site in Springfield. Both pitchers are throwing bullpen sessions and will throw again on Monday.  Should all be well they will progress to live batting practice.

Looking Ahead

After an off day on Monday, July 27, the Cardinals will play a two-game series against the Twins in Minnesota.  Carlos Martinez is scheduled to make the Tuesday start followed by Miles Mikolas on Wednesday.

The team will travel on Thursday to Milwaukee to begin a three-game series on Friday against the Brewers.  The Cardinals will then shift to Detroit for a two-game set.

The team will then return home for an eight-game homestand starting next Wednesday. It begins with two against those same Tigers and a three-game weekend series versus the Cubs.

The full 60-game schedule can be found here.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast From the Past takes a look at a snapshot in the career of Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial.  “The Man” hit 475 home runs over his 22-year career and this week we look at five particular home runs that he hit on the same day, July 22, in five consecutive seasons.

Stan Musial

On July 22, 1947, The Cardinals defeated the New York Giants 10-5 at Sportsman’s Park.  In the bottom of the third inning with Red Schoendienst on base with a leadoff walk, Musial hit home run #62 of his career off Giants starter Monty Kennedy.  This long ball was followed by a solo shot from teammate Whitey Kurowski to the give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.  Musial went 3-for-4 with a double and a single in addition to the home run.

On July 22, 1948, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Giants, Musial hit home run #94 of his career.  The Cardinals were the victors 7-6 in 11 innings.  The home run, a two run shot, came in the seventh inning off Giants pitcher Clem Dreisewerd.  The long ball was preceded by an RBI triple from teammate Marty Marion.  Musial was 2-for-6 with a double he hit off the same pitcher in the ninth inning.

One year later, on July 22, 1949, the Cardinals played the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.  In the first inning Musial hit a solo home run off Dodger starter Preacher Roe, the 127th of his career. In addition to the home run, Stan singled to center field in the 5th inning.  The Cardinals won, 3-1.

On July 22, 1950, Musial hit career home run #159 in the second game of a doubleheader with the Boston Braves.  The Cardinals prevailed by an 11-7 score.  The box score does not indicate in what inning the home run occurred, but it was hit off Warren Spahn, who pitched 4 2/3 innings.  Musial was a particular nemesis of Spahn in the home run department.  Musial went 3-for-5 that day.

Stan Musial

Musial launched career home run #193 on July 22, 1951.  This was the only one of the five games the Cardinals lost, as the Brooklyn Dodgers prevailed 9-2 at Ebbets Field.  The long ball, good for two runs, came in the ninth inning off Carl Erskine.  Musial went 2-for-4.

After a break of three years, Musial also hit a solo home run on July 22, 1955, #314, against Phillies pitcher Murry Dickson in the first game of a doubleheader in Connie Mack Stadium.  The Cardinals lost 6-3.

By way of reference, Musial’s first major league home run, good for two runs, was hit off Rip Sewell on September 23, 1941 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The home run came hit one week after Musial’s major league debut.

Cardinals scorecard, September 23, 1941 (Mark Stang)

Musial’s last career home run, #475, occurred on September 16, 1963 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Busch Stadium.  The bases-empty blast to right field in the seventh inning against Johnny Podres was Musial’s only hit, as the Cardinals lost 3-1.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

St. Louis Cardinals Draft Recap 2009-2019 – Eighth Round


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

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© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Saturday, July 25, 2020

photo: Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Saturday, July 25, 2020 – Cardinals 9, Pirates 1

In the second of the three-game home series against Pittsburgh to open the 2020 season, the St. Louis Cardinals’ offense pounded Pirates pitching behind a quality Adam Wainwright start Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Paul Goldschmidt got the Redbirds on the board in the first inning with his first home run of the 2020 season, a solo shot to left field.  The Pirates tied it up in the top of the second inning on a bases loaded walk allowed by Wainwright.  This would be the only run allowed in the game by Cardinals pitching.

Adam Wainwright

St. Louis’ offense broke the tie in the fourth inning and never looked back.   Paul DeJong reached on a leadoff single and later scored on a single by Dexter Fowler.  Tyler O’Neill drove in Yadier Molina, who had singled.

The big inning was the seventh.  Harrison Bader hit a squibbler to the pitcher that was bobbled; It was initially called an error, then changed to a hit, and later changed again back to an error.  Bader stole second base and Kolten Wong drew a walk.  Goldschmidt singled, followed by an RBI single by DeJong that scored Bader and Wong.  Matt Carpenter followed with a double to center to plate Goldschmidt and DeJong.  The Cardinals led 7-1.

The offense added to the lead in the eighth.  With two outs, Bader was hit by a pitch.  Wong singled and Tommy Edman tripled on a ball in the left center gap.  Bader and Wong scored to make it 9-1.

The two Pauls, Goldschmidt and DeJong, led the offense with two hits each.  Wong, Edman, Carpenter, Molina, Fowler and O’Neill rounded out the hit parade with one each.  DeJong, Carpenter and Edman drove in a pair each and Wong, DeJong, Carpenter and Harrison Bader scored two runs each.

Starter Wainwright pitched six innings, giving up his only run in the second inning on a bases loaded walk.  The inning began with two singles and a hit by pitch. A bases-loaded walk to the catcher brought the Pirates’ only run home.  Wainwright got the final two outs to get out of what was his worst inning of the game.  The right hander pitched four more scoreless innings before being relieved by John Gant.  Wainwright’s final line was 6IP 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 5K. (Wainwright discussed being overheated in his post-game remarks.)

Gant pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and yielded to Tyler Webb.   Webb pitched until Daniel Ponce de Leon was brought in to get the final out.  Wainwright earned his first win of the season and his 163rd of his career. This accomplishment puts him in a tie with Bob Forsch for third in wins in franchise history.

Sunday’s game:  vs. Pittsburgh at 1:15 pm.  Dakota Hudson (16-7, 3.35 in 2019) vs Mitch Keller (1-5, 7.13 in 2019) FSM//KMOX/WIJR


For more

Check out summaries of pre- and post-game comments from Mike Shildt and key Cardinals players located in the daily game threads at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board. While you are there, join the talk with other Cardinals fans.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Kodi Whitley Extends Streak of Cardinals NRI Roster Additions


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

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Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.

© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Recap – Friday, July 24, 2020

Friday, July 24 – Cardinals 5, Pirates 4

In the Opening Night game of the 60-game season. the St. Louis Cardinals took on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first contest of a three-game series.  Pitcher Jack Flaherty got the start.

Flaherty pitched seven innings and was masterful from the start.  The right hander went scoreless for the first six innings, never needing more than 12 pitches per three outs, but in the seventh, he faltered a little.  Flaherty allowed two hits in the fourth inning, both singles, but allowed no runs.  He kept the game scoreless until the seventh, when four more singles resulted in two runs.  He left the game after the seventh having allowed two runs on six hits, and no walks.  The righty and eventual winning pitcher fanned six.

Jack Flaherty

Flaherty was relieved in the eighth by Ryan Helsley, who retired all three batters faced.  In the ninth, new closer Kwang-Hyun Kim made his St. Louis debut.  Kim’s start was shaky, but he recovered.  An error by third sacker Tommy Edman put the first runner on, and the left-hander gave up a double and single to score two runs and reduce the lead to 5-4.  With the game on the line, Kim rebounded to retire the next batter and induced a double play to end the game and give the win to the Redbirds.

St. Louis’ offense was held scoreless for the first two innings by Pirates starter Joe Musgrove, who went on to absorb the loss.  In the third, left fielder Tyler O’Neill’s solo bomb to left center field put the Redbirds on top.  In the fifth, right fielder Dexter Fowler matched O’Neill with a solo shot to right field to increase the lead to 2-0.

Paul Goldschmidt singled on a line drive to left field in the sixth, and Paul DeJong followed with a walk.  After Matt Carpenter grounded into a force out which took DeJong off the bases, Yadier Molina singled on a line drive to left to plate Goldschmidt. The score was then at 3-0 in favor of St. Louis.

After the Pirates got on the board with two runs in the seventh, the home eighth began with a second single by Goldschmidt.  DeJong followed with a two-run home run to left center field to give the Cardinals a 5-2 cushion.  The Pirates pulled closer in the ninth, but the Redbirds prevailed.

The offensive effort was led by Goldschmidt, who went 2-for-3 and Kolten Wong, who was 2-for-4.  DeJong, Fowler, and O’Neill contributed with the long ball.  Molina was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Edman had a tough night with an error at third base.  He also was caught stealing after singling in the third inning and struck out twice.

Saturday’s game: 1:15 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
RHP Adam Wainwright (14-10, 4.19 in 2019) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (7-9, 5.38 in 2019)
FSM // MLBN // KMOX // WIJR


For more

Join the talk with other Cardinals fans in the daily game threads at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Kodi Whitley Extends Streak of Cardinals NRI Roster Additions


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.

© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of July 13-19

photo: Giovanny Gallegos via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Hicks opts out of season

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday, July 13 that flame throwing reliever Jordan Hicks is opting out of the 2020 season.  Hicks is the first, and so far, the only Cardinal to do so.

Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, had Tommy John surgery in late June, 2019.  The 23-year old pitched in 29 games in 2019 and had 14 saves before the injury ended his season.  When Hicks reported to 2020 Summer Camp, he was already throwing bullpens, including an extended bullpen on the first day of camp.  Hicks was not expected to be ready for Opening Day. According to manager Mike Shildt, his 2020 debut was not likely to come until at least mid-August.  However, after Hicks suffered shoulder inflammation in camp, his return was pushed out indefinitely, putting his ability to contribute in 2020 in question.

The decision to opt out came as no surprise to the Cardinals, as President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told reporters that conversations with Hicks and his agent had been ongoing concerning what was best for the pitcher.  The Cardinals have expressed support for Hicks’ decision, and it is expected that Hicks will continue his rehab and be fully healthy and ready to pitch for the 2021 season.

For further details:

Cardinals Pitcher Jordan Hicks Opts Out of 2020 Season

Summer Camp news

RHP Alex Reyes made his first appearance in camp, joining the team’s workouts on Saturday.  The reason for Reyes’ absence was not initially revealed, but Reyes told reporters on his return that he was tested positive for COVID-19 during the intake process and spent two weeks in quarantine in St. Louis.

Shildt stated that Reyes will not be available for Opening Day, but it is too soon to determine whether the right-hander will be assigned to Springfield and/or go on the injured list.  Reyes will need time to throw to live hitters to make up for the camp time he missed.

RHP Giovanny Gallegos has finally arrived in St. Louis and has cleared the testing process to enable him to participate in camp.  The right-hander was able to throw while still in Mexico, so it remains a possibility that he will be available for Opening Day.  The determination will be made after he throws to live hitters and his recovery can be assessed.

LHP Genesis Cabrera, like Reyes, was cleared to return to camp and joined the workouts on Saturday.  Cabrera will not be available for Opening Day and will need to throw to live hitters, likely in Springfield.

Live streaming of intrasquad games began this past week.  FOX Sports Midwest play by play announcer Dan McLaughlin has been calling the games solo.  The final intrasquad game will be streamed Tuesday evening.

The Cardinals will play an exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, July 22 at Busch Stadium at 3:05 pm.  The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest and on KMOX Radio.

For summaries of intrasquad games as well as daily comments from camp by manager Mike Shildt, selected players and several times per week, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, check the “Summer Camp News” thread at The Cardinal Nation’s free forum.

St. Louis “Summer Camp” news

Alex Reyes via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Cardinals 2020 Broadcast schedule is out

The Cardinals announced on Tuesday that every regular season game will be televised as well as be available on audio on KMOX and Cardinals.com.

FOX Sports Midwest will televise 55 of the 60.  Announcers for the televised games will remain the same as 2019, with the exception of Tim McCarver, who has opted out of broadcasting this season.  Dan McLaughlin will continue as the play by play voice and will be joined at various times throughout the season by color analysts Brad Thompson, Jim Edmonds, and Rick Horton.  FOX Sports Midwest pre- and post-game shows will also be available as usual with Al Hrabosky and Rick Ankiel available as analysts along with hosts Scott Warman, Jim Hayes, and Erica Weston.  McLaughlin and the color analysts will not travel for road games but will call the games via a live feed in St. Louis.

The five remaining regular season games will be televised either by ESPN or FOX, including the “Field of Dreams” game which will be played in Iowa against the Chicago White Sox on August 13.

On radio, John Rooney and Mike Shannon will be on the call for home games, and Rooney and Rick Horton for road games.  The road games will be called via a live feed in St. Louis.

Spanish language broadcasts will also be available for all home games, with Polo Ascensio and Bengie Molina in the booth.

For further details:

Cardinals 2020 TV and Radio Broadcast Schedule Announced

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 7/13 The Cardinals place RHP Jordan Hicks on the restricted list
  • 7/18 The Cardinals place RHP Giovanny Gallegos and RHP Ricardo Sanchez on the injured list

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) has opted out of the 2020 season. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, made the decision to opt out this past week and was placed on the restricted list.
  • 3B Elehuris Montero has tested positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and has been placed in isolation until he tests negative twice at least 24 hours apart.  Only then will he be allowed to return to camp.
  • UT Brad Miller (heel soreness) has not participated in Summer Camp games since Thursday, July 9. Miller is considered day to day and it is unknown whether he will be ready for opening day on July 24.
  • RHP Alex Reyes and LHP Genesis Cabrera, both of whom previously tested positive for COVID-19, have been cleared to return to camp. It is unlikely either pitcher will be ready for game action when the season starts on Friday, July 24.
  • RHP Ricardo Sanchez, who had previously tested positive for COVID-19, has been cleared to return to camp. Sanchez is scheduled to be at the alternate camp in Springfield, but the team has placed him on the 10 day injured list.  No reason was given for the placement.
  • RHP Giovanny Gallegos has arrived in St. Louis and has begun participating in workouts. It is unknown whether Gallegos will be ready to pitch when the season starts, though he has been throwing.  The Cardinals placed him on the injured list on Saturday.  No reason was specified.

Looking Ahead

Summer Camp continues at Busch Stadium and will culminate with an exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, July 22 in St. Louis.  Scheduled pitchers for the Cardinals are Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martinez.

The regular season will begin on Friday, July 24 at home in a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jack Flaherty will start the opener, with Adam Wainwright taking the ball in Game 2.

By this Friday, the Cardinals must make their final roster cuts to reduce the number of active players to 30. Decisions on the rotation and bullpen roles will be communicated in the next few days.

Members of The Cardinal Nation can read Brian Walton’s assessment of the tradeoffs needed to get to 30 and how he predicts it will play out this week.

2020 Cardinals Opening Day Roster Predictions – Summer Camp Edition

After an off day on Monday, July 27, the Cardinals will begin a three-city road trip. They will play a two-game series against the Twins in Minnesota.  The team will travel to Milwaukee for three contests starting on Friday the 31st against the Brewers and conclude with a pair in Detroit. The three-man taxi squad will be utilized on road trips this season.

The full 60-game schedule can be found here.


Blast from the Past

The annual MLB All-Star Game was scheduled to take place at Dodger Stadium on July 14 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The first All-Star Game was held on July 6, 1933 and has been an annual event except for 1945 (due to World War II travel restrictions) and 2020.

This week’s Blast from the Past takes a look at All-Star Games held in St. Louis, five in total.  The first was played on July 9, 1940 in Sportsman’s Park, hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals.  The National League defeated the American League by the score of 4-0.

Cardinals in the NL starting lineup were 1B Johnny Mize and CF Terry Moore.  No Cardinal pitchers were on the roster and the team had no reserve players.  Mize went 0-for-2 and Moore was 0-for-3.

Eight years later, on July 14, 1948, the game returned to St. Louis.  The St. Louis Browns, who shared Sportsman’s Park, were the hosts.  Cardinals selected were Red Schoendienst, Harry Breechen, Marty Marion, Stan Musial, and Enos Slaughter.  Schoendienst, Musial, and Slaughter were in the starting lineup.  Neither Marion nor Breechen appeared.  Musial went 2-for-4, including a two-run home run in the first inning.  Slaughter went 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Schoendienst was 0-for-4.

The only All-Star for the Browns was Al Zarilla.  The AL beat the NL 5-2.

On July 9, 1957, the Cardinals were again the hosts, this time in Busch Stadium, the new name for Sportsman’s Park after the team was purchased by August Busch in 1954.  Stan Musial was in the starting lineup, with catcher Hal Smith and OF Wally Moon in reserve.  Pitcher Larry Jackson was also on the roster.  Musial went 1-for-3 with a double.  Moon made a pinch hitting appearance.  Jackson pitched the 7th and 8th innings and gave up a hit and a walk.  The AL won the game 6-5.

The All-Star Game returned to St. Louis on July 12, 1966.  The game was played in the brand new downtown Busch Stadium, which opened that season.  The NL won the game 2-1 over the AL in 10 innings.  Catcher Tim McCarver and OF Curt Flood were on the roster but neither was in the starting lineup.  Bob Gibson was the only Cardinal pitcher and he did not appear.  McCarver had one at-bat in the 10th inning and hit a single to right field.  Flood made a pinch hitting appearance in the third inning and grounded out.

It took over 40 years for the All-Star Game to return to St. Louis, on July 14, 2009.  The game featured Cardinal starters Albert Pujols at 1B and Yadier Molina behind the plate.  The team had no reserves. Ryan Franklin was the sole St. Louis pitcher on the roster.  Pujols was 0-for-3.  Molina hit an RBI single to CF in the second inning.  Franklin pitched a scoreless third inning with no hits and no walks.

When the All-Star Game will return to St. Louis is unknown.  The 2021 All-Star Game will be held in Atlanta.  The Dodgers will host the game in 2022 to offset the missed opportunity in 2020.  No venues have been chosen for 2023-2025, but the 2026 site has already been set.  It will be held in Philadelphia as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Where are they now? St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Outfielder James Ramsey


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.

© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of July 5 – July 12

photo: Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)

60-man pool filled

The St. Louis Cardinals added three pitchers to Summer Camp in St. Louis this past week to cover for those unavailable. The moves increase the total to 48 players.  In addition, the team announced the remaining 12 players who will fill out the roster and will be among those assigned to “Summer Camp South” when it begins at Springfield’s Hammons Field on July 16.

The three additions are LHPs Zack Thompson and Rob Kaminsky and RHP Seth Elledge.

Zack Thompson

Thompson was the Cardinals’ first round draft pick (19th overall) in the 2019 draft from the University of Kentucky.  After signing, he spent 2019 primarily with the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League and is TCN’s #6 prospect for 2020.  Thompson is expected to begin the season at the alternate camp in Springfield.

Rob Kaminsky

Kaminsky was the Cardinals’ first round draft pick in 2013.  The New Jersey native pitched at Peoria and Palm Beach in the Cardinals system in 2015 before being traded on June 30 to the Cleveland Indians for Brandon Moss.  The oft-injured lefty pitched in the Indians minor league system through the end of the 2019 season, after which he elected minor league free agency.  The Cardinals signed him on December 12, 2019. Kaminsky is also expected to begin the season at the alternate camp.

Seth Elledge

Elledge was the 2017 fourth round draft pick of the Mariners, and was acquired by the Cardinals in a July 27, 2018 trade which sent Sam Tuivailala to Seattle.  Elledge pitched in Springfield and Memphis in 2018 and 2019 and in the Arizona Fall League in 2019.  Elledge is TCN’s #31 prospect for 2020. He is expected to begin the season in Springfield along with Thompson and Kaminsky.

The Cardinals also announced the remaining 12 players to fill out the 60 man pool and be assigned to the Springfield camp.  They are LHP Matthew Liberatore, RHPs Nabil Crismatt, Roel Ramirez, Angel Rondon and Alvaro Seijas, 3B Nolan Gorman, Malcom Nunez, and Jordan Walker, OF Trejyn Fletcher, IF Evan Mendoza, SS/RHP Masyn Winn, and C Julio Rodriguez.

Walker and Winn are the Cardinals’ first- and second-round draft picks in the 2020 draft.  Gorman and Liberatore are the No. 2 and No. 3 Cardinals prospects according to The Cardinal Nation.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 7/9 The Cardinals added LHP Zack Thompson, and RHPs Seth Elledge and Rob Kaminsky to the 60-man player pool. All three were assigned to St. Louis camp.

For additional information:

St. Louis Cardinals Add Pitching Trio to Summer Camp

  • 7/9 The Cardinals added the following players to the 60-man player pool to be assigned to the Springfield alternate camp: RHPs Nabil Crismatt, Roel Ramirez, Angel Rondon and Alvaro Seijas; LHP Matthew Liberatore; OF Trejyn Fletcher; 3B Nolan Gorman, Malcom Nunez, and Jordan Walker; IF Evan Mendoza; SS/RHP Masyn Winn; C Julio Rodriguez.

For additional information:

Cardinals Announce 12 Summer Camp South Additions

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) will not be ready to pitch when the season opens. It is expected Hicks will be placed on the 10 day injured list.  The right hander is continuing his rehab.
  • LHP Genesis Cabrera, LHP Ricardo Sanchez and 3B Elehuris Montero have twice tested positive for Covid-19. They are asymptomatic and remain in isolation until they test negative twice at least 24 hours apart. Only then will they be allowed to return to camp.
  • Two pitchers are not in camp for unannounced reasons. RHP Alex Reyes is in St. Louis and RHP Giovanny Gallegos remains in Mexico.
  • RF Dexter Fowler was held out of Saturday’s and Sunday’s intrasquad games due to back tightness. The injury is not considered serious and he is day to day.
  • UT Brad Miller has not participated in Summer Camp activities since Thursday due to heel soreness. Miller is considered day to day.

Camp News

Cardinals Summer Camp is in full swing.  Three intrasquad games have been played between teams designated “Cardinals Red” and “Cardinals Blue”.

Starting this Tuesday, July 14, the Cardinals will be live streaming their intrasquad games from Busch Stadium with FOX Sports Midwest’s Dan McLaughlin on the call.

For summaries of intrasquad games as well as daily comments from camp by manager Mike Shildt, selected players and several times per week, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, check the “Summer Camp News” thread at The Cardinal Nation’s free forum.

https://thecardinalnation.com/forums/topic/st-louis-summer-camp-news/

Mike Shildt via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Looking Ahead

Five more intrasquad games will be played leading up to opening day on July 24.  Though the Cardinals began camp with only intrasquad games on the itinerary, an exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals to conclude camp is reportedly in the planning stage.

An alternate camp will be held at Hammons Field in Springfield for those players in the 60-man pool who are not training in St. Louis.  This camp is scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 16 and run into the fall. Roster cuts from St. Louis are expected this Tuesday in preparation for this camp.

The Cardinals’ regular season will start on Friday, July 24.  The first series will be at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The full 60-game schedule can be found here.

Blast from the Past

This week’s St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past departs from the usual remembrance of games, records, trades, and the like and veers into an account of an incident that was unrelated to baseball but involved baseball players. It showcased them not as athletes but as ordinary humans doing extraordinary things.

On July 10, 1911, the members of the St. Louis Cardinals were on a train headed to Boston from Philadelphia.  They had lost a game to the Phillies that afternoon and were on route to play the Boston Braves in a doubleheader the next day.  The train left Philadelphia at 7:24 p.m. with the team in two Pullman cars just behind the train’s engine.

Roger Bresnahan

Player-manager Roger Bresnahan allegedly was furious over the team’s placement behind the engine and the noise that kept them from sleeping.  There are several versions of the story, but one version was that Bresnahan made his discontent known to the conductors.  When the train reached New York, the Cardinals’ cars were moved to the rear of the train.  Whether this was due to the complaints of Bresnahan or for other reasons has never been made clear.

The train headed on to Boston.  At 3:24 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11, the nine-car, 150-passenger train derailed at the intersection of Fairfield and Railroad Avenues in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  The track there was at a 20 foot elevation.  A later investigation determined that the train entered the 15 mph zone traveling at 60 mph.  The train had been more than an hour behind schedule when it came into Bridgeport, likely the explanation for the excessive speed.

All but the last two cars of the train, those that housed the 22 members of the Cardinals, hurtled down an 18-foot embankment to the street below.  What resulted was a mass of twisted metal and flames.  In total, 14 passengers and crew were killed, some instantly, some at a later time.  One of the casualties was the train’s engineer Arthur Curtis, who was blamed for the accident.  At least 47 passengers were seriously injured.

Bresnahan immediately directed the members of the team to take action.  All 22, some barefoot and in pajamas, climbed down the embankment to offer aid.  It was reported in the papers the next day that if not for the actions of the Cardinals, many more lives would have been lost.

That day the Cardinals were not athletes, but first responders in one of the worst transportation disasters in the history of the State of Connecticut.  The reshuffling of the cars, whether at the behest of Bresnahan or otherwise, was both prescient and life-saving for those 22 Cardinal heroes.

The Cardinals played the doubleheader as scheduled on July 12. The first game was a St. Louis victory and the second ended in a tie.


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Where are they now? St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher Tim Cooney


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of June 29 – July 5

Cardinals report positive COVID-19 tests

As of Sunday, the Cardinals have reported four individuals who tested positive for COVID-19.  Three are LHP pitchers Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez, and 3B Elehuris Montero.  The three are asymptomatic and are hoped to return in “five-days-ish,” per manager Mike Shildt.

Genesis Cabrera (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

Pursuant to the agreement reached between MLB and MLBPA, the team can only identify those individuals as having tested positive who have granted permission to do so.  One of the four who has tested positive remains unidentified, and is not a player.

Other players are awaiting test results and therefore not at camp.  These include Carlos Martinez and Ivan Herrera, who traveled to St Louis on an MLB charter flight from the Dominican Republic along with Cabrera and Sanchez. Pitchers Alex Reyes and Junior Fernandez have not yet appeared on the field for workouts.

RHP Giovanny Gallegos has not yet appeared in St. Louis.  The reason has not been explained other than it is “travel related,” according to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak.  Gallegos would be traveling from Mexico, his home country.

Under the MLB health protocols, players are to be tested for COVID-19 every other day with temperature checks at least twice daily.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 7/1 The Cardinals added 3B Elehuris Montero to the 60-man pool as the 45th player invited to Summer Camp.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 1. He was placed on the 60-day injured list and will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • LHP Brett Cecil (hamstring) was to be evaluated when camp convened on July 1. There has been no report as yet on Cecil’s readiness for the season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) will not be ready to be activated when the season opens. He remains on the 60 day injured list. The right hander is throwing bullpens as he continues his rehab.
  • Two players who were banged up at the close of Spring Camp on March 12, LHP Andrew Miller (“lack of feel”) and 1B Paul Goldschmidt (wrist), have said they are now 100 percent.
  • LHP Genesis Cabrera has tested positive for COVID-19. He is reported to be asymptomatic and has been placed in isolation.  Cabrera will be required to test negative twice within a span of 24 hours to be able to return to camp.
  • LHP Ricardo Sanchez has tested positive for COVID-19. He is reported to be asymptomatic and has been placed in isolation.  Sanchez will be required to test negative twice within a span of 24 hours to be able to return to camp.
  • 3B Elehuris Montero has tested positive for COVID-19. He is reported to be asymptomatic and has been placed in isolation.  Montero will be required to test negative twice within a span of 24 hours to be able to return to camp.

As manager Mike Shildt and selected players meet with the media after daily practices, summaries of their comments are posted on The Cardinal Nation’s free message board. (A userid is not required to read forum comments.)

St. Louis “Summer Camp” news

Looking Ahead

Cardinals “Summer Camp” continues.  Workouts officially began on Friday, July 3.  45 players were invited, but not all are currently on the field and working out.  At least three players have tested positive for COVID-19 and several more are awaiting positive test results before they can officially participate.  One player, Giovanny Gallegos, has not reported due to travel issues from his home country, Mexico.

A series of eight intrasquad games are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 8.  There will be no exhibition games with outside teams played during camp.

An alternate camp, Summer Camp South, will be held at Hammons Field in Springfield for those players in the 60-man pool not assigned to St. Louis.  This camp will begin on July 14.

St. Louis’ 60-game regular season is expected to start on July 24 at Busch Stadium against Pittsburgh.  The official schedule is expected to be released on Monday, July 6 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Full details on the various camps can be found here:

Mozeilak and Shildt Lay out Cardinals Summer Camp Details and More

Blast from the Past

Last week’s Blast from the Past included a look at several players who hit for the cycle in the history of the Cardinals franchise.  This week we will recall several pitchers who were leaders in the category of ERA for the season.

In team history, nine pitchers ended a season with the best ERA in the National League.  One pitcher accomplished this feat twice in his career.

Bill Doak

The ERA statistic did not come into vogue until around 1900.  It was devised by Henry Chadwick, the inventor of the box score.  Prior to that time, pitchers pitched complete games and their record of wins and losses was used to determine their effectiveness.  With the early 1900s came the advent of the relief pitcher separate from a starting pitcher and thus the win-loss record became less relied upon as a measure.  Earned run average became more popular as a result.

The first Cardinal to earn the title of “ERA champion” in the National League was Bill Doak, who did it twice in his career, in 1914 and again in 1921.  Doak’s ERA those two seasons were 1.72 and 2.59, respectively.

Mort Cooper (Getty Images)

During the World War II years, Cardinals Mort Cooper and Max Lanier garnered this honor.  Cooper finished 1942 with an ERA of 1.78 and the next season, Lanier won the title at 1.94.

Two more St. Louis pitchers led the NL in ERA in the 1940s.  In 1946, Howie Pollet posted an ERA of 2.10 and two years later, Harry Brecheen followed with a 2.24 ERA.

Twenty years passed before another Cardinal became the National League ERA leader.  In 1968, Bob Gibson not only led the NL with an ERA of 1.12 but also he set the major league record that remains unbroken more than 50 years later.

Fast forward to 1976, when starter John Denny led the NL in ERA at 2.52.  This achievement was accomplished on a team that finished in fifth place in the East Division with a record of 72-90.  Denny’s record was only 11-9 that season due to poor run support.

Even more striking was the performance of starter Joe Magrane in 1988.  Magrane won the NL ERA title with an ERA 2.18 in 24 starts despite a record of only 5-9.  He holds the distinction of the lowest win total of any ERA leader in a non-strike season.

Chris Carpenter (USA TODAY Sports)

The last Cardinal to win the NL ERA title was Chris Carpenter in 2009.  In 28 starts, Carpenter logged an ERA of 2.24 and a record of 17-4. But that was only good enough for a second-place finish in the Cy Young Award vote. He was topped by Tim Lincecum, who had an ERA of 2.48, and a record of 15-7 in 32 starts.  Carpenter’s teammate Adam Wainwright, who went 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA, came in third. There was a feeling the two St. Louis pitchers took votes from each other, as the top three garnered 100, 94, and 90 points respectively.

No Cardinal starting pitcher has topped Carpenter’s 2.24 ERA since 2009.  The closest was Adam Wainwright in 2014, with an ERA of 2.38.  The NL ERA leader that season was Clayton Kershaw at 1.77.

Hall of Famer Gibson still holds the major league single-season ERA record of 1.12, which may never be broken.  This is an accomplishment for which Cardinals fans can be surely be proud.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Minor League Single-Season Hit Leaders Since 1960


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St. Louis Cardinals MLB Notebook – Week of June 22-28

photo: John Brebbia (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals prepare to resume pre-season preparation for a shortened 60-game schedule, with news of a major injury and a roster announcement. Our history feature highlights two Cardinals Hall of Famers who each hit for the cycle.

The Return of Baseball

After a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, baseball is finally returning.  The shortened season will be 60 games in length and will end on September 27, with playoffs to begin in October.  The playoffs will not be expanded.

The lead-up to the final agreement for the return was fraught with contentiousness and verbal sparring in the media between the owners, represented by Commissioner Rob Manfred, and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), represented by President Tony Clark.  At times it appeared hopeless that we would see baseball at all before 2021.  The primary obstacle was how many games would be played and how much the players would be paid.

The dispute centered around an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA made in late March after Spring Training had been halted due to the spread of the coronavirus.  That agreement included, among other things, a clause that the players would be paid a pro-rated salary based upon the number of games played.

What appeared to be a straightforward arrangement later became a heated squabble as to interpretation.  The owners contended that the provision only applied if fans were in attendance at the games.  The MLBPA argued otherwise and disputed MLB’s interpretation.  What ensued was public bickering that left many who watched believing the parties were an embarrassment and were causing great harm to the sport.  Sides were taken and the war was on for many weeks.

When all the smoke cleared, neither side agreed to either rate of pay or length of season. So, under the March agreement terms, the Commissioner imposed a season of 60 games with pro-rated pay for players.  The players had wanted more games, and the owners had wanted further pay cuts; so neither side completely got what they wanted.

One could argue the merits of either party’s position.  The players believed they had an agreement that the owners then tried to amend.  The owners contended they would lose billions of dollars by playing games without fans in the stands and therefore pay cuts were required.  Who was right now seems irrelevant with the coronavirus still raging all over the country and even the 60-game season not a certainty.

In any event, the plan is for players to report to training camp beginning July 1.  Each team will have camp at their own home ballparks (except for the Toronto Blue Jays, who will likely play in Toronto, but that plan is not final).  The season will begin on July 23 with two games, and the remainder of the games on July 24.  The full schedule has not yet been released to the public.

Particulars of the 2020 Season

The 60-game 2020 season will be vastly different than what fans are used to seeing.  The presence of an infectious virus that continues to rage throughout the country has made it impossible for baseball to be played normally.  Here are some of the particulars of what 2020 baseball will look like.

NL and AL teams will play each other in these 60 games based on geography in order to eliminate cross country travel.  The season will be divided up into three zones which consist of all AL and NL West teams, all NL and AL Central teams, and all NL and AL East teams.  For example, the Cardinals will play only their regular NL Central opponents the Cubs, Reds, Brewers, and Pirates, plus the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians.  There will be 40 games against the NL Central teams, and 20 interleague games against the AL Central teams.

Each team is allowed a 60-player pool.  The 60 may or may not include all 40-man roster players.  Not all of the Cardinals’ 60 players will be at training camp in St. Louis.  Each team is allowed to have a separate camp close by.  The Cardinals have chosen to have their alternate camp at Hammons Field in Springfield.  An initial list of the players in the pool was required to be submitted by 3 pm CT on Sunday, June 28.  Teams are not required to fill all 60 slots.  The Cardinals submitted an initial list of 44 players.  Additional players up to 60 total will be added later.  Full details can be found here.

St. Louis Cardinals Name 44-Player Summer Camp Roster

Teams may add any player in the organization to the pool, including newly signed 2020 draftees.  Once the pool is finalized, the regular roster rules regarding subtracting players will apply.  For example, a player subtracted from the pool will be subject to release, trade, or waivers. The exception is for injury or suspension.  If a 60-man pool player is injured or tests positive for the coronavirus, he may be placed on the regular injured list (10-day or 45-day for 2020) or the newly created coronavirus injured list (no specified length).

The active roster will contain 30 players for the first two weeks of the season.  After two weeks, the roster will be reduced to 28 players, and two weeks after that will be set at 26 players for the remainder of the season.  Any pool player who is not on the 40-man roster will have to be added before that player can be on the active roster.  A 27th player can be added for double-headers.  All teams will be permitted to travel with a taxi squad of up to three players, of which one must be a catcher.  The identity of the taxi squad players need not be disclosed.

The regular rules will be applied to the active roster.  A player may be optioned to the alternate camp and a new player called up.  An optioned player must remain at the alternate camp for 10 days unless called up to replace an injured player.

The coronavirus injured list does not count against the roster.  Players on the active roster testing positive will be replaced by players on the 60-man at the alternate camp.  Should there not be enough players at the alternate camp due to an outbreak of coronavirus, MLB can permit teams to replace the open spots with other organizational players not on the original 60-man list or with free agents.

The trade deadline is August 31.  Only 60-man pool players can be traded.  A traded player must be placed in the acquiring team’s 60 man player pool.

There will be a universal designated hitter for the 2020 season.  In tie games after nine innings, the minor league rule requiring a man on second base to start each inning will be implemented.  The new rule for pitchers to pitch to a three-batter minimum will be applied.  Pitchers will be allowed to have a wet rag in their pocket to wet their fingers in lieu of licking them.  Games that are stopped with less than five innings completed due to weather will be suspended and continued at a later date (as opposed to starting over from the beginning).

Training camp games will have rule changes as well.  Managers will be allowed to end an inning for their pitchers before three outs are made as long as the pitcher has thrown at least 25 pitches.  A plate appearance must be completed before this can be done.  Substitution rules are relaxed, allowing pitchers to re-enter later. At this time, the Cardinals do not plan to play any external camp games, though teams are allowed as many as three.

All teams will be subject to strict health protocols.  MLB and the MLBPA agreed to a 100+ page health protocol.  Some items included are masks for coaches and staff at all times in the dugout and on the field, all players and coaches must keep a distance of at least six feet from umpires at all times, no spitting, no high-fiving or fist bumping, and social distancing should be practiced in the clubhouse.

Games will be played with no fans in the stands to begin the season.  A possibility for some fans to be allowed later on has been left open.

Players who are at high risk for coronavirus may opt out of the season and receive pay and service time.  Players who live with someone at high risk may opt out but service time and pay will be at the discretion of the team.  Players not in one of these categories may opt out but would receive no service time or pay.  The deadline for players to opt out is 3 pm CT on Sunday, June 28.

More details on some of these issues can be seen at TCN.

Sorting out Major League Baseball’s Rules for 2020

John Brebbia has Tommy John surgery

In a surprise announcement made by the Cardinals this past week, right-handed pitcher John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 8. This means Brebbia will miss the 2020 season and potentially some of the 2021 season as well.

John Brebbia

Brebbia felt a pull in his elbow in a March 11 game against the Mets.  This turned about to be the day before camp was shut down due to the coronavirus.  Brebbia underwent an MRI which revealed a tear in his UCL in his right arm.  The reliever subsequently received a platelet-rich plasma injection as an alternative to surgery.

When Brebbia began throwing again, the discomfort in his elbow returned.  At that point it was decided he would have the surgery.  The 30-year old reliever will remain in Florida for his rehab.

Brebbia finished the 2019 season with an ERA of 3.59 in 66 appearances.  He was considered a candidate to participate in what may be a closer committee for 2020.

Jordan Hicks is among the 44 players in the pool, returning from his Tommy John surgery last June. He should also be in contention for closer duties.  Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, is at high risk for coronavirus complications, so the team will proceed cautiously with him for multiple reasons.

In other injury news, Miles Mikolas, who missed almost a month of spring training with a strained flexor tendon appears to have fully recovered and will be available to start the season.  He has already been working out at Busch Stadium in informal workouts with other Cardinals players.

The health of left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil, who is in the final year of his contract, remains unknown.  President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has stated Cecil’s readiness will be evaluated when the team reports to camp.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions 

  • 6/27 The Cardinals placed RHP John Brebbia on the 45-day injured list. Right ulnar collateral ligament tear.
  • 6/28 Though there has been no official announcement yet, RHP Jordan Hicks is among the 44 players active for Summer Camp. He had been on the 60-day injured list since Spring Training Camp 1.0.

Injury Report

  • RHP John Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery on June 8. He will miss the entire 2020 season.
  • LHP Brett Cecil (hamstring) has been working out in Jupiter, Florida. Cecil’s health will be assessed when players report to training camp.
  • RHP Miles Mikolas (right foream flexor tendon) is reportedly ready to go and available to start the season.
  • RHP Jordan Hicks (Tommy John surgery) is throwing bullpens and was placed on the 44-man camp roster. Hicks, a Type 1 diabetic, will be monitored closely due to high risk of coronavirus complications.

Looking Ahead

Players are set to report to training camp in St. Louis starting on July 1.  All players will be tested for COVID-19 upon reporting.  Full workouts will start on July 3.  Players and coaches will be tested every other day throughout camp.

An alternate camp will be set up at Hammons Field in Springfield for those players in the 60-man pool who will not participate in camp at St. Louis.  This alternate camp will begin on July 14.  44 players will be at the St. Louis camp, with the remaining 16 at the alternate camp, augmented by those cut from St. Louis during July.

At this time, it appears all games during camp will be intrasquad games.  Teams have the option of playing up to three games against zone opponents.  The Cardinals do not plan on playing any games of this type, but that could change.

St. Louis’ regular season will start either July 23 or 24.  No schedule has been released to the public.


Blast from the Past

We return to the regular Blast from the Past piece as the baseball season nears a return.  This week’s segment looks at two games from the past in which a prominent Cardinal hit for the cycle.

On June 27, 1973, St. Louis played the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 15-4.

The starting lineup was as follows:  Lou Brock LF, Ted Sizemore 2B, Joe Torre 1B, Ted Simmons C, Ken Reitz 3B, Bill Stein RF, Jose Cruz CF, Mike Tyson SS, and Reggie Cleveland P.

Joe Torre

In the top of the first, Brock singled to CF, Sizemore singled to CF, and Joe Torre doubled to CF, scoring Brock and Sizemore. Torre’s double was the first of his four hits.

Torre came to the plate for the second time in the top of the third.  He hit a solo home run to deep RF.  Simmons followed with a solo home run to LF. Reitz singled, Stein doubled. Cruz singled to score Reitz and Tyson singled to score Stein. Tyson later scored on a wild pitch.

In the top of the fourth, Torre triple and scored on a sac fly by Simmons.  Torre completed the cycle by hitting a single to CF in the top of the ninth. He finished with three RBI and 10 total bases and became the 11th player to hit for the cycle in franchise history.

On June 23, 1984, St. Louis played the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals lost 12-11 in 11 innings.

The starting lineup was Lonnie Smith LF, Ozzie Smith SS, Willie McGee CF, George Hendrick RF, David Green 1B, Tom Herr 2B, Art Howe 3B, Darrell Porter C, and Ralph Citarella P.

Willie McGee, 1983

McGee’s initial at bat was a groundout in the first inning. In the top of the second, McGee tripled, driving in two runs.

In the top of the fourth, McGee singled, but no runs crossed the plate that inning. McGee came to bat for a fourth time in the top of the sixth and launched a two-run home run.

McGee’s fifth at bat was another groundout in the top of the eighth. In the top of the 10th, McGee added an RBI double. He went 4-for-6 with six RBI and 10 total bases. McGee was the 13th Cardinal to hit for the cycle in franchise history.

Both Torre and McGee are members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Torre was inducted in 2016 and McGee was part of the first fan-elected class in 2014.

16 Cardinal players have hit for the cycle.  The most recent was Mark Grudzielanek on April 27, 2005 and the first was Cliff Heathcote on June 13, 1918.  The only Cardinal to hit for the cycle twice was Ken Boyer – on September 14, 1961 and June 16, 1964.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Flores Executes Cardinals Draft Plan within a Plan


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

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© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past – Blix Donnelly

 1944 St. Louis Cardinals team photo. Donnelly is second from the left in the back row.

In this week’s St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past, we remember a pitcher who made his major league debut at the age of 30 after toiling nine years in the minor leagues.  This right-hander made significant contributions to the Cardinals’ World Series Championship season in 1944, including most specifically his performance in World Series win over the neighboring St. Louis Browns.

Sylvester Urban Donnelly was born on January 21, 1914 in Olivia, Minnesota.  Donnelly was the eldest of three sons born to Charles and Elizabeth Donnelly. Charles Donnelly was a barber by trade and his son acquired the skill which he used in his baseball off-seasons.  Donnelly was blessed with the nickname “Blix” from his father as well.

Blix played football, basketball, and baseball at Olivia High School, from which he graduated in 1932.  Donnelly spent his following summers pitching for an Olivia town team, and in 1934 he was spotted by an umpire named George Thompson. The arbiter invited him to attend a baseball school in Nicollet Park, Minnesota, where he was seen by the manager of the Double-A Minneapolis Millers from the Western League of the American Association.  Blix did not get a tryout with the Millers but did ultimately latched on with the Superior Blues of the Northern League in 1935.

Blix Donnelly

Blix pitched in 39 games for the Blues in 1935, in which he posted a record of 15-15 in 228 innings pitched.  Donnelly led the league with 184 strikeouts.  After the Blues traded Blix to Duluth, he pitched in 38 games for the Dukes, with a 1936 record of 11-19.  At the end of that season, the Dukes were purchased by Branch Rickey and became part of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Donnelly was assigned to the Bloomington Bengals to begin the season, but that team folded mid-season and Blix was sent to pitch for the Decatur Commodores to finish 1937.  Donnelly posted a season record of 18-7 with an ERA of 1.74.  He pitched one inning for Decatur in 1938 and was then sent to the Daytona Islanders of the Florida State League to finish the season.  Blix returned to pitch in Daytona for the 1939 season as well, where he was selected to pitch in the midseason All-Star Game.

Donnelly’s next minor league destination was the Springfield, Illinois Cardinals of the Class C Western Association.  Blix spent two seasons in Springfield, where he led the league in innings pitched, complete games, wins and strikeouts in 1941 as he went 28-6, 2.26.  Late in 1941, he was sent to the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League, where he picked up win no. 29.

Donnelly returned to Sacramento in 1942, pitching to a record of 21-10 for manager Pepper Martin.  Martin became the manager of the Rochester Red Wings in 1943 and Blix went from one Triple-A team to the other with him.  Donnelly finished the season with a record of 17-8 and an ERA of 2.40, including a no-hitter against the New Jersey Giants.

Blix went to Spring Training with the Cardinals in 1944 and made the roster to start the season.  He made his major league debut on May 6, 1944 at the age of 30 in a game against Cincinnati, and pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the 2-0 loss to the Reds.

Though Blix spent most of his minor league career as a starter, he pitched primarily out of the bullpen for the Cardinals in 1944.  Donnelly made 27 appearances that season, only four as a starter.  Blix had two good pitches, a fastball and a curve, but his control was inconsistent.  Despite the control issues, Donnelly had a good 1944, ending the regular season with an ERA of 2.12.

The highlight of his rookie year came in the World Series, however, as he pitched two scoreless innings in Game 1 and was the winning pitcher in Game 2.  HIs defensive play in the 11th inning of Game 2, when he fielded a bunt with his bare hand down the third base line and made the throw to get the runner out, was heralded as the best defensive play of the Series.  The Cardinals defeated the St. Louis Browns in six games to take the World Championship.

Blix Donnelly

Blix returned to pitch for the Cardinals in 1945, and finished with a career-high 23 starts, a record of 8-10 and an ERA of 3.52.  He pitched a one-hitter against the Phillies on June 27.

In 1946, Donnelly hoped to make the starting rotation but ended up back in the bullpen.  He missed time due to a sore arm, and by mid-season he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Phillies.  Blix pitched mostly out of the bullpen to begin the 1947 season, but a mid-season injury to a starter gave him the opportunity to join the rotation.  He started in 10 games that season with a record of 4-6.

In 1948, Donnelly started in 19 games out of 26 appearances.  He posted a record of 5-7 and an ERA of 3.69.  Injuries in 1949 limited his appearances to 23, 10 as a starter.  Minor injuries and the emergence of the eventual 1950 NL MVP winner Jim Konstanty as the Phillies top relief pitcher left Donnelly to make only 14 appearances.

In 1951, with Donnelly 37 years of age, the Phillies sold his contract to the Boston Braves, for whom he made only six appearances before being released on May 12.  He returned to the Phillies, and they sent him to their Baltimore farm team.  He finished his baseball career there, retiring at the end of the 1952 season at the age of 38.

Donnelly returned to his hometown of Olivia where he worked in a barbershop, and then moved on to several sales jobs.  He passed away on June 26, 1976 from cancer at the age of 62.  He was survived by his wife Helen and son James.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals Minor League Batting Average Leaders Since 1960


Now Available! – TCN’s New 2020 Prospect Guide

232 pages, 97,000 words, over 60 player capsules, history and much more – in both PDF and spiral-bound book versions. Foreword by Dan McLaughlin. Order your copy today!

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.

© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past – Bill Greason

photo: Bill Greason (St. Louis Cardinals)

In last week’s Blast from the Past, we remembered the first African-American player signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, Tom Alston, a position player.

St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past – Tom Alston

This week, we recall the first African-American pitcher signed by the Cardinals.  His career with the team was very brief, and it encompassed the entirety of his major league career.  His life after baseball was one of service to his community and service to the cause of Civil Rights for African-Americans in the United States.

Bill Greason

William Henry Greason was born on September 3, 1924 in Atlanta, Georgia.  Bill was the middle child of five born to James and Lizi Greason.  Greason’s family was poor, and his parents and four siblings lived across the street from the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Bill graduated from Booker T. Washington High School five years before Dr. King.

Like many of his peers, Greason’s baseball career began on the neighborhood sandlots where his natural talent showed through.  His parents instilled in him the value of love and respect for others, no matter the color of their skin, a value that would lead him to his ultimate post baseball vocation as a Minister of God.

Greason joined the Marine Corps in 1943 and fought in World War II in the Pacific Theater.  After the war, Bill player semipro football for a couple of years.  A manager of a Negro Leagues team, the Atlanta Black Crackers, got Greason into baseball and he began the 1947 season with the Nashville Cubs, where he posted a pitching record of 14-2 that season.

Bill began the 1948 season with the Asheville Blues, where he was spotted during spring training by the Birmingham Barons, who acquired him from the Blues.  The Barons won the Negro Leagues American League playoff against the Kansas City Monarchs in a 4-3 series.  Greason was the winning pitcher in the clinching game.  The Barons faced the Homestead Grays in the World Series, which was the last Negro League World Series ever played.  The Barons were soundly defeated by the Grays, but Bill was the winning pitcher in the only game the Barons won.

Greason spent the 1949 and 1950 seasons with the Barons, but the Negro Leagues were seeing much defection of talent to the major leagues in the years following the signing of Jackie Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. After playing winter ball in Mexico and Cuba, Bill was granted a tryout with the Pacific Coast League’s Oakland Oaks in spring 1951.  Greason failed to make the team and returned to play in Mexico. He left Mexico early in the season and returned to the Barons.

Bill was recalled to active duty with the Marines in late summer 1951.  He continued to play baseball for the Camp LeJeune baseball team.  A marine sergeant who was stationed in Oklahoma told the owner of the Oklahoma City Indians of the Double-A Texas League about Greason and the Indians signed him to a contract on July 28, 1952. The Texas League had become integrated with the signing of former Negro League pitcher Dave Hoskins with the Dallas Eagles in early 1952.  Greason became the first black baseball player in Oklahoma upon his signing.  Greason faced Hoskins in a game on August 3, and Bill won the day, earning his second win.

Greason recounted that his reception in Oklahoma was fine, with most treating him with kindness and respect while playing at home.  He received a different reception on the road, however. Bill remarked that road fans would call him names he never heard before.

Bill’s pitching in Oklahoma City drew attention from several major league teams, most notably the Yankees and the Red Sox.  The owner of the Indians turned down $50,000 offers from both teams, because it was suspected he wanted to run up the price.

Though Bill’s 1953 season with the Indians began slowly, he ended up finishing with a 16-13 record, but with a somewhat bloated ERA of 3.61.  The Indians’ owner’s plans were thwarted, and he ended up selling Greason’s contract to the St. Louis Cardinals for $25,000 plus four players, a price less than expected.

Greason made his major league debut with St. Louis on May 31, 1954, several months after Alston, the Cardinals first black player acquisition, who began the 1954 season on the Cardinals’ roster.  Bill’s ascension to the major league roster turned out to less than he expected, as he was forced to take a $300 month pay cut from what he was making in the minor leagues.  Despite his protests, the Cardinals front office told him to take it or leave it.

Greason’s pay dispute, in addition to his treatment by manager Eddie Stanky, who never really gave Bill much of a chance, likely led to his poor performance in his first two games.  He pitched a scoreless inning of relief in what turned out to be his final major league game on June 20.  Greason was returned to the minors to finish the 1954 season.  For his three major league appearances, Bill pitched a total of four innings and posted an ERA of 13.50.

Greason played winter ball in Puerto Rico, where he had better success.  He played in Puerto Rico for seven years while still under contract with St. Louis and playing in both AA and AAA teams from 1955-1959.   He played with future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson on the Rochester Red Wings in 1958.

Greason retired from baseball after the 1959 season.  He returned to Birmingham and began working for Pizitz Department Store.  While there, Bill enrolled in Birmingham Easonian Bible College and earned a degree in religion.  He also did post-graduate work at Samford University in Birmingham before joining the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where he began preaching in 1963.  The Sixteenth Street Church became famous as the meeting place for civil rights activists, including his former neighbor Dr. King.  The church was the site of a racially motivated bombing by the Ku Klux Klan, a crime that resulted in the death of four black girls.

Bill was heavily involved in civil rights activism during this time but was not at the church on the day of the bombing.  He continued his ministry by starting the New Hope Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama, and eventually became the pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church of Bethel Points in Birmingham, where he continues to live today at the age of 95. Greason is in fact the oldest living former Cardinals player.

He has received various awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award, on June 12, 2012.  On September 21, 2014, the Cardinals held a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his debut as the Cardinals’ first African-American pitcher.


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St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past – Tom Alston

Jackie Robinson is famous for being a Hall of Fame baseball player but even more so for being the first black ballplayer to be signed to a major league team, the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.  After Robinson, other clubs began signing black players as well, including eventually the St. Louis Cardinals.

This week’s Blast from the Past looks at the brief baseball career of St. Louis’ groundbreaker, Tom Alston, signed in 1954 to play first base.  While important in Cardinals history, Alston’s heartbreaking story included poverty and mental illness.

Tom Alston

Thomas Edison Alston was born to Shube and Anna Alston in Greensboro, North Carolina on January 31, 1926.  Thomas was one of their seven children, five sons and two daughters.  Young Tom developed his love for baseball both from reading stories in the newspapers his mother brought home from the houses she cleaned as a maid, and the broomstick bat and tennis ball games he played in his neighborhood.  His high school, poor and segregated, had no baseball team.

Alston joined the Navy in 1944 and played baseball on organized teams there.  After his return from the military, Tom attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College.  During this time, Alston began playing on a traveling team called the Goshen Red Wings.  He later joined the Jacksonville Eagles, managed by a former Negro Leagues pitcher named Chet Brewer.

Alston earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1951, and shortly thereafter went to play in Indian Head, Saskatchewan with several other Eagles players and the manager.  His team won several Canadian tournaments.

Tom returned to organized baseball in the U.S. with the all-black Porterville Comets of the Southwestern International League in 1952.  Alston hit .353 and was soon after signed by the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League.

At 6’5” and 200 pounds, Alston was a good defender at first base for San Diego, but his hitting was lacking.  He batted only .244 in 1952, but manager Lefty O’Doul worked with him and saw improvement.  In his first 50 games in 1953, Tom hit 15 home runs and had an average nearing .300.  Issues with high fastballs and left handed pitching sent him into a slump mid-season, but he bounced back to finish the season batting .297/.353/.446 with 101 RBI in 180 games.

After playing winter ball in Mexico, Alston returned in January 1954 to a new team, as his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals.  Alston was reportedly incredulous that he would be a teammate of Stan Musial.

The Cardinals were late to sign black players as owner Fred Saigh refused to act in the handful of years he owned the team following the signing of Robinson by the Dodgers.  Further, the Cardinals were the last major league team to abolish segregated seating in their ballpark.

After August Busch Jr. bought the team in 1953, he ordered a scout to find some black players to sign.  Busch was motivated by money rather than any liberal open-mindedness.  He saw the opportunity of selling beer from his brewery to a larger segment of baseball fans and believed black faces on the team would draw more fans of all races.

Alston had a modest debut with the Cardinals in 1954, hitting .246 with four home runs and 34 RBI.  The consensus was that Alston did not play well enough to justify the $100,000 the Cardinals paid for his contract.  He began the 1954 season platooning at first base with Steve Bilko, the incumbent first baseman.  In his first week, Alston hit two home runs, the second of which was a three-run game winner on April 18 against the Cubs.  He began playing every day, and by the end of the month the Cardinals sold Bilko to the Cubs.  Tom hit .442 in the next two weeks after Bilko was gone.

By June, Alston was slumping and the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Rochester.  That year, Tom began hearing voices and suffering periods of debilitating fatigue.  He was treated for a thyroid ailment doctors thought caused his fatigue.  He spent most of the next two seasons in the minor leagues, appearing in only 16 games with the Cardinals, 13 in 1955 and three in 1956.

During the 1956 offseason, after hitting .306 with Omaha, Tom started hearing the voices again.  He made a suicide attempt with a razor blade to his wrist, but a law enforcement officer found him got ,him medical treatment, then sent him home.

Alston appeared in four games to begin the 1957 season, but his erratic behavior led the Cardinals to send him for medical attention.  A doctor put him in the hospital for a “nervous condition” and he received shock treatments by a psychiatrist.

After returning to the team in September, he hit 4-for-13 in the next five games.  Rather than stay in St. Louis to continue treatment, Tom decided to return home to live with his father.  He never returned to play baseball.

In 1958, Alston was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and spent 30 days in jail.  Later that year he burned down a Methodist Church in Goshen, North Carolina.  A judge ordered a psychiatric exam and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Tom spent the next eight years in a state mental hospital.  He was released in 1967 but returned two months later after he set fire to his apartment.  He was released a second time in 1969.

For the rest of his life, Alston took medication and visited mental health clinics to control his illness.  He lived in poverty, subsisting on Social Security disability benefits because he could not hold down a job due to his erratic behavior, sometimes lucid, sometimes not.

Alston was living in a nursing home in 1990 when a visit by Joe Garagiola led to Tom being invited to throw out the first pitch in a game in June.  He received a warm welcome from fans and the Cardinals arranged for him to earn some money at an autograph show.

Alston passed away from prostate cancer three years later, on December 30, 1993.  His tombstone is decorated with the Cardinals’ Birds on the Bat logo.


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St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past – Gene Paulette

In this week’s St. Louis Cardinals Blast from the Past, we remember a former Cardinal whose career in St. Louis was marked by controversy with ties to one of the biggest stains on major league baseball in its history.  This first baseman played three seasons for the Cardinals, and his career ended ignominiously several years later as a result of conduct with its genesis in the underbelly of St. Louis in the early decades of the 20th Century.

Eugene Edward Paulette was born on May 26, 1891 in Centralia, Illinois, the 11th of 12 children born to Joseph and Marguerite DeServe Paulette.  Gene’s parents were French-Canadian immigrants.  During Gene’s childhood the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Joseph’s career as a railroad engineer took them.  Unlike many of his peers in the early years of the 20th Century, Gene was able to graduate from high school in Little Rock and finish one year of college.

Gene Paulette

Paulette began his baseball career on the sandlots of Little Rock, where a New York Giants scout found him in 1911.  Gene was a catcher with a good arm when he was signed to play for manager John McGraw’s Giants, but he never made an appearance behind the plate in New York, instead making his debut on June 16, 1911 as a third base defensive replacement.  Gene appeared in only 10 games during the regular season and saw no action in the 1911 World Series, which the Giants lost to the Philadelphia A’s in six games.

Gene came to the Giants’ spring training camp in 1912 but did not continue his major league career at that time.  Instead Paulette was sent to play for the Class AA Providence Grays of the International League.  Gene spent the next two seasons with the Class A Mobile Seagulls, then was sold to the Cleveland Naps in 1914, and sent to play for the Class AA Cleveland Bearcats.  During this period in the minor leagues, Gene played all over the infield but was weak at the plate.  When Paulette was sent to the Nashville Volunteers in 1915, he showed some defensive chops at first base and his hitting also improved.  He was hitting .286 with the Memphis Chickasaws in 1916, when his contract was bought by the St. Louis Browns.

Back in the big leagues, Paulette appeared in only five games for the Browns during the remainder of the 1916 season. In the first half of 1917, Gene was a utility man who appeared in only 12 games.  In June, he was placed on waivers and was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals.  Paulette became the starting first baseman for St. Louis and hit a creditable .265 with 34 RBI.

Paulette’s career renaissance with the Cardinals also had its dark side.  His visibility in St. Louis brought him into contact with some disreputable characters in the local gambling scene.  The big boss of St. Louis gambling at that time was a man named Henry “Kid” Becker.  Two associates of Becker, Elmer Farrar and Carl Zork, entered Gene’s life during this time. The two gamblers approached the cash-strapped first baseman early in the 1919 season with the idea of engaging in game-fixing, reinforced by the reward of an indeterminate amount of cash.  Paulette communicated by letter with Farrar that he could persuade two other Cardinal players to join him in the scheme.

After two decent seasons with the Cardinals, Gene began the 1919 season poorly at the plate, hitting only .215 in 43 games.  In mid-July, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.  Paulette’s batting numbers improved while with the Phillies and he had his best career season in 1920, hitting .288 with 36 RBI.

Paulette’s association with Farrar and Zork appeared to be known to both the Cardinals and Phillies organizations.  At some point while Gene was in Philadelphia, Phillies owner William Baker came into possession of Gene’s letter to Farrar about the potential game-fixing scheme, one that did not come to fruition because of the trade in 1919.  The two additional Cardinals Paulette promised to recruit were never identified.

In September 1920, a grand jury was called to investigate suspicions that the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds was fixed by a group of White Sox players led by Chicago first baseman Chick Gandil, in cahoots with the gambling syndicate of Arnold Rothstein of New York.  The players were indicted but later acquitted by jurors in July 1921.  The “Black Sox” scandal led to the appointment of the first Commissioner of Baseball, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, in January 1921.  Shortly after that, the Phillies owner turned the Farrar letter over to Landis.

Landis demanded that Paulette come to meet him in March 1921, at which time Gene denied he had engaged in any misconduct with respect to Farrar, insisting he only accepted a loan from the bookmaker.  Landis was not convinced and told Gene he would require a second meeting.  In the interim, the trial for the White Sox players met with delays and other issues and Landis became otherwise occupied.  These frustrations infuriated Landis and three weeks after the first meeting, the second meeting was scheduled.  Paulette failed to appear for the required subsequent meeting, provoking Landis to take the unprecedented step of banning Gene permanently from the game of baseball.

Carl Zork, the other gambler with whom Paulette planned the game fix, was swept up in the Black Sox scandal and there were rumors that Farrar and Gene would also be charged.  Paulette was spared this further indignity, however, and managed to get himself signed to an Industrial League team in Massillon, Ohio.  He lasted only a month due to the public uproar and the threatened boycott of Massillon by other teams in the league. Gene was released by Massillon and was done with baseball at the age of 30.

Paulette returned to Little Rock and found employment with the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  Gene passed away of a heart attack on February 8, 1966 at the age of 74.  He was survived by his wife Mary, and two children, daughter Mary and son Eugene Jr.


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