Category Archives: St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – August 26-September 1

photo: Jordan Walker (Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports)

Against quality opponents, the St. Louis Cardinals went 4-3 for the week. Jordan Walker is back from Memphis and had a huge game Sunday. Our history feature highlights two former Cardinals who previously debuted during this week.

Game recaps

Monday, August 26, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Padres 7

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the San Diego Padres in the first of a four-game series at Busch Stadium. Kyle Gibson took the mound for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up seven runs on five hits, struck out two and walked four. Gibson took the loss.

Matthew Liberatore relieved Gibson and threw two scoreless innings. Shawn Armstrong hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. John King got the final out of the eighth. Kyle Leahy tossed a scoreless ninth.

San Diego took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. St. Louis cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Brendan Donovan tripled and scored on a single by Paul Goldschmidt.

The Padres added two runs in the third to increase the lead to 4-1. The Cardinals scored one run in the fourth. Iván Herrera drew a walk. Donovan singled. Matt Carpenter plated Herrera on a sac fly.

San Diego widened the lead to 7-2 in the fifth. St. Louis plated one run in the seventh. Masyn Winn doubled and scored on a double by Alec Burleson.

The Cardinals added a final run in the ninth. Winn singled and later came home on a single by Burleson.

The Cardinals scored four runs on 11 hits. Burleson was 3-for-5 with two RBI.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 – Cardinals 5, Padres 7

The Cardinals lost the second game of the series to the Padres on Tuesday. Miles Mikolas started for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one.

John King relieved Mikolas and surrendered two runs in one inning and took the loss. Andrew Kittredge threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien yielded one run in the ninth.

The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Masyn Winn singled and Alec Burleson doubled. Winn scored on a wild pitch. Luken Baker plated Burleson on a sac fly.

The Padres came back with four runs in the second to take the lead. In the fifth, the Cardinals regained the lead with three runs for a 5-4 advantage. Brendan Donovan singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Lars Nootbaar. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a two-run home run.

Paul Goldschmidt

San Diego punched back in the seventh with two runs, then added another in the ninth. St. Louis did not score further.

The Cardinals offense scored five runs on 11 hits. Goldschmidt was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Winn was 2-for-4.

Victor Scott stole his fifth base of the season.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Padres 3

The Cardinals recovered from two straight losses to the Padres to take game three on Wednesday. Andre Pallante was on the bump for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on eight hits, struck out three and issued three free passes.

Andre Pallante

Matthew Liberatore relieved Pallante and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Andrew Kittredge matched Liberatore. JoJo Romero surrendered one run in the eighth. Ryan Helsley earned the win with a scoreless ninth.

San Diego took the lead with a 2-0 first inning. In the fourth, St. Louis put up three runs to lead 3-2. Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado singled. Luken Baker doubled to drive in Burleson. Arenado scored on a ground out by Brendan Donovan. Paul Goldschmidt plated Baker on a single.

The Padres tied the game in the eighth. The Cardinals walked it off in the ninth. Winn, Victor Scott, and Arenado each singled. Winn came home on Arenado’s hit.

Nolan Arenado

The offense scored four runs on 11 hits. Goldschmidt was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Arenado was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Winn was 2-for-4.

Pedro Pagés made a throwing error.

Thursday, August 29, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Padres 1

On Thursday, the Cardinals won Game 4 to split the Padres series.  Sonny Gray was the starter. The right-hander pitched six innings, gave up one run on three hits and fanned four to earn his 12th win.

Sonny Gray

Ryan Fernandez relieved Gray and threw a scoreless seventh. Matthew Liberatore hurled a scoreless eighth and Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 41st save.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Alec Burleson drew a walk. Nolan Arenado reached on a fielder’s choice. Burleson advanced to third on a fielding error. Burleson came home on a ground out by Luken Baker. Paul Goldschmidt plated Arenado.

The Padres scored their only run in the fifth to cut the lead to 2-1. The Cardinals made it 3-1 in the sixth on a solo home run by Masyn Winn.

St. Louis added a fourth run in the eighth for a 4-1 lead. Lars Nootbaar tripled and scored on a single by Iván Herrera.

The Cardinals scored four runs on 10 hits. Herrera was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Winn was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Victor Scott was 2-for-4.

Burleson stole his ninth base of the season. Baker stole his first base.

Friday, August 30, 2024 – Cardinals 3 at Yankees 6

The Cardinals were defeated by the Yankees 6-3 in the opener of the weekend series in the Bronx. Erick Fedde was the starter for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on four hits, fanned eight and walked one. Fedde took the loss.

John King relieved Fedde and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien surrendered two runs in the eighth.

New York went up 1-0 in the second inning. St. Louis answered with two runs in the top of the third to lead 2-1. Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado singled. Brendan Donovan plated Burleson on a single. Arenado scored on a single by Paul Goldschmidt.

The Yankees responded in the bottom of the third with three runs to regain the lead 4-2. In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals cut the lead to 4-3 on a solo home run by Arenado.

The Bronx Bombers scored two runs in the home eighth to lead and win the game 6-3.

St. Louis scored three runs on 10 hits. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Goldschmidt was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Burleson was 2-for-4.

Saturday, August 31, 2024 – Cardinals 6 at Yankees 5

The Cardinals won a nail-biter in the Bronx on Saturday in the second game of the series with the Yankees.  Kyle Gibson made one of his best starts as a Cardinal. The right-hander pitched seven innings, gave up one run on five hits and fanned six to earn his eighth win of the season.

Kyle Gibson

Matthew Liberatore relieved Gibson and had a tough luck eighth. He was dinked and donked in a four-run appearance that lasted 2/3 of an inning. Andrew Kittredge secured the final out of the inning, but not until he allowed three inherited runners to score. Ryan Helsley earned his 42nd save with a scoreless ninth.

The Yankees scored first with a run in the second inning. The Cardinals came back to score four runs in the third for a lead of 4-1. Victor Scott led off the inning with a walk. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out that eliminated Scott. Alec Burleson singled. Nolan Arenado plated Winn on a single. Brendan Donovan followed with a three-run home run to right field.

Brendan Donovan

St. Louis increased the lead to 6-1 in the sixth. Lars Nootbaar doubled and scored on a double by Iván Herrera. Herrera came home on a wild pitch.

The Yankees came roaring back with four runs in the eighth to make it a one run game. The Cardinals and Helsley were able to hold on and win 6-5.

The Cardinals scored six runs on seven hits. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Donovan had three RBI.

Winn made a fielding error.

Sunday, September 1, 2024 – Cardinals 14 at Yankees 7

The Cardinals rolled over the Yankees in a 14-7 blowout in the final game of the series on Sunday. Miles Mikolas struggled again in his start. The right-hander pitched four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. He struck out five and did not walk anyone.

John King relieved Mikolas and surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Riley O’Brien did not give up any runs in his 1/3 of an inning but did allow two inherited runners to score to tie the game. JoJo Romero played the stopper with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Fernandez each tossed a scoreless inning.

St. Louis scored one run in the top of the second to go up 1-0. Brendan Donavan doubled and scored on a single by Jordan Walker. New York took the lead 2-1 in the home second.

Jordan Walker

The Cardinals retook the lead in the fourth with a four-run outburst. Donovan and Walker singled. Masyn Winn plated Donovan and Walker on a double. Luken Baker followed with a two-run long ball. The Cardinals led 5-2.

St. Louis added two runs in the fifth to widen the lead to 7-2 on a two-run home run by Walker. The Yankees fought back with three runs in the home fifth and two runs in the sixth to tie the game at 7-7.

In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals rallied for five runs to lead 12-7. Nolan Arenado drew a walk. Iván Herrera singled. Walker singled. Lars Nootbaar doubled to clear the bases. Nootbaar came home on a single by Victor Scott. Winn bunted to score Scott.

The Cardinals padded the lead with two more runs in the ninth to lead 14-7 on a two-run home run by Nootbaar.

Lars Nootbaar

St. Louis produced 14 runs on 21 hits. Walker was 5-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored. Nootbaar was 3-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-6 with two RBI. Donovan was 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Goldschmidt was 3-for-5. Baker had two RBI.

Walker stole his first base. Nootbaar was picked off and caught stealing.

Mikolas made a throwing error. Goldschmidt made a missed catch error.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals had a record of 4-3 for the week. They split four with the Padres in St. Louis and won two of three over the Yankees in New York. The Saturday win was the first win for the Cardinals franchise against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium (both stadiums) since 1964.

The team resides in third place in the NL Central, 11 games back of the Brewers and two games back of the Cubs, who have been red hot with a six-game winning streak and nine wins their last 10 games. The Cardinals are currently five games out of the third Wild Card with the Braves, Mets and Cubs ahead of them for that final spot.

The offense has taken a turn for the better in the last couple of weeks. It may turn out to be too little too late, however. The most pointed improvement recently has come from Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt has essentially been a black hole in the lineup for most of the season but has seemingly figured something out.

Alec Burleson

The top offensive performers by OPS over the last seven days are Goldschmidt (1.438), Jordan Walker (1.164), Alec Burleson (1.041), Masyn Winn (.960) and Brendan Donovan (.953). Close behind is Lars Nootbaar (.822).

At the bottom are two players with less than 10 ABs for the week. They are Matt Carpenter (.000 in 2 ABs) and Pedro Pagés (.000 in 6 ABs). Also on this list is Tommy Pham (.000 in 7 ABs) who is no longer with the team as he was claimed off waivers by the Royals.

There is no regular with an OPS below .500 for the week. The closest is Nolan Arenado (.543).

As so often happens to the Cardinals, when the offense improves, the pitching gets worse. Three of five starters had an ERA above 4.00 for the week. They are Kyle Gibson (6.35), Miles Mikolas (6.52) and Erick Fedde (6.75). ERAs below 4.00 belong to Sonny Gray (1.50) and Andre Pallante (3.18).

Gibson’s high ERA is mitigated by a very good start against the Yankees on Saturday, versus a poor one against the Padres. Mikolas gave up nine runs in two starts. Gibson gave up eight in two starts, but one was a one-run start against the Yankees.

The bullpen also struggled a bit with John King (8.31), Matthew Liberatore (8.31) and Riley O’Brien (11.57) having hiccups. Libertore’s issues all manifested in one of four appearances for the week in which bad luck and soft contact were the culprits. King spread his out over two appearances, and O’Brien has just not been effective since being called up from Memphis on Tuesday.

Ryan Helsley

Closer Ryan Helsley continues to deliver, with his MLB-leading 42 saves.

The final month of the season is upon us, and the chances of the Cardinals making the postseason are slim, currently 2% per Fangraphs. It would take a long winning streak and a lot of losing by the surging Braves, Mets and red-hot Cubs over the final weeks of the season.

The Cardinals start this week with three against the Brewers in Milwaukee, who will win the Division barring a major disaster. The final series of the week is in St. Louis against the Mariners, who have had their problems with scoring runs.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB WCGB
Milwaukee 80 57 0.584
Chicago 71 66 0.518 9 3
St. Louis 69 68 0.504 11 5
Cincinnati 65 73 0.471 15.5 9.5
Pittsburgh 63 73 0.463 16.5 10.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/27 The Cardinals recalled RHP Riley O’Brien from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/27 The Cardinals sent CF Michael Siani on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
  • 8/27 The Cardinals designated RHP Shawn Armstrong for assignment. Later claimed off waivers by the Cubs.
  • 8/30 The Cardinals recalled RF Jordan Walker from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/30 The Cardinals designated OF Tommy Pham for assignment. Later claimed off waivers by the Royals.

Steven Matz

  • 9/1 The Cardinals activated LHP Steven Matz from the 60-day injured list.

Matz’ 30-day minor league injury rehabilitation assignment ended Sunday as the southpaw made six starts for Memphis and was 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA covering 21 innings with four walks opposing 17 strikeouts. Matz last pitched in a Major League game on April 30 at Detroit.

Michael Siani

  • 9/1 The Cardinals activated CF Michael Siani from the 10-day injured list.

The centerfielder missed 25 games, having gone on the IL on August 4. During his Springfield rehab, the 25-year-old went 1-for-10 with five walks and two strikeouts. St. Louis manager OIiver Marmol will be returning Siani to his former starting role in center, with fill-in Victor Scott coming off the bench.

Injury Report

  • RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right hander will not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
  • LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left-hander is expected to be out until at least September.
  • LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was activated from the 60-day injured list.
  • CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list.
  • RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31. Lynn made a rehab start for the Memphis Redbirds on Sunday, September 1.
  • C Willson Contreras (fractured right middle finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 25. Contreras was hit by a pitch on his right hand. The catcher will not require surgery. A mid-September return is the hope.

Looking Ahead

Following the Yankees series, the Cardinals conclude the road trip with a set in Milwaukee against the Brewers.

After an off day on Thursday, September 5, the Cardinals will face the Mariners in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. Following the Monday off day, the homestand ends with three with the Reds.

The Cardinals then travel out of the country to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a three-game weekend series. Next will be a return to St. Louis to begin their final homestand on Monday September 16, starting with four versus the Pirates.

The homestand concludes with three games against the Guardians.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past once more returns to the Debut Series to showcase present or former Cardinals who made their MLB debuts during the current period in past seasons.

In this installment, we look at two players who made their debuts during the period August 26 through September 1. One is a former Cardinal no longer active. The other is an active former Cardinal. Both debuted against the same team 43 years apart. One was drafted in the first round and the other was drafted in the 42nd round.

The name of the player, the date he debuted and in what game, and how the player performed is summarized.

Keith Hernandez via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Keith Hernandez – The former Cardinals first baseman and team Hall of Famer was drafted by the Cardinals in the 42nd round in 1971.  He made his major league debut on August 30, 1974 in an 8-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.

Hernandez was in the starting lineup at first base and hitting seventh. He was 1-for-2 with an RBI. In his first plate appearance, in the third inning, Hernandez walked. He was eliminated in a double play off the bat of Mike Tyson.

In the fifth inning, Hernandez again led off and struck out. In the seventh, Hernandez walked for the second time and was again eliminated by Tyson in a force out.

In the ninth, Hernandez had his first major league hit, an RBI single to right field. He was stranded.

Hernandez was with the Cardinals for 10 seasons. The St. Louis segment of his career included the MVP award in 1979, six Gold Gloves, two All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger award.

Due to conflict with manager Whitey Herzog, Hernandez was traded to the Mets on June 15, 1983. Hernandez believed his cocaine use was the reason for the trade and he stopped his drug use after the trade.

Hernandez is currently a TV analyst for the Mets on the SNY Network. He was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2021.

Jack Flaherty (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Jack Flaherty – Flaherty was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round in 2014. Flaherty made his major league debut on September 1, 2017 in an 11-6 win over the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

Flaherty was the starting pitcher against the Giants. He was called up to replace Mike Leake, who had been traded two days earlier to the Seattle Mariners.

Flaherty’s debut was not very good. He pitched four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits. He did strike out six Giants.

Flaherty’s first major league strikeout was the first batter he faced, Denard Span. He induced a fly out and struck out Joe Panik for the third out.

In his second inning, he gave up three runs on a two-run home run by Brandon Crawford and an RBI single by Span.

Flaherty allowed two more runs in the third on an RBI triple by Hunter Pence that scored Buster Posey and Crawford.

In his final inning, Flaherty retired all three batters. He was relieved in the fifth inning by John Gant. Flaherty finished the season 0-2 with an ERA of 6.33.

Flaherty made the opening day roster in 2018 to replace injured Adam Wainwright in the rotation.  He received his first major league win on May 20, 2018 in a 5-1 win over the Phillies.

Flaherty remained a Cardinal until August 1, 2022, when he was traded in his walk year to the Baltimore Orioles. Flaherty was signed by the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 offseason and on this season’s trade deadline, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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No More Anticipation of September Roster Expansion

photo: Michael McGreevy (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Instead of adding prospects for the final month, the St. Louis Cardinals are among MLB teams who will likely use the two extra roster spots for veterans returning from the injured list. Brian Walton longs for the days of greater September roster flexibility.

A number of the changes made as Major League Baseball took control of the minor leagues have been a disappointment to prospect watchers.

A major casualty was the traditional September expansion of rosters from the in-season maximum of 25 to anyone on the 40-man roster. This long-established vehicle enabled teams to get a better look at a group of younger players during the final month with an eye toward the future.

I always anticipated my annual predictions article in which I tried to guess which players and how many of them the St. Louis Cardinals would call up for the final month.

Now, roster expansion has become as boring as the 2024 season.

At the time the owners agreed to the Players Association’s request for a 26th active player during the season to continue beyond the unique COVID circumstances of 2020, the September roster maximum was slashed from the theoretical 40 to a hard limit of 28.

I don’t think the timing was coincidental. I highly suspect this was a financial tradeoff using the money saved by sharply reducing multiple September roster additions to pay the additional five months of salary to the new 26th man.

Other weak arguments in support of the 40-to-28 cut were offered such as the risk of lengthening games by having more pitchers available (since addressed by the three-batter rule), using inexperienced players in games that affect pennant races (that is baseball) and having too many players physically in the dugout (really?).

True, no team ever called up so many players they were anywhere near 40, but a club could still add four to six players or more to fill gaps and give the youngsters experience.

And for a team that has essentially waved the white flag, as have the 2024 Cardinals, seeing young hopefuls play might give disinterested fans a reason to watch games again. Maybe there will be more mistakes, but maybe there will be some much-needed excitement generated, too.

Yes, Jordan Walker is back as is Luken Baker and Ivan Herrera, all of whom exhausted their prospect eligibility some time ago, back in 2023. And the only current hitting prospect on the roster, Victor Scott, may or may not remain with St. Louis when Michael Siani is activated. But that is it.

Michael Siani

The list of prospect pitchers currently with St. Louis numbers just one, reliever Riley O’Brien.

The losers are those players good enough and experienced enough to be on the 40-man but have not yet earned their way into the top 26, then 28. They are hoping and waiting for a chance to show they are ready for MLB.

Michael McGreevy

Current examples who seem worthy of a look include starting pitchers Michael McGreevy (who has been pitching very well of late for Memphis), Gordon Graceffo and Sem Robberse. As exciting as it might be to see the breakout performer in the system this season, Quinn Mathews, the lefty who has made just one start for Memphis isn’t quite ready yet.

Standout position players not yet on the 40-man but who also might have previously received a September look include infielder Thomas Saggese and outfielder Matt Koperniak. The latter is second in the International League in hits and is third in batting average (.308). And if Nolan Gorman gets his game turned around in Triple-A, the second baseman might have been back, too.

Matt Koperniak

Late July additions Tommy Pham and Shawn Armstrong are already gone. That is a start, but those moves haven’t made enough room for youngsters.

The additional two spots on the St. Louis 28-man expanded roster are likely earmarked for current rehabbers Siani and Steven Matz. As such, no prospects are likely to be added, now or later in the month of September (unless injuries strike).

Steven Matz

This doesn’t even count Lance Lynn. When the veteran right-hander returns, which could also be soon, someone else among the top 28 will either need to go on the injured list or be sent down to Memphis.

Lance Lynn

This isn’t the first year since the changes that the Cardinals have used September roster expansion to bring back injured veteran players. When in a playoff race, it made sense, but I especially don’t like it now.

I grudgingly accept that their current flexibility is limited by their roster construction. But I will always miss the fresh faces in September. That is doubly so when the remaining days on the 2024 schedule should increasingly be focused on 2025 and beyond.

Being totally honest, as this difficult season winds down, I’d much rather see McGreevy, a pitcher with upside, working on the Busch Stadium mound than known quantities Matz and Lynn.

This is why I no longer have any excitement over September roster expansion.

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Wednesdays With Walton and Newberry – August 28, 2024

photo: Tekoah Roby (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.

Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

This week, Brian and Blake open with the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen change with Shawn Armstrong out and Riley O’Brien in. Next up is the many moves across the minor league system and ramifications, currently and looking ahead to roster expansion on September 1. Among the players covered are Michael Siani, Victor Scott, Tekoah Roby, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, Sammy Hernandez, Quinn Mathews, Michael McGreevy, Ian Petrutz and J.J. Wetherholt.

All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.

Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.

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Rehabs and Opportunities in a New Week Across the Cardinals System

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St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – August 19-25

photo: Willson Contreras (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)

Behind better starting pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals won two series against winning teams to return to .500 for the season. However, the club suffered a major blow with a hand injury to top hitter, catcher Willson Contreras. Our history feature highlights four former Cardinals who played with at least nine MLB teams.

Game recaps

Monday, August 19, 2024 – Off day

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – Cardinals 2, Brewers 3

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals were edged by the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Erick Fedde started for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on six hits, struck out two and walked four. Fedde took the loss.

Shawn Armstrong relieved Fedde and threw a scoreless inning. John King surrendered one run in 2/3 of a relief inning. Kyle Leahy tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Milwaukee went up 1-0 in the second inning. They added a run in the fifth and made it 3-0 in the top of the eighth.

St. Louis was kept off the board until the home eighth. The Cardinals rallied to score two runs to cut the lead to 3-2. Lars Nootbaar led off with a single before Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run to right field.

Neither team scored in the ninth, making the final score 3-2.

The Cardinals scored two runs on six hits. No Cardinal had multiples. Carpenter drove in two.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 – Cardinals 10, Brewers 5 (10 innings)

The Cardinals bounced back to beat the Brewers 10-6 in the second game of the series. Kyle Gibson took the mound for St. Louis and pitched 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits, fanned five and walked two.

Ryan Fernandez relieved Gibson and surrendered two runs in one inning. JoJo Romero allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning. Andrew Kittredge also gave up one run while collecting two outs. Matthew Liberatore threw a scoreless inning. Shawn Armstrong secured the final out of the ninth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless 10th to earn the win.

The Cardinals scored first with two runs in the fourth inning to lead 2-0. Nolan Arenado led off with a double. Lars Nootbaar followed with a single. Matt Carpenter received a free pass to load the bases. Tommy Pham plated Arenado on a sac fly. Nootbaar came home on a single by Masyn Winn.

The Brewers came back with single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game. They added two runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead 4-2.

The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home seventh to tie the game up again. Alec Burleson doubled and Luken Baker hit a pinch hit, two-run home run to left center field.

Luken Baker

Milwaukee scored two runs in the eighth to retake the lead 6-4.  The Cardinals rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game a third time at 6-6. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. José Fermín doubled. Nootbaar drew a walk. Victor Scott II pinch ran for Nootbaar. Matt Carpenter walked to score Contreras. Fermín came home on a walk to Tommy Pham.

The Brewers failed to score in the top of the 10th inning. In the home half of the 10th, Winn began on second base. Contreras was intentionally walked. Fermín walked. With the bases juiced, Nolan Arenado blasted a grand slam to left field to give the Cardinals a 10-6 walk off win.

Nolan Arenado

St. Louis scored 10 runs on 13 hits. Arenado was 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 3-for-6 with an RBI. Baker and Pham each had two RBI.

Carpenter was caught stealing. Arenado dropped a foul ball. Contreras had a passed ball.

Thursday, August 22, 2024 – Cardinals 3, Brewers 0

The Cardinals blanked the Brewers 3-0 to take the third game and the series on Thursday. Miles Mikolas was on the bump and pitched a good game. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings with two hits allowed, struck out three and issued one free pass.

Miles Mikolas

Andrew Kittredge relieved Mikolas and pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 39th save.

The game was a scoreless pitcher’s duel until the Cardinals broke through in the seventh inning with three runs. Victor Scott II, Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson singled to load the bases. Contreras walked to bring home Scott. Brendan Donovan flied into a force out that plated Winn and took out Contreras at second. Nolan Arenado drove in Burleson on a single.

The offense scored three runs on nine hits. Winn was 2-for-5. Burleson was 2-for-3. Scott was 3-for-4.

Scott stole his third major league base. Arenado made a throwing error.

Friday, August 23, 2024 – Cardinals 6 at Twins 1

The Cardinals won their third game in a row with a 6-1 win over the Twins in Minnesota. Andre Pallante pitched a gem, going seven innings with one run allowed on five hits. The right-hander fanned five and walked two to earn his sixth win.

Andre Pallante

John King relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. From there on it was all St. Louis. The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Matt Carpenter walked but was out at second on a force out by Victor Scott. Scott stole second base. Masyn Winn plated Scott on a single.

St. Louis made it 3-1 in the third. Willson Contreras led off with a double. Brendan Donovan walked. Contreras and Donovan executed a double steal. Lars Nootbaar drove in Contreras and Donovan with a double.

Lars Nootbaar

The Cardinals added a run in the sixth to increase the lead to 4-1 on a solo home run by Donovan. Two runs came home in the eighth for a 6-1 lead. Nolan Arenado and Nootbaar singled before Luken Baker received a free pass to load the bases. Scott walked and Arenado scored. Winn drove in Nootbaar on a sac fly.

The Cardinals scored six runs on nine hits. Winn was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Contreras was 3-for-5.

St. Louis was busy on the bases. Scott stole his fourth for the Cardinals. Contreras swiped his fourth bag. Donovan stole his fourth base and Paul Goldschmidt stole his eighth.

Saturday, August 24, 2024 – Cardinals 0 at Twins 6

The Cardinals took a 6-0 loss to the Twins in the second game of the series. Sonny Gray took the mound against his former team and pitched six innings. The right-hander gave up five runs on seven hits, including two long balls. He fanned seven, walked two and suffered his ninth loss of the season.

Matthew Liberatore relieved Gray and threw a scoreless seventh. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in the ninth.

The Twins scored four runs in the third to lead 4-0. They added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings to win 6-0.

The Cardinals offense scattered five hits including doubles by Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott, and Paul Goldschmidt. The team was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

Scott was picked off third base.

Sunday, August 25, 2026 – Cardinals 3 at Twins 2

The Cardinals recovered from the shutout of the day before to defeat the Twins in a one run game to win the series on Sunday. Erick Fedde started and pitched six innings, gave up one run on two hits, fanned seven and walked three.

Erick Fedde

Andrew Kittredge relieved Fedde and threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. Shawn Armstrong hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning for the win. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his MLB-leading 40th save.

Minnesota took 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth on a solo home run by Victor Scott.

The Twins retook the lead 2-1 in the eighth. St. Louis rallied for two runs in the ninth to lead and win the game 3-2. Nolan Arenado singled. José Fermín pinch ran. Brendan Donovan reached on a fielder’s choice with an error. That set up Lars Nootbaar, who plated Fermín and Donovan with the decisive single.

The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Arenado was 2-for-4. Pedro Pagés was 2-for-4. Nootbaar had two RBI.

Scott made a fielding error.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals had a 4-2 week, winning series against two winning teams – the Brewers and the Twins. They are back at .500 with a 65-65 record and remain in second place in the Division, 10 games behind the Brewers.

With five weeks left in the season, it would take way more than the Cardinals have shown to get close enough to the Brewers to take the Division.

A Wild Card spot is the most they can hope for and at the present are five games out of the Wild Card, tied for that spot with the Giants. They will have to jump over three teams – the Giants, Mets and Braves – just to earn the third spot in the Wild Card. The Cardinals do not have any head-to-head games with either the Mets or Braves but do have one series left with the Giants. It is the final series of the season.

The offense has improved some from the previous week, but several key players are still unable to produce. These include Paul Goldschmidt, with a seven-day OPS of .364 and Brendan Donovan, with a seven-day OPS of .394. One of the low OPS players from last week, Nolan Gorman, has been demoted to Triple-A. The Cardinals’ newest acquisition, Tommy Pham, is also in the basement (.434).

Victor Scott

The top performers for the week by OPS are José Fermín (3.000 in one AB), Luken Baker (1.571 in 4 ABs), Victor Scott (1.185) and Nolan Arenado (.945). Next closest is Willson Contreras (.808) who just went on the IL with a fractured finger suffered on Saturday when he was hit by a pitch on his right hand. Lars Nootbaar, who has struggled since coming off the IL, is doing better, with a .749 OPS due to several key hits over the last week.

The pitching is also somewhat better, though Sonny Gray continues to struggle with the long ball. In his last start against his former Twins team, he surrendered two of the long ball variety. He is also the only starter with an ERA over 4.00 for the week, with an ERA of 7.50.

Struggling Miles Mikolas had his best start in a long time and the team’s best start of the week (0.00), a scoreless outing against the Brewers on Wednesday. Next in line was Andre Pallante (1.29), Erick Fedde (2.31), and Kyle Gibson (3.38).

The bullpen had a few hiccups, particularly JoJo Romero (9.00), Ryan Fernandez (9.00) and John King (5.40).

The Cardinals begin the week at home with a four-game series against the Padres. The Padres currently occupy the second wild card spot and the Cardinals could gain some ground winning that series.

After the brief homestand, the Cardinals go to New York to play the Yankees. The Yankees lead the AL East Division, with the Baltimore Orioles only one game behind. Both series will be very tough.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB WCGB
Milwaukee 75 55 0.577
St. Louis 65 65 0.500 10 5
Chicago 65 66 0.496 10.5 5.5
Cincinnati 63 68 0.481 12.5 7.5
Pittsburgh 62 68 0.477 13 8

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/20 The Cardinals optioned OF Jordan Walker to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals recalled 1B Luken Baker from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals activated DH Matt Carpenter from the 10-day injured list.
  • 8/20 The Cardinals released SS Brandon Crawford.
  • 8/21 The Cardinals optioned 2B Nolan Gorman to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/21 The Cardinals recalled SS José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/25 The Cardinals recalled C Iván Herrera from the Memphis Redbirds.

Iván Herrera

When coming back from injury on July 4, Herrera lost his job as Contreras’ back up to Pedro Pages. During that time with Memphis, Herrera went 26-for-93 (.280) with five home runs and 16 RBI in 27 Triple-A games.

  • 8/25 The Cardinals placed C Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list. Fractured right middle finger.

Willson Contreras

St. Louis’ OPS leader for the second consecutive year moves to the IL with an injury for the second time in 2024 (forearm previously). There is no timetable for Contreras’ return, but the season has just 32 games remaining and the club will be missing their best hitter down the crucial stretch. There is no way to spin this positively.

Injury Report

  • RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right-hander will not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
  • LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left hander is expected to be out until at least September.
  • LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Matz is currently on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds and is set to make his final rehab start on Monday, August 27 with a return to the roster expected shortly thereafter.
  • CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 4. Siani was cleared to swing a bat on August 16. Siani will take live batting practice on Sunday, August 26 with the expectation that he will begin a rehab assignment on Monday, August 27.
  • RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31. Lynn is set to pitch a second live batting practice on August 26. Absent any issues, Lynn is expected to return sometime during that week.
  • DH Matt Carpenter was activated from the 10-day injured list.
  • C Willson Contreras (fractured right middle finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 25. Contreras was hit by a pitch on his right hand during an at bat in Saturday’s game against the Twins. No timetable on his expected return has been reported.

Looking Ahead

Following the series at the Twins, the Cardinals return to St. Louis for four games with manager Mike Shildt and the San Diego Padres.

The team leaves again this time to New York for three with the Yankees to end August. The final series of the road trip is with the Brewers in Milwaukee.

After an off day on Thursday, September 5, the Cardinals face the Mariners in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. Following a Monday off day, the homestand ends with three games with the Reds.

The Cardinals then travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays in a three game weekend series. The team follows that with a return to St. Louis to begin their final homestand on Monday September 16 for four with the Pirates.

The homestand concludes with three games against the Guardians.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past continues the series that showcases former Cardinals who played for many teams in their career.

The Cardinals recently acquired former Cardinal Tommy Pham in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. Pham began his major league career with St. Louis in 2014 and remained for four seasons before being traded in 2018. Since then, Pham has played for seven additional teams prior to his return in July.

This series looks at players who at one time played for the Cardinals and at least eight other teams in their careers. These players did not necessarily start with the Cardinals nor play for them more than once. A career arc like that of Tommy Pham is a rare feat.

This third installment of the series spotlights four players who played for nine teams in their career. The name of the player, the dates he played for the Cardinals, and his other teams are noted.

Blaine Boyer – The pitcher was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and began his major league career with them in 2005. The Cardinals acquired Boyer in a trade with the Braves in 2009 in exchange for outfielder Brian Barton.

Boyer’s major league stint with the Cardinals was very brief. He was acquired on April 20, 2009 and appeared in 15 games for St. Louis. He was designated for assignment on June 4, 2009.

Boyer returned to the Cardinals on a minor league contract two years later, on July 5, 2011. He pitched for the Memphis Redbirds and was released on August 13, 2011.

The teams with which Boyer played are the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals.

Miguel Cairo

Miguel Cairo – This Venezuelan infielder was originally signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he did not reach the majors with them. The Dodgers traded Cairo to the Toronto Blue Jays on November 29, 1995. Cairo made his debut with Toronto on April 17, 1996.

The Cardinals acquired Cairo off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on August 10, 2001. Cairo remained with the Cardinals through the 2003 season. He appeared in the postseason for the first time in his career with the Cardinals in 2001. He played in all three games of 2001 NLDS against Arizona. He also appeared in the postseason in 2002, two games of the NLDS and three games of the NLCS.

Cairo became a free agent after the 2003 season. He made a brief return to the Cardinals late in the 2007 season after more than three seasons with the Yankees.

The teams Cairo played for are the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs (twice), Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals (twice), New York Yankees (twice), New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds.

Cairo managed the Chicago White Sox in 2022 on an interim basis after Tony La Russa stepped down for health reasons. He is currently the bench coach for the Washington Nationals.

José Cardenal – Cardenal was born in Cuba. The outfielder began his major league career with the San Francisco Giants in 1963.

The Cardinals acquired Cardenal in a trade with the Cleveland Indians on November 21, 1969 for Vada Pinson. Cardenal played for the Cardinals in the 1970 season and the first half of 1971.

The Cardinals traded Cardenal to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 29, 1971 for Ted Kubiak and a minor league player.

The teams Cardenal played with are the San Francisco Giants, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals.

Cardenal returned to the Cardinals as a coach from 1994-1995. He also coached for the Cincinnati Reds (twice), New York Yankees, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He also held an advisory position with the Washington Nationals from 2005-2009.

Zach Duke (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Zach Duke – Duke was a 20th round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He debuted with the Pirates on July 2, 2005.

Duke was a Pirate for six seasons. The Cardinals acquired him in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Charlie Tilson on July 21, 2016.  Duke pitched out of the bullpen for the remainder of that season. Duke had offseason forearm surgery and returned to the Cardinals on July 21, 2017.

Duke became a free agent following the 2017 season.

The teams Duke played for are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds (twice), Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Whie Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners.

Duke was released from his second stint with the Reds on July 6, 2019 and did not return to MLB.

Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation

Memphis Redbirds Notebook – 2024 Week 21

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.

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© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesdays With Walton and Newberry – August 21, 2024

photo: Jordan Walker (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.

Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in about 20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

This week, Brian and Blake open with the St. Louis Cardinals’ curious handling of Jordan Walker and the return of Luken Baker. The main section is a one-year revisit of the Cardinals’ 2023 deadline trades, which brought six pitchers and three position players, all prospects, into the system. Successes, disappointments and especially injuries come into play.

All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.

Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.

Order TCN’s 2024 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide

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Cardinals Bring in Luken Baker for Jordan Walker

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

Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on X/Twitter.

Follow Blake Newberry on X/Twitter @bt_newberry.

© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – August 12-18

photo: Pedro Pages (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

A 1-5 week means the division is slipping away for the St. Louis Cardinals as they also lose ground in the wild card race. Catcher Pedro Pages has been one of the few bright spots for the dismal offense. Our history feature highlights Cardinals traded away who debuted during this week in the past.

Game recaps

Monday, August 12, 2024 – Cardinals 1 at Reds 6

The St. Louis Cardinals were defeated by the Reds by a 6-1 score on Monday at Great American Ballpark.  Former Red Sonny Gray started for St. Louis. The right hander pitched five innings, gave up six runs on five hits, fanned nine and walked two. Gray took the loss, his seventh of the season.

Kyle Leahy relieved Gray and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Shawn Armstrong tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Cardinals scored their only run in the top of the third inning. Willson Contreras singled. Tommy Pham took a free pass. Nolan Arenado drove in Contreras on a single.

The Reds answered in the home third with three runs and added three more runs in the fifth for the final score of 6-1.

The Cardinals offense scored one run on five hits. Paul Goldschmidt was 2-for-4.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 – Cardinals 1 at Reds 4

For the second straight game, the Cardinals were held to only one run by the Reds and lost. The Cardinals fell 4-1 in Cincinnati.

Erick Fedde took the mound for the Cardinals. He pitched six innings and gave up four runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out two and walked two. Fedde took the loss.

Matthew Liberatore followed Fedde and threw a scoreless seventh. Shawn Armstrong tossed a scoreless eighth.

The Reds took the lead with single runs in the first and second innings. In the sixth, Cincinnati added two more runs for a 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals got on the board with their only run in the seventh on a solo home run by Nolan Arenado.

The meager St. Louis offense scattered four hits for one run. Willson Contreras and Victor Scott II added doubles to the Arenado home run for three extra base hits. Lars Nootbaar contributed a single.

The offense was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

On defense, Fedde picked a runner off first base.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Reds 9

The Cardinals were swept by the Reds with third game loss on Wednesday, scoring just four runs in 27 innings.

Kyle Gibson was on the bump. The right hander pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits. He fanned six and walked two to take his fifth loss of the season.

John King followed Gibson and threw one scoreless inning in relief. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 2/3 innings. Matthew Liberatore allowed one run in the final 1 2/3 innings.

The Reds took a 4-0 lead in the third inning. They padded their lead with three additional runs in the fifth.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the sixth to shrink the lead to 7-2. Masyn Winn doubled and scored on a single by Alec Burleson. Nolan Arenado drove in Burleson on a single.

Cincinnati piled on with one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings.

The Cardinals offense scored two runs on 10 hits. Winn was 2-for-5. Willson Contreras was 2-for-4. Brendan Donovan was 2-for-4.

The Cardinals made two errors. Donovan made a throwing error and Tommy Pham had a fielding miscue.

Thursday, August 15, 2022 – Off day

Friday, August 16, 2024 – Cardinals 6, Dodgers 7

The Cardinals lost their fourth game in a row, opening the Dodgers series with a Friday defeat. This game was close and featured more offense from St. Louis than the team produced over three games in Cincinnati.

Miles Mikolas took the mound and pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up five runs on seven hits and fanned seven. Mikolas continued the issues with the long ball that has plagued the rotation recently, with two home runs allowed.

Andrew Kittredge relieved Mikolas and also gave up a home run, a three-run shot. One of the baserunners belonged to Mikolas. Kittredge allowed two runs without recording an out and was replaced Matthew Liberatore. Liberatore threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero tossed the final 2/3 scoreless innings.

Los Angeles put up two runs in the top of the second inning. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home half to tie the game. Nolan Arenado walked and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a two-run home run to right center field.

St. Louis took a 3-2 lead in the third on a solo home run by Masyn Winn. They added a run in the fifth on a solo shot by Pedro Pagés to lead 4-2. The 462-foot shot was the longest at Busch Stadium this season.

Pedro Pagés

The Dodgers responded with a five-run top of the sixth to recapture the lead 7-4. In the home sixth, the Cards cut the deficit to 7-6. Tommy Pham and Goldschmidt walked. Brendan Donovan plated Pham on a single. Goldschmidt came home on a single by Pagés.

The Cardinals scored six runs on six hits. Pagés was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Donovan was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Goldschmidt had two RBI.

Winn was caught stealing for the fifth time this season. Jordan Walker made a throwing error.

Saturday, August 17, 2024 – Cardinals 5, Dodgers 2

The Cardinals broke their four-game losing streak with a win over the Dodgers on Saturday. Andre Pallante took the mound to start for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched seven innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out five and walked two to earn his fifth win of the season.

Andre Pallante

JoJo Romero relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 38th save.

Los Angeles plated a run in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals quickly tied it in the home first. Alec Burleson singled, stole second base and took third base on a wild pitch. Willson Contreras drove in Burleson on a single.

The Cardinals took the lead 3-1 in the third inning on a two-run home run by Burleson. In the top of the fifth, the Dodgers cut the lead to 3-2.

Alec Burleson

The Cardinals added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Masyn Winn. In the eighth a solo shot by Nolan Arenado added an insurance run for a 5-2 lead.

Burleson was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Contreras was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Burleson stole his eighth base of the season.

Sunday, August 18, 2024 – Cardinals 1, Dodgers 2

The Cardinals fell to future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on Sunday, and thus dropped the home series. Sonny Gray was on the bump for St. Louis. The right-hander pitched five innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, fanned six and walked three. Gray took the loss, his eighth.

Shawn Armstrong relieved Gray and threw one scoreless inning. Matthew Liberatore hurled a scoreless seventh. Ryan Fernandez and John King each tossed a scoreless inning.

The game was scoreless until the fifth, when the Dodgers put up two runs on Gray.

The Cardinals were held scoreless until the eighth, when Lars Nootbaar thumped a solo home run to give the Cardinals their only run.

The offense scattered six hits. The Nootbaar long ball was the only extra base hit of the game. The offense was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.

Brendan Donovan was caught stealing.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals had a terrible week, going 1-5. They were swept by the Reds and lost 2 of 3 to the Dodgers. They barely remain in second place in the NL Central, 11 games back of the Brewers and five games out of the third and final wild card spot.

At this point, there isn’t anything going right for this team. The offense and the pitching have fallen off considerably. The offense didn’t have far to fall as they have been underwhelming all season. Their run differential is a whopping -62, worse even than the last place Pirates at -31.

The offense was particularly bad in the Reds series, as they scored a minuscule four runs over three games. They scored more often in the Dodgers series, but not enough to win more than one game.

Lars Nootbaar

The top offensive performers over the last seven days by OPS is a list of two players, Pedro Pagés (1.222), and Lars Nootbaar (1.122).  From there, there is a big drop to the next on the list, Brendan Donovan (.791).

At the bottom, the list is much longer. They include Tommy Pham (.357 OPS), Victor Scott (.333), Nolan Gorman (.286), and Jordan Walker (.258).

This is consistent with how the St. Louis Cardinals have performed for the entire season up to now. Brief glimpses of improvement followed by drops into the abyss. It is a conundrum without an obvious solution.

The pitching situation is slightly better, but not by much. We saw Andre Pallante pitch a gem against the Dodgers. He was the only starter with an ERA under 4.00 for the week. Pallante (2.57) was the bright spot in the week.

As for the other starters, their outings for the week began with Erick Fedde (6.00) and went downhill from there. Sonny Gray (7.20), Miles Mikolas (7.94) and Kyle Gibson (11.57) all disappointed.

The bullpen is the only part of the team that did not disappoint, though Andrew Kittredge couldn’t even record an out in his one appearance and has an infinitely high ERA for the week.

Very little of the season remains, so the prospects for a turnaround are slim (but not impossible, see: 2011 Cardinals).

The Cardinals play the Brewers this week at Busch Stadium so there is an opportunity for movement. The Brewers have been playing well, so don’t hold your breath. Even if St. Louis could win two of three, they would still be 10 games out.

Following the Milwaukee series, the team goes to Minnesota to play the Twins.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB WCGB
Milwaukee 72 52 0.581
St. Louis 61 63 0.492 11 5
Chicago 61 64 0.488 11.5 5.5
Cincinnati 60 64 0.484 12 6
Pittsburgh 58 65 0.472 13.5 7.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/12 The Cardinals recalled RF Jordan Walker from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/12 The Cardinals placed DH Matt Carpenter on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 9. Lower back strain.

Injury Report

  • RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right-hander will not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
  • LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left hander is expected to be out until at least September.

Steven Matz

  • LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Matz is currently on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds and may be activated after one more start. He role upon returning is unknown.

Michael Siani

  • CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 4. Siani was cleared to swing a bat on August 16. The center fielder’s expected return is late August.

Lance Lynn

  • RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31. Lynn is set to pitch live batting practice on August 20 at Busch Stadium. Absent any issues, Lynn could return to the active roster shortly thereafter.
  • DH Matt Carpenter was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 9. Lower back strain. Carpenter is expected to return when the 10 days are up.

Looking Ahead

Following the end of the Dodgers series on Sunday, the division leading Brewers come to St. Louis for a three-game series beginning Tuesday, August 20.

The Cards then travel to Minnesota for a weekend set with the Twins. The Cardinals return to St. Louis for four with Mike Shildt’s San Diego Padres.

The team leaves again for New York for a three-game series against the Yankees at the end of August. The final series of the road trip is with the Brewers again, this time in Milwaukee.

After an off day on Thursday, September 5, the Cardinals will face the Mariners in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. Following a Monday off day, the homestand ends with three games with the Reds.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past takes a detour from the past two weeks and returns to the series that showcases the debuts of former Cardinals.

This week’s Debut Series looks at recent former Cardinals who currently play for other teams. The theme of this installment is “The Ones That Got Away”.

The following is a list of former Cardinals who made their major league debut with St. Louis during the period August 12 through August 18.  These four players, one pitcher and three position players, are playing for other teams with various degrees of success. All four were traded away by the Cardinals.

This list states the name of the player, the date they debuted, and how they performed in their debut.

Patrick Wisdom (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

Patrick Wisdom – Patrick Wisdom made his major league debut for the Cardinals on August 12, 2018, in an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Wisdom was in the starting lineup and batting ninth. Because the game was played in an American League park, the pitchers did not hit. he played first base in his debut.

Wisdom went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

In the top of the third inning, Wisdom hit an infield single off Royals starter Jakob Junis. Wisdom eventually scored on a single by José Martinez.

In the fifth inning, Wisdom struck out swinging. In the seventh, he hit an RBI line drive single to center that scored Jedd Gyorko. In his final AB in the eighth, he grounded out to the shortstop.

In December 2018, the Cardinals traded Wisdom to the Texas Rangers. He eventually made his way to the Chicago Cubs. He played semi-regularly in his first two seasons in Chicago, but in his most recent two years, he has been a reserve.

Luke Weaver (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

Luke Weaver – Weaver made his debut on August 3, 2016, against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals beat the Cubs 8-4.

Weaver was the starting pitcher, called up to replace Michael Wacha, who was injured. Weaver pitched four innings. He gave up two runs on four hits, with three strikeouts and three walks.

In his first inning, Weaver struck out the first two hitters. The third batter grounded out. In his second inning, he gave up a double and a two-run home run to Addison Russell.  Following that he pitched to six more hitters, issued two walks and gave up a single.

In the third inning, no runs were scored. Weaver gave up a single, then induced a double play. The next batter walked and the final batter grounded out to second base.

In his final inning, he retired all three hitters, on two ground outs and a strikeout.

Weaver pitched for St. Louis for two more seasons then was traded in a multi-player deal during the 2018 offseason with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Paul Goldschmidt. Weaver bounced from the Diamondbacks to the Royals, and then to the Cincinnati Reds. Weaver currently is a reliever for the New York Yankees.

Randy Arozarena (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

Randy Arozarena – Arozarena made his debut on August 14, 2019, in a 6-0 win over the Kanas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Arozarena was in the starting lineup in center field and hitting ninth. He was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

His first at bat was in the third inning. He struck out swinging. In the sixth inning, Arozarena grounded out to third base. In the seventh, he hit an RBI single to left field that scored Matt Carpenter. In his final plate appearance, he singled to right but was left stranded.

Arozarena played in 19 games for St. Louis in 2019. In January 2020, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Matthew Liberatore. Arozarena had a successful four seasons with the Rays (much to the consternation of Cardinals fans). He was traded last month to the Seattle Mariners.

Dylan Carlson (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn)

Dylan Carlson – Carlson has only been a former Cardinal since July 30. He made his debut for St. Louis on August 15, 2020, in a game with the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Cardinals won the game 5-1. This was the first game of a doubleheader and was seven innings in length.

Carlson was in the starting lineup playing in left field and hitting sixth. He went 0-for-3.

In the first inning, Carlson struck out swinging. In his second at-bat in the third inning, he grounded out to first base. In the fifth, Carlson flied out to center. This was his last at-bat.

Carlson played in the second game of the doubleheader, also batting sixth but playing in right field. He went 1-for-3.

In the second inning, Carlson struck out swinging. In the fourth, he drew a walk but was left stranded. Carlson got his first major league hit, a double to right, in the fifth inning off reliever Jimmy Cordero. Carlson was left stranded. Carlson lined out to center in the seventh.

The Cardinals traded Carlson on July 30, 2024, to the Tampa Bay Rays for reliever Shawn Armstrong. Carlson has appeared in 13 games with the Rays and is hitting .270 with three home runs.

As is sometimes the case with a player coming to a new team, Carlson has played well. Whether that will continue to be the case remains to be seen. Such a small sample size is not predictive of future success.

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Auditing Nine Recent Cardinals Independent Ball Signings

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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Wednesdays With Walton and Newberry – August 14, 2024

photo: Leonel Sequera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.

Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

This week, Brian and Blake discuss their upcoming St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List re-ranking for August, highlighting notable risers and fallers and four new entries. Prospects profiled in depth include Darlin Saladin, Luis Gastelum, Rainiel Rodriguez, Keiverson Ramirez, Leonel Sequera, Ian Petrutz and many more.

Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation to read both voters’ individual rankings and much more information about the TCN August Top 50 that could fit into this podcast.

All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.

Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.

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Palm Beach Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 19

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St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – August 5 – 11

photo: Willson Contreras (USA TODAY Sports)

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to tread water while the Milwaukee Brewers increase their divisional lead. Willson Contreras hit two home runs, drove in five and had a .976 OPS during the 3-3 week. Our history feature highlights four former Cardinals who played with at least 10 MLB teams.

Game recaps

Monday, August 5, 2024 – Cardinals 0, Mets 6

The St. Louis Cardinals were routed by the New York Mets in a 6-0 shutout on Monday at Busch Stadium. This one-game series was the makeup of the rained-out contest from May 8.

The Mets were not fooled by Cards starter Andre Pallante. The right hander gave up five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Pallante struck out two and walked two and took the loss.

New Cardinal Shawn Armstrong relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. Matthew Liberatore halted the Mets in the final two innings.

St Louis was held scoreless as the offense scattered six hits. A double from Nolan Arenado was the only extra base hit. They were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men stranded.

New York scored a run in the second inning and followed up with a four-run fifth. The final run crossed the plate in the sixth.

Masyn Winn stole his 10th base of the season. Alec Burleson had an outfield assist at second base.

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Rays 3

The Cardinals defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by one run on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Sonny Gray was on the bump for St. Louis. The right hander threw seven innings, gave up two runs on four hits, fanned six and walked one to earn his 11th win of the season.

Sonny Gray

Andrew Kittredge relieved Gray and hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley surrendered one run in the ninth but still received his 35th save.

Tampa Bay scored two runs in the first inning. The Cardinals answered with a four-run second to go up 4-2. Pedro Pagés thumped a two-out single. Victor Scott II followed up with his first major league home run, a two-run shot to right center field. Masyn Winn was plunked. Tommy Pham blasted a second two-run home run.

Tommy Pham

The score remained at 4-2 until the Rays scratched a third run across in the ninth.

The Cardinals posted four runs on eight hits. Pham was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Pagés was 2-for-3.  Scott had two RBI.

Winn made a fielding error.

Wednesday, August 7, 2024 – Cardinals 5, Rays 2

On Wednesday, the Cardinals won the second game to take the three-game set. Erick Fedde pitched better in his second Cardinals start. The right hander pitched five one-run innings with four hits allowed, six strikeouts and two walks. Fedder earned the win.

Erick Fedde

Ryan Fernandez relieved Fedde and surrendered one run in the sixth. JoJo Romero threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Andrew Kittredge hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 36th save.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Masyn Winn doubled and scored on a single by Willson Contreras.

Tampa Bay tied the game in the top of the third. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home third. Alec Burleson and Contreras singled. Nolan Arenado plated Burleson and Contreras on a double.

Alec Burleson

The Cardinals added two runs in the fourth to increase their lead to 5-1. Nolan Gorman drew a walk. Winn singled. Burleson drove in Gorman and Winn on a double.

The Rays scored one run in the sixth to shrink the lead to 5-2.

The Cardinals totaled nine hits for five runs. Burleson and Arenado were 2-for-4 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Winn was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Thursday, August 8, 2024 – Cardinals 4, Rays 6

Due to a leaky bullpen, the Cardinals failed to complete the sweep over the Rays on Thursday with a 6-4 loss at Busch Stadium. Kyle Gibson started and pitched six innings, gave up two runs on eight hits, fanned six and walked one.

Kyle Gibson

Kyle Leahy relieved Gibson and surrendered two runs in 1/3 of an inning. JoJo Romero allowed one run in his 1 1/3 innings and took the loss. Shawn Armstrong yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning. John King secured the final two outs.

Tampa Bay went up 2-0 in the top of the first inning. St. Louis answered with three runs in the home first to lead 3-2.  Masyn Winn led off the inning with a walk. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Nolan Arenado singled to score Winn. Brendan Donovan doubled to plate Contreras. Arenado came home on a ground out by Paul Goldschmidt.

Nolan Arenado

The Cardinals added a run in the third to increase the lead to 4-2. Arenado singled. Donovan took a free pass. Goldschmidt drove in Arenado on a single.

The Rays regained the lead with three runs in the seventh. They scored a final insurance run in the ninth.

The Cardinals offense scored four runs on nine hits. Arenado was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Victor Scott II was 2-for-4. Goldschmidt had two RBI.

Goldschmidt stole his seventh base. Arenado swiped his second bag.

Friday, August 9, 2024 – Cardinals 8 at Royals 5

The Cardinals won the first of a two-game series over the Royals on Friday in Kansas City. Miles Mikolas took the mound to start and struggled through four innings. The right hander gave up five runs on eight hits and fanned three.

Matthew Liberatore

Matthew Liberatore relieved Mikolas and earned the win with three scoreless innings. Andrew Kittredge threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth for his 37th save.

The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Masyn Winn drew a walk to begin the game. Willson Contreras knocked him in with a two-run long ball to right field.

Willson Contreras

St. Louis added a run in the top of the third on a solo home run by Alec Burleson. Kansas City answered with three runs in the home third to tie the game at 3-3. The Royals gained the lead 5-3 in the fourth.

The Cardinals shrunk the lead to 5-4 in the sixth. Paul Goldschmidt walked. Nolan Gorman followed with a double. Goldschmidt scored on a ground out by Tommy Pham.

St. Louis took the lead back in the eighth with a two-run inning. Brendan Donovan led off with a double. Donovan advanced to third on a ground out by Goldschmidt. Pedro Pagés pinch hit for Gorman and drew a walk. Lars Nootbaar pinch ran for Pagés. Tommy Pham grounded into a force out. Nootbaar was out at second. Victor Soctt II plated Donovan and Pham on a double.

Victor Scott

The Cardinals increased their lead to 8-5 in the ninth on the second long ball of the game from Contreras, another two-run shot.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 3-for-5. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Scott drove in two.

Saturday, August 10, 2024 – Cardinals 3 at Royals 8

The Cardinals fell to the Royals on Saturday to split the road series.  Andre Pallante took the mound and pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits, fanned four and walked four.

Andre Pallante

Ryan Fernandez surrendered three runs in 1/3 of an inning and took the loss. John King yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning. Shawn Armstrong continued the bullpen meltdown with two runs allowed in the final 1 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals began the same as the day before, with a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Nolan Arenado started with a single and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a two-run home run to center field.

Paul Goldschmidt

The Royals cut the lead to 2-1 in the third. Kansas City tied the game in the sixth, then put up a four-run seventh to lead 6-2.

St. Louis added a third run in the eighth. Brendan Donovan doubled and scored on a single by Willson Contreras.

Kansas City scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth for the final score of 8-3.

The Cardinals produced only three runs on 10 hits. Nolan Gorman was 3-for-4. Goldschmidt had two RBI. Every Cardinal in the lineup had a hit except Brandon Crawford, but the team was only 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The defense committed two errors. Contreras made a throwing error. Gorman had a fielding miscue. Pallante picked a runner off first base.

Sunday, August 11, 2024 – Off day

The annual rivals series being only two games at each location (won by Kansas City three games to one) created a very unusual Sunday off for the Cardinals.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals had a 3-3 week, winning 2 of 3 from the Rays, splitting two with the Royals, and losing a makeup game to the Mets. They remain in second place in the NL Central, but are 7.5 games back of the Brewers, who are running away with the Division.

The Cardinals have two series with the Brewers remaining in the season, so there is room to move up if the Cardinals can get it going consistently from here on out. This is a tall task based on the team’s performance to date.

The Cardinals are 1.5 games out of the Wild Card, trailing the Diamondbacks, Padres, Braves, and Mets. The Cardinals have one series remaining with the Padres. The Giants are close on the Cardinals’ heels and the final series of the season will be against San Francisco.

The Cardinals’ issues have not changed. From week to week, there are games in which the offense does its job and the pitching doesn’t and vice versa. This past week, the offense was adequate but the pitching was not, especially the bullpen.

Pedro Pagés

The top offensive performers over the last seven days were Pedro Pagés (1.071), and Willson Contreras (.976). Five players had an OPS over .800. They were Nolan Arenado (.895), Masyn Winn (.853), Brendan Donovan (.840), Paul Goldschmidt (.821), and Nolan Gorman (.812).

At the bottom were Lars Nootbaar (.258) and Brandon Crawford (.000). During the game on Saturday, Chip Caray announced that Nootbaar has been out of the starting lineup for a couple of days because he was working on some of his hitting issues.

On the pitching side, three starters had ERAs under 4.00 for the week. They are Erick Fedde (1.80), Sonny Gray (2.57) and Kyle Gibson (3.00). The outliers were Andre Pallante (5.23) and Miles Mikolas (11.25). Mikolas in particular has been struggling for the last several starts.

During this past week, the bullpen was a bigger issue. Ryan Fernandez (27.00) and Kyle Leahy (54.00) had a terrible week. New Cardinal Shawn Armstrong has not impressed (8.31). The standouts in the bullpen are limited to Andrew Kittredge, Matthew Liberatore and Ryan Helsley.

The Cardinals activated Riley O’Brien off the 60-day injured list and immediately optioned him to Memphis in favor of Leahy. Whether this was a smart move is questionable given Leahy’s recent performance. O’Brien is untested at the major league level which likely played into the decision.

Steven Matz

Steven Matz will be returning to the roster at some point this month, and with Lance Lynn on the IL the question will be whether Matz will return to the rotation or move to the bullpen. A bullpen assignment was given as an option by manager Oli Marmol, something that has occurred quite a bit over the last several seasons. Matz has missed a substantial amount of time on the injured list since signing with the Cardinals in the 2021-2022 offseason.

Currently, the rotation consists of Gray, Gibson, Mikolas, Fedde and Pallante. Lynn may come off the IL in a week or two. What the rotation will look like when Lynn returns will be interesting.

The Cardinals start the week with a series against the Reds in Cincinnati, and then return to St. Louis to play the Dodgers. The Cardinals have a difficult schedule for the remainder of the season so there is little room for error.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB WCGB
Milwaukee 67 50 0.573
St. Louis 60 58 0.508 7.5 1.5
Chicago 59 60 0.496 9 3
Cincinnati 57 61 0.483 10.5 4.5
Pittsburgh 56 61 0.479 11 5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 8/11 The Cardinals designated RHP Nick Robertson for assignment.

Nick Robertson

The Cardinals needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for O’Brien and Robertson was the odd man out. The Cardinals have a week to trade, release or wait for Robertson to clear waivers.

  • 8/11 The Cardinals activated RHP Riley O’Brien from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Memphis.

Riley O’Brien

Since his assignment to Triple-A for rehab on July 20, O’Brien made nine appearances with a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a .207 batting average against.

Injury Report

  • RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right hander will not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
  • LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left hander is expected to be out until at least September.
  • RHP Riley O’Brien (right forearm flexor strain) has been activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Matz is currently three starts into his rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds.
  • CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 4. Siani is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks with a moderate oblique strain.
  • RHP Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 31. Lynn injured the knee on July 23 in Pittsburgh but made his start on July 30 against the Rangers. Lynn threw long toss and played catch off the mound on August 9. A mid-August return is the expectation.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals begin a three-game series with the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday. Sonny Gray will make the Monday start, followed by Erick Fedde on Tuesday and Kyle Gibson on Wednesday.

After their second travel day in five days, on Friday the Cardinals begin a weekend series at Busch Stadium with the Dodgers. After the Dodgers, the first-place Brewers come to St. Louis for three beginning Tuesday, August 20.

The team then travels to Minnesota for a weekend series against the Twins.

The Cardinals return to St. Louis for a four-game series with the San Diego Padres. They leave again for New York for three with the Yankees to end the month of August.

The final series of the road trip is with the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past continues the series that showcases former Cardinals who played for many teams in their career.

St. Louis recently acquired former Cardinal Tommy Pham in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. Pham began his major league career with the Cardinals in 2014 and remained for four seasons before being traded in 2018. Since that time Pham has played for seven other teams prior to his return this July.

These players did not necessarily start with the Cardinals nor play for the Cardinals more than one time. A career arc like that of Tommy Pham is a rare feat.

In the first installment, we listed three players who played for 10 or more teams in their career. This second installment spotlights four additional players who played for 10 or more teams.

The following is a list of those who played for the Cardinals and for multiple franchises in their career. The name of the player, the dates he played for the Cardinals, and the other teams he played for s noted.

Royce Clayton

Royce Clayton – The Cardinals acquired Clayton in a trade with the Giants in December 1995. The intention was for Clayton to back up Ozzie Smith, but manager Tony La Russa decided that Smith and Clayton would compete for the starting job. Even though Smith outplayed Clayton in spring training, La Russa gave Clayton the starting job. This upset the future Hall of Famer Smith and made Clayton unpopular with Cardinals fans.

Smith retired at the end of the season and Clayton remained in St. Louis through the first half of the 1998 season when he was traded to the Texas Rangers.

Clayton played for 11 teams in total, beginning with the Giants. After leaving St. Louis, Clayton played for the Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox.

Clayton retired in 2008.

Dennys Reyes – The Cardinals signed Reyes to a two-year free agent contract in 2009. Reyes pitched out of the Cardinals bullpen in 2009 and 2010.

The Cardinals were the 10th of 11 teams in Reyes’ major league career. Prior to coming to St. Louis, Reyes played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Cardinals, and finally the Boston Red Sox.

Todd Zeile

Todd Zeile – Zeile began his major league career with the Cardinals. St. Louis drafted him in the second round in 1986 as a catcher but was he moved to first base to make room for Tom Pagnozzi. Zeile later moved to third base.

Zeile spent seven seasons in St. Louis. In 1995 he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, his second of 11 teams in total. His subsequent teams were Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and Montreal Expos. He played for the Mets twice and ended his career there and is a broadcaster for them currently.

Zeile has the distinction of being the only player in major league history to hit at least one home run for over 10 teams.

Russ Springer – Springer is the only one of these four players who was with the Cardinals twice. The Cardinals signed the reliever as a free agent in 2003 and again in 2007. He remained for two seasons in his second stint.

Springer also was employed twice by the Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The list of 10 teams for whom Springer played are New York Yankees (started his career), California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Astros (twice), Diamondbacks (twice), Atlanta Braves, Cardinals (twice), Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cincinnati Reds.

Springer won the World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001. He was also on the Astros 2005 World Series roster. The Astros, then in the National League, lost to the Chicago White Sox.

Springer retired in 2011.

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Dominican Summer League Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 10

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Wednesdays With Walton and Newberry – August 7, 2024

photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.

Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.

This week, Brian and Blake discuss July results by selected players across the Cardinals system, including the two Pitchers and Players of the Month. Highlighted hitters are winners Thomas Saggese and Rainiel Rodriguez and pitchers Keiverson Ramirez and Jose Davila.

Other notable players covered include Jordan Walker, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal and Ivan Herrera. Additional pitchers discussed are Jason Savacool, Ixan Henderson, Ian Bedell, Gordon Graceffo, Max Rajcic, Edwin Nunez, Matt Svanson, Zack Showalter and Leonel Sequera.

All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.

The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.

Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.

jSpecial half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.

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Cardinals Create Catching Promotions with Loss of Nick Raposo

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Thomas Saggese and José Dávila Named Cardinals Top July Minor Leaguers

photo: Jose Davila (Palm Beach Cardinals)

St. Louis Cardinals release

The St. Louis Cardinals today (Tuesday, July 6) announced their selections for Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July, with Memphis Redbirds (AAA) infielder Thomas Saggese (pronounced soo-JAY-see) and Palm Beach Cardinals (A) right-handed starting pitcher José Dávila taking home the honors.

Thomas Saggese

Saggese, 22, slashed .349/.400/.590 and ranked among the organizational leaders in hits (29, 1st), games played (22, T1st), extra-base hits (11, 2nd), total bases (49, 2nd), doubles (6, 2nd), home runs (4, T2nd), OPS (.990, 3rd), RBI (14, T3rd), and runs scored (13, T5th).  The right-handed batter tallied nine multi-hit efforts in his 21 starts, including a season-high four-hit game on July 2 vs. Nashville that included the first professional walk-off home run of his career.  It is Saggese’s second career Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month award selection, having previously won in his first month with the organization (August 2023) after being acquired at the MLB trade deadline from Texas.

Last season, the Carlsbad, California native was named the Texas League (AA) Most Valuable Player and lead all of Minor League Baseball in hits (170) and total bases (294), while finishing T2nd in RBI (111) and T5th in extra-base hits (60).  He is currently rated as the 5th best prospect in the Cardinals organization by Baseball America, and was the 10th-youngest player to begin the season at the Triple-A level.  He is hitting .249 with 13 HR, 34 XBH, 50 RBI, 55 runs scored and a .727 OPS in 96 games this year.

José Dávila

Dávila, 21, posted a 1-0 record with a 0.72 ERA (2 ER/25.0 IP), 0.84 WHIP, with 33 strikeouts and just 13 hits allowed across four July starts.  He made three consecutive quality starts to begin the month, including back-to-back seven inning appearances, and had a 19.0 inning scoreless inning streak.  He also tallied two double-digit strikeout performances and matched his career-high with 12 punchouts on July 12 vs. Clearwater.  The 6’5”, Venezuelan has not allowed a home run in his last 105.0 innings pitched dating back to last season.

Signed by the Cardinals as an international free-agent in July 2019, Dávila is the third different Palm Beach pitcher to take home Pitcher of the Month honors this season, joining Quinn Mathews and Darlin Saladin.  Overall this season, he is 3-5 across 17 starts (all with Palm Beach) with a 4.07 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 84.0 innings pitched.

Brian Walton’s take

When one considers the results from the top hitters and pitchers in the system, it is clear that Saggese and Davila are the best July performers in full-season ball. Congratulations to them!

However, our process at The Cardinal Nation does not exclude rookie ball players, leading to two different winners in our view. Compare the July numbers from all the top competitors in these two articles from late last week.

The Cardinal Nation July 2024 Player of the Month – Rainiel Rodriguez

The Cardinal Nation’s July 2024 Pitcher of the Month – Keiverson Ramirez

Related articles for members of The Cardinal Nation

Analyzing July Hitting Results Across the Cardinals System

Analyzing July Pitching Results Across the Cardinals System

Now available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide

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St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – July 29-August 4

photo: Michael Siani and Brendan Donovan (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)

The St. Louis Cardinals had another losing week at 3-4 after adding three major leaguers in trade with three others departing. Post-trade deadline, Michael Siani and Lance Lynn went on the injured list. Our history feature highlights three former Cardinals from 2011 who played with at least eight MLB teams.

Cardinals acquire three players at the deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals waited until the final two days to make any deals, but deal they did. On Monday, July 29, the Cardinals traded for the starting pitcher they wanted, plus a right-handed bat.

Rumors suggested the Cardinals were interested in right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde, but so were other teams. Then, rumors of a three-team deal surfaced, which became a reality. The Cardinals sent utility man Tommy Edman and a rookie league pitcher to the Dodgers. The Dodgers sent three prospects to the Chicago White Sox, and the White Sox sent the Cardinals Fedde and former Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham.

The trade adds a needed starter for the Cardinals, and a right-handed bat that can hit left-handed pitching, a weakness of the current offense.

Erick Fedde

Fedde, 31, adds to a rotation that has been missing Steven Matz since early May and is also now without Lance Lynn. Matz is currently on a rehab assignment in Memphis after several setbacks delayed his return to the rotation.

Tommy Pham

Pham, 36, is familiar to Cardinals fans. Drafted by the team, he made his major league debut in 2014. Pham was traded in 2018 and has since played for seven different teams, most recently the White Sox.

Shawn Armstrong

The Cardinals made one more trade on the deadline. Outfielder Dylan Carlson was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong. A right-handed pitcher for the bullpen was another stated deadline goal by the front office.

Carlson came up through the Cardinals system and made his major league debut in August 2020. Over the last three seasons, injuries have plagued Carlson, and his offense has taken a nosedive.  At the time of the trade, Carlson had been relegated to a bench player in the wake of the ascendance of Michael Siani, a much better defender in center field than Carlson. Despite that, if Carlson had been hitting at anything close to an acceptable level, he would likely have played more. As of the deadline, Carlson was hitting below the Mendoza line, and had been for some time.

Carlson was seen as a player who would benefit from a change of scenery, and the Cardinals got the reliver they were seeking. Ironically, Siani is now on the injured list with an oblique strain, and with the trade of last season’s center fielder Edman to the Dodgers, the Cardinals were suddenly caught short at this important defensive position. They had to recall Victor Scott II from the Memphis Redbirds.

Armstrong, 33, has played for 10 seasons in the major leagues with five different teams, most recently the Rays.  This season he has posted a 2-2 record and an ERA of 5.40 in 45 innings. The addition of Armstrong, a free agent this fall, comes on the heels of the departure of long-time right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos, who cleared waivers and selected free agency on Friday.

Game recaps

Monday, July 29, 2024- Cardinals 3, Rangers 6

The Cardinals fell to the Rangers in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Monday. Andre Pallante took the loss. The right hander pitched five innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, fanned five and walked two.

Ryan Fernandez threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning in relief of Pallante. John King finished the sixth.  Chris Roycroft surrendered three runs, two earned, in the seventh. Kyle Leahy tossed the final two scoreless innings.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. St. Louis answered in the bottom of the third to lead 2-1. Paul Goldschmidt led off with a single. Matt Carpenter followed with a two-run blast to right center field.

Matt Carpenter

Texas quickly responded with two runs in the fourth to take back the lead. The Rangers widened their edge with a three-run seventh inning.

In the home seventh, the Cardinals cut the lead to 6-3. Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar and Goldschmidt singled. With the bases juiced, Michael Siani singled to plate Arenado.

The Cardinals offense scored their three runs on seven hits. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Carpenter had two RBI.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 – Cardinals 8, Rangers 1

The Cardinals came back to defeat the Rangers in the second game of the series on Tuesday.  Lance Lynn took the mound for St. Louis. The right hander threw five one-run innings with three hits allowed, three strikeouts and one walk to earn his sixth win of the season.

Lance Lynn

Ryan Fernandez relieved Lynn and pitched a scoreless sixth. Chris Roycroft tossed two scoreless innings. Kyle Leahy hurled a scoreless ninth.

St. Louis opened scoring in the first inning on a solo home run by Masyn Winn. Texas tied the game in the top of the second.

The Cardinals regained the lead in the home second. Matt Carpenter doubled. Brandon Crawford doubled to score Carpenter. In the third, Alec Burleson walked and came home on a double by Lars Nootbaar to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

The Cardinals put up five runs in the fifth to jump ahead 8-1. Michael Siani singled and stole second base. Burleson plated Siani on a single. Willson Contreras thumped a base hit. Paul Goldschmidt took a free pass. New Cardinal Tommy Pham, in his first at bat with the Cardinals, clobbered a grand slam to right center field.

Tommy Pham

In total, the Cardinals scored eight runs on nine hits. Crawford was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Pham had four RBI.

Siani’s stolen base was his 14th of the season. Goldschmidt made a throwing error.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024 – Cardinals 10, Rangers 1

The Cardinals mauled the Rangers in the final game of the series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday.  Newly called up Michael McGreevy tossed a gem in his MLB debut. The right-hander went seven innings, gave up one run on seven hits, struck out three and walked one to earn the win.

Michael McGreevy

St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Pham singled. Brendan Donovan singled to score Goldschmidt. Pedro Pagés reached on a fielder’s choice and Pham came home.  Michael Siani plated Donovan on a sac bunt.

The Cardinals ran up the score to 8-0 in the fifth. Siani singled and Willson Contreras doubled. Alec Burleson drove in both runners on a single. Nolan Arenado singled. Burleson and Arenado came home on a double by Pham. Pham scored on a single by Brendan Donovan.

The Rangers scored their only run in the sixth. The Cardinals made it 10-1 in the seventh. Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt singled. Matt Carpenter pinch ran for Goldschmidt.  Pham singled. Arenado scored on a sac fly by Donovan. Siani drove in Carpenter on a single.

St. Louis scored 10 runs on 14 hits. Pham was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Siani was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Burleson drove in two.

Thursday, August 1, 2024 – Cardinals 4 at Cubs 5

In the first of a four-game set at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals lost to the Cubs in a one run walk off on Thursday. Sonny Gray started and threw seven innings, gave up two runs on five hits, fanned nine and walked one.

Sonny Gray

JoJo Romero tossed a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth and blew the save with three runs allowed. Helsley also took the loss.

The Cardinals opened scoring in the first on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt. The Cubs tied it up in the second.

Chicago went up 2-1 in the sixth, but the Cardinals came back in the seventh to regain the lead, 4-2. Michael Siani singled. Masyn Winn followed with a two run long ball to left field. Goldschmidt doubled and scored on a single by Nolan Arenado.

Masyn Winn

St. Louis went into the bottom of the ninth with a 4-2 lead. The Cubs smacked Helsley around for three runs to beat the Cardinals in a demoralizing walk off.

St. Louis offense scored four runs on 12 hits. Winn was 2-for-5 with two RBI.  Goldschmidt was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tommy Pham was 2-for-4. Siani was 2-for-4.

Lars Nootbaar stole his fifth base of the season.

Friday, August 2, 2024 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 6

The Cardinals were the losers in the second game of the road series with the Cubs by the score of 6-3.  New Cardinals starter Erick Fedde did not make a good first impression with this start. The right-hander pitched five innings, gave up five runs on six hits and fanned four. Fedde took the loss.

The Cardinals’ new reliever fared better. Shawn Armstrong threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Matthew Liberatore got the final out of the seventh. Kyle Leahy surrendered one unearned run in the eighth.

Chicago scored all five runs against Fedde in the second inning. Fedde was able to limit the damage in his final three innings and keep the Cubs from further damage.

The Cardinals scored one run in the third. Michael Siani and Masyn Winn singled. Willson Contreras drew a walk. Siani came home on a walk to Paul Goldschmidt.

In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals cut Chicago’s lead to 5-3 without the benefit of a hit. Alec Burleson, Nolan Arenado and Lars Nootbaar walked to load the bases. Tommy Pham walked to score Burleson. Another free pass plated Arenado.

The Cubs added a sixth run in the home half eighth to conclude scoring.

The Cardinals scored three runs on four hits. Winn was 2-for-5.

Winn was caught stealing for the fourth time. Kyle Leahy made a throwing error.

Saturday, August 3, 2024 – Cardinals 5 at Cubs 4

What appeared to be an easy third victory for the Cubs made a sudden turn in the final two innings. The Cardinals rallied at the end to beat the Cubs 5-4.

Kyle Gibson took the mound for St. Louis. The right-hander hurled seven innings, gave up four runs on five hits, struck out seven and walked one.

JoJo Romero relieved Gibson in the eighth and received the win with a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth for his 34th save and redemption for his prior appearance.

The Cardinals again opened scoring in the top of the first on a solo home run by Alec Burleson. The Cubs answered with two runs in the home first to take the lead.

Chicago added two more runs in the second. The Cardinals failed to score for six innings, but in the eighth, the team woke up from its snooze and began to play baseball. Burleson drew a walk. Willson Contreras was plunked. Brendan Donovan singled while the Cubs new third baseman made a throwing error that scored Burleson. Nolan Arenado plated Contreras and Donovan on a single and the Cardinals tied the game 4-4.

Nolan Arenado

In the ninth, Tommy Pham tripled and Lars Nootbaar brought him home on a sac fly giving the Cardinals a 5-4 lead and the win.

Arenado was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Donovan was 3-for-4. Pham was 2-for-4.

Sunday, August 4, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Cubs 6

The Cardinals lost the final game of the series to the rival Cubs by the score of 6-2. Miles Mikolas got the start and was lackluster at best. Mikolas was unable to get an out in the fifth inning. He gave up four runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked two. Mikolas took the loss, as he deserved, his ninth of the season.

The bullpen gave up two more runs. John King surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings, which was 2/3 of an innings longer than he should have pitched. Ryan Fernandez yielded a run in 1/3 of an innings. Matthew Liberatore and Kyle Leahy combined to keep the Cubs off the board for the final two innings.

The Cardinals’ meager two runs in the third inning came via a home run from one of the few hitters who has actually hit consistently this season, Masyn Winn.

Masyn Winn

The Cubs went to town on Mikolas, King, and Fernandez for their six runs. It was ugly on national TV Sunday evening.

The offense scored their two runs on only four hits. Winn’s long ball, a Nolan Arenado double, and singles by Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar were the only offense.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals again had a losing week, going 3-4 with three losses to the Cubs over the weekend, and one loss to the Rangers. The Cubs series was especially bad, but the Cardinals have now lost three of their last four series. How the team manages to stay out of last place is a mystery.

The offense was plentiful in the Rangers series but disappeared in Chicago. This is the 2024 Cardinals. The top performers by OPS for the week were a new player and two bench players who had 10 ABs combined for the week. They are Matt Carpenter (1.600 in 5 ABs), Tommy Pham (1.123) and Brandon Crawford (1.000 in 5 ABs). Michael Siani (.839) and Masyn Winn (.804) just missed the cut. Siani is out for several weeks now with an oblique strain. An offense of only Masyn Winn and Tommy Pham is not going to carry the team.

At the bottom for the week were Alec Burleson (.492), Willson Contreras (.443), Nolan Gorman (.111) and Pedro Pagés (.000).

The best starting pitching this week came from Michael McGreevy, who came up for a spot start and was immediately sent back down. Starters who had ERAs under 4.00 for the week were McGreevy (1.29), Lance Lynn (1.89), who is also now injured, and Sonny Gray (2.57).

The remaining starters, including Erick Fedde who the Cardinals just acquired, did not pitch well.  Kyle Gibson (5.14), Andre Pallante (5.40), Erick Fedde (9.00) and Miles Mikolas (9.00) all need to improve soon. The team can’t win if both the offense and the pitching is underperforming, which is the case currently.

The schedule for the remainder of the season is one of the most difficult in the major leagues. If the team doesn’t perform better soon it isn’t going to be pretty. This sounds like something that has been repeated over and over again all season because it has.

The Cardinals return home and play one game against the Mets on Monday. This is a make-up of a game that was rained out earlier in the season. The next series is at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. They end the week with two games in Kansas City.  The Royals, a team currently 13 games over .500, swept the Cardinals in two games in early July.

NL Central Standings

Team W L Pct GB WCGB
Milwaukee 62 49 0.559
St. Louis 57 55 0.509 5.5 3
Pittsburgh 56 55 0.505 6 3.5
Chicago 55 59 0.482 8.5 6
Cincinnati 53 58 0.477 9 6.5

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 7/29 The Cardinals acquired RHP Erick Fedde and OF Tommy Pham in a three-team trade with the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals received Fedde and Pham and cash from the White Sox.
  • 7/29 The Cardinals traded CF Tommy Edman and RHP Oliver Gonzalez to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the three-team trade.
  • 7/29 The Cardinals designated C Nick Raposo for assignment to make 40-man roster room for Pham.
  • 7/30 The Cardinals traded CF Dylan Carlson to the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Shawn Armstrong.
  • 7/31 The Cardinals optioned RHP Chris Roycroft to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 7/31 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Michael McGreevy from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 7/31 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Loutos from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 7/31 The Cardinals placed RHP Lance Lynn on the 15-day injured list. Right knee inflammation.
  • 7/31 The Cardinals designated RHP Jacob Bosiokovic for assignment to make 40-man space for McGreevy.
  • 8/1 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Loutos to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/1 The Cardinals optioned RHP Michael McGreevy to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/1 The Cardinals sent LHP Steven Matz on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/1 C Nick Raposo was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers.
  • 8/2 The Cardinals sent RHP Jacob Bosiokovic outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 8/2 The Cardinals released RHP Giovanny Gallegos.
  • 8/4 The Cardinals placed CF Michael Siani on the 10-day injured list. Right oblique strain.

Michael Siani

The Cardinals have lost an important player for an unknown period, and with the departures of Edman and Carlson, the club has become very thin in center field.

An above average defender and below average hitter, the 25-year-old had been very hot with the bat recently. In his last 31 games, Siani slashed .354/.391/.415/.806, but it is not sustainable as evidenced by his .492 BABIP.

  • 8/4 The Cardinals recalled CF Victor Scott II from the Memphis Redbirds.

Victor Scott

Scott was with St. Louis for the first month of the season but struggled offensively, with a .274 OPS. In his first exposure to Triple-A, the 23-year-old has slashed just .219/.302/.319/.621 in 74 games.

However, most recently with Memphis, Scott was on a seven-game hitting streak during which he batted .303.

Scott did not start in his first game back with St. Louis. Lars Nootbaar moved into center field for Siani.

Injury Report

  • RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 22. Middleton underwent season ending forearm surgery. The right hander will not throw a pitch for the Cardinals this season.
  • LHP Drew Rom (left bicep tendinitis and left shoulder surgery) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60 day-injured list on April 30. Rom underwent left shoulder surgery. The left hander is expected to be out until at least September.
  • RHP Riley O’Brien (right forearm flexor strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on May 10. O’Brien continues a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds.
  • LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Matz has begun a rehab stint with Memphis.
  • CF Michael Siani (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Siani strained his oblique on his second at bat in Saturday’s game against the Cubs.

Looking Ahead

Following the series at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals return to St. Louis to play a rain makeup game with the Mets on Monday, August 5. Tuesday marks the opening of a three-game home set with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The team leaves on a road trip following the Rays series. The Cardinals go to Kansas City for two to complete the home and home series. After an odd Sunday off, they will travel to Cincinnati to face the Reds for three.

After another travel day on Thursday the 15th, the Cardinals begin a weekend series at Busch Stadium with the Dodgers. Next, the first-place Brewers will come to St. Louis for a three-game series beginning Tuesday, July 20.

The team then travels to Minnesota for a weekend series against the Twins.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past begins a new series that showcases former Cardinals who played for many teams in their career.

The Cardinals recently reacquired Tommy Pham in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. Pham began his major league career with the Cardinals in 2014 and remained with St. Louis until he was traded in 2018. Since that time, Pham has played for seven additional teams.

Lance Lynn

Two other players currently on the roster also began as Cardinals, left to play for multiple other teams, and then returned. Matt Carpenter played for two teams (Yankees, Padres) and Lance Lynn has been with five teams (White Sox, Rangers, Twins, Dodgers, and Yankees).

This series looks at players who at one time played for the Cardinals and also played for at least eight teams in their careers. They did not necessarily start with the Cardinals nor play for them more than one time. A career arc like that of Tommy Pham is a rare feat.

The following is a list of players who played for the Cardinals and for multiple franchises in their career. The name of the player, the dates he played for the Cardinals, and the other teams he played for is noted. We start with players who have played for the most teams and go down in number.

This first installment covers three players who were with more than 10 teams in their career, including for the Cardinals, and who all played for their 2011 team. Two of the three participated in the World Series, but the final one did not.

Edwin Jackson

Edwin Jackson – Jackson, like Pham, was acquired by the Cardinals in a multi team trade that included the Chicago White Sox. Jackson was originally drafted by the Dodgers and made his major league debut with them.

The Cardinals acquired Jackson in a mid-season trade in 2011. Jackson was on the roster of the Chicago White Sox and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 27, 2011. That same day the Blue Jays flipped Jackson to the Cardinals along with the second player on this list and several others. The Cardinals sent Colby Rasmus, P.J. Walters, Trever Miller and Brian Tallet to Toronto.

Jackson was only with the Cardinals through the end of the 2011 season. He played for 14 teams in his career. They are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

Jackson played for the Nationals and the Tigers twice. His last major league season was in Detroit. He also signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks in 2020 but did not play because of the Covid-19 epidemic that cancelled the minor league season.

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel – Dotel was acquired by the Cardinals in the same multi team trade as Edwin Jackson. Like Jackson, the reliever only remained in St. Louis through the 2011 season.

Dotel played for 13 teams in total. Dotel left the Cardinals to play for Detroit, where he spent his final two seasons.

Dotel began his career with the New York Mets. His other homes were the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers.

Miguel Batista (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Miguel Batista – Batista signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals on January 14, 2011 and made the roster out of spring training.

Batista started the infamous rain delay switcheroo against the Cincinnati Reds. That game was played on April 22, and Manager Tony La Russa, sensing that a rain delay was coming, switched Batista in for scheduled starter Kyle McClellan. The Reds started the game with their scheduled starter and lost that starter after the rain began and a two-hour rain delay ensued. When the game resumed, LaRussa put in Kyle McClellan as originally planned.

Batista did not survive the season as he was released by the Cardinals on June 22, 2011.

Batista played for 11 teams in his career. They are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves.

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