photo: Jordan Hicks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
As the starting pitching improves, the offense has been inconsistent, resulting in a below-expectations 4-3 week for the St. Louis Cardinals. Struggling reliever Jordan Hicks appears to be at a career crossroads. Our history feature highlights third base coach Pop Warner.
Game Recaps
Monday, April 10, 2023 – Cardinals 4 at Rockies 7
The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Colorado Rockies in the first of a three-game series at Coors Field. Starter Steven Matz pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up six runs on nine hits, struck out four and walked two. Matz took the loss, his second.
Zack Thompson relieved Matz and got the final out of the sixth. Drew VerHagen and Chris Stratton each threw a scoreless inning.
The Rockies went up 2-0 in the third inning. The Cardinals tied it in the top of the fourth. Brendan Donovan singled and scored on a triple by Alec Burleson. Paul Goldschmidt plated Burleson on a single.
In the home fourth, Colorado regained the lead with two runs. St. Louis made it 4-3 in the top of the sixth, but the Rockies came right back in the bottom frame with two more to increase their lead to 6-3. Colorado added another run in the seventh.
The Cardinals rallied for one run in the ninth, but it was not enough.
Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with two RBI. He was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
Nolan Gorman and Tommy Edman each made a fielding error.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 – Cardinals 9 at Rockies 6
The Cardinals bounced back to take the second game of the series by the score of 9-6. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up six runs on 10 hits, struck out three and walked two.
Genesis Cabrera relieved Mikolas and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings and earned the win, his first. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth for his second save.
The Cardinals got on the board in the first inning on a solo home run by Tommy Edman. St. Louis made it 2-0 in the third inning on a solo shot by Juan Yepez.
The Rockies scored one in the fourth, and then took the lead with a five run fifth inning. In the seventh, the Cardinals rallied for four runs to tie the game at 6-6. Jordan Walker led off with a single. With two outs, Walker advanced to second on a passed ball. Brendan Donovan drew a walk. Edman reached on an error to load the bases. Paul Goldschmidt walked, and Walker scored. Nolan Arenado hit a bases clearing double.
In the ninth St. Louis scored three to go up 9-6. Nolan Gorman thumped a solo home run to begin the inning. Brendan Donovan walked, and Tommy Edman hit a sac bunt moving Donovan to second. Goldschmidt plated Donovan on a single. Willson Contreras walked, and Tyler O’Neill singled to score Goldschmidt.
Edman was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Yepez was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Goldschmidt drove in two.
In the field, Contreras was called for catcher interference and Arenado made a fielding error.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – Cardinals 7 at Rockies 4
The Cardinals took the series with a 7-4 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits, struck out six and walked one.
Zack Thompson relieved Flaherty and got the final two outs of the sixth. Drew VerHagen surrendered two runs to begin the seventh while recording only one out. Andre Pallante finished the seventh without further damage. Pallante returned to get the first out of the eighth before Giovanny Gallegos completed the inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his third save. Pallante received the win.
Colorado got on the board first with one run in the first inning. St. Louis came back to tie it in the second on a solo home run by Tyler O’Neill. The Cardinals took the lead in the fourth with two runs on a home run by Nolan Arenado.
The Rockies made it 3-2 in the home half of the fourth. In the seventh, O’Neill singled and scored on a double by Taylor Motter. Colorado tied it up in the bottom of the seventh.
St. Louis took the lead again in the eighth on a two-run long ball from Nolan Gorman. Jordan Walker singled and scored in the ninth on a Goldschmidt double.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with an RBI. O’Neill was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Arenado and Gorman each had two RBI.
On the base paths, O’Neill stole his first base of the season. In the field, Willson Contreras had a passed ball.
Thursday, April 13, 2023 – Cardinals 0, Pirates 5
The Cardinals were blanked by the Pirates in the first game of a four-game series at Busch Stadium. Starter Jordan Montgomery did not pitch poorly, going 6 1/3 innings with two runs on six hits, struck out five and walked two. Montgomery suffered his first loss of the season.
Jordan Hicks relieved and got one out before being replaced by Genesis Cabrera. Cabrera surrendered two runs in one full inning pitched. Chris Stratton allowed one run in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The game was scoreless until the Pirates got on the board in the sixth. Pittsburgh added one run in the seventh, two runs in the eighth, and one run in the ninth to win 5-0.
The Cardinals offense scattered six hits. Brendan Donovan was 2-for-5 including a double. Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill also doubled. The offense had chances, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 men on base.
On the base paths, Willson Contreras and Nolan Gorman each stole their first base of the season.
Friday, April 14, 2023 – Cardinals 3, Pirates 0
The Cardinals turned the tables and blanked the Pirates 3-0 on Friday night in St. Louis. Starter Jake Woodford pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked one.
Zack Thompson relieved Woodford and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Drew VerHagen hurled a scoreless eighth, and Giovanny Gallegos added a scoreless ninth.
The score was 0-0 until the sixth, when Cardinals broke through. Nolan Arenado singled and scored on a single by Nolan Gorman. In the eighth, St. Louis put two more runs on the board. Alec Burleson singled and was replaced on the bases by Jordan Walker. Walker scored on a single by Arenado, Arenado came home on a Gorman single.
Gorman was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Arenado was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Contreras had an RBI.
In the field, Burleson had an outfield assist at home plate.
Saturday, April 15 – Cardinals 3, Pirates 6 (10 innings)
The Cardinals suffered a heart-breaking loss to the Pirates in an extra inning contest on Saturday. In his best 2023 outing to date, starter Steven Matz pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on three hits, struck out six and walked five.
Chris Stratton relieved Matz and surrendered one run in two innings of relief. Ryan Helsley pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings but gave up the tying run that was charged to Stratton. Jordan Hicks opened in the 10th and relinquished three runs, two earned while recording only one out. Genesis Cabrera secured the final two outs of the 10th, but the damage was done.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals scored two runs in the home half of the first on an RBI double by Alec Burleson and a sac fly by Nolan Gorman.
The Pirates tied it at 2-2 in the third. That score remained until the seventh when the Cardinals pulled ahead 3-2 on a bases loaded walk by Paul Goldschmidt.
The Pirates knotted the score a second time in the eighth. The game went into the 10th and the poor outing by Hicks resulted in a 6-3 lead for Pittsburgh. The Cardinals were unable to answer in the home 10th.
Brendan Donovan was 3-for-4 and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Burleson, Goldschmidt, and Gorman drove in the team’s three runs.
Goldschmidt and Lars Nootbaar both stole a base. Donovan swiped two bags. Gorman was picked off and caught stealing.
Sunday, April 16, 2023 – Cardinals 5, Pirates 4 (10 innings)
The Cardinals were victorious over the Pirates in the second straight extra inning game of the series to salvage a home series split. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits, struck out four and walked two.
Andre Pallante relieved and threw a scoreless inning of relief. Zack Thompson followed with 1 1/3 flawless innings. Giovanny Gallegos tossed a scoreless ninth. Drew VerHagen surrendered one run in the 10th but still received the win.
The Pirates went up 1-0 in the top of the first. The Cardinals tied it in the home half of the inning on an RBI single by Willson Contreras.
The Pirates pulled ahead again in the second to make it 2-1. They made it 3-1 in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, a two-run home run by Lars Nootbaar tied the score at 3-3.
The game remained tied through nine, but in the 10th, the Pirates scored to lead 4-3. In the bottom of the 10th, Contreras walked, and Nolan Gorman drove him in on a ground rule double to tie the game. After Lars Nootbaar was intentionally walked to load the bases, Tommy Edman singled to drive in the winning run in a walk off.
Gorman and Edman were both 2-for-5 with an RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 with a run driven in. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-5. Nootbaar plated two.
Brendan Donovan made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 4-3 against two teams that finished 2022 a combined 64 games under .500. St. Louis captured 2 of 3 against the Rockies and split the four-game series with the Pirates. The Cardinals have a record of 7-9 and currently sit in fourth place in the NL Central, four games back of Milwaukee.
The Cardinals offense has been stumbling and appears to have not yet gelled as a unit. After a poor showing in the first game of the Rockies series, the offense bounced back in the final two games. In the Pirates series, scoring runs became a battle, as they put up only 11 runs across the four games. The offense stranded a total of 39 runners on base during the series. They are struggling especially with the bases loaded; coming into Sunday’s game, the Cardinals’ average with the bases loaded was .077, the second worst in baseball.
The top performers by OPS for the week are Nolan Gorman (1.049), Paul Goldschmidt (.861), Nolan Arenado (.858), and Tommy Edman (.824). At the bottom are Andrew Knizner (.000), Dylan Carlson (.083), and Jordan Walker (.308). After Walker’s 12 game hitting streak ended, the rookie outfielder went 0-for-9 before getting a hit in Sunday’s game.
The starting pitching has been slightly better this week. Jack Flaherty improved in his start at Coors Field. Miles Mikolas has been getting incrementally better over his starts. Jordan Montgomery has been fine throughout these first weeks of the season. Steven Matz continues to struggle but had a better outing his most recent time out. Jake Woodford had his best start of 2023 this week.
The bullpen was the strong point in the first few series, but there have been some hiccups recently with a few relievers. Jordan Hicks is the one pitcher in the bullpen who has been flailing consistently, having allowed nine runs, eight earned, in just 5 2/3 innings. Results include eight walks and 11 hits, including two home runs served up, and three wild pitches.
After Hicks blew the game against the Pirates on Saturday, manager Oli Marmol said Hicks will only be used in low leverage situations going forward until the staff figures out how to fix him.
Baserunning has been good. Defense has been good for the most part with a few errors here and there. The outfield has been a revolving door and is the weak link in the defense. There has not been any consistency in center field since the season started. Dylan Carlson would likely be the best option if he could improve against right-handed pitching. Tyler O’Neill began the season as the starting center fielder but has had issues that have kept him from cementing that spot.
The Cardinals begin the coming week with a three-game series with the Diamondbacks. Arizona has been playing well and currently sits atop the NL West Division. This will be a tough series considering the offensive woes. The team ends the week with a weekend series in Seattle. The Cardinals have not fared well historically in interleague play and the Mariners are a good team, so they will have their work cut out for them.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Milwaukee | 11 | 5 | 0.688 | |
| Chicago | 8 | 6 | 0.571 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | 7 | 0.563 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 7 | 9 | 0.438 | 4 |
| Cincinnati | 6 | 9 | 0.4 | 4.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors.
Transactions
- 4/11 The Cardinals sent SS Paul DeJong on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/13 The Cardinals sent OF Lars Nootbaar on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
- 4/15 The Cardinals activated OF Lars Nootbaar from the 10-day injured list.
- 4/15 The Cardinals optioned 1B Juan Yepez to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- SS Paul DeJong (back pain) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 27. The shortstop continues on a rehab assignment. DeJong is likely out until late April.
- RHP Adam Wainwright (groin strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27. The groin strain happened during a workout on the final day of the WBC. Wainwright is set to pitch in a rehab assignment on Wednesday afternoon in Springfield. A late April return is expected.
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27. Rodriguez has thrown two bullpen sessions and will throw a couple of additional sessions before going out on a rehab assignment.
- OF Lars Nootbaar (left thumb contusion) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday and started Saturday and Sunday against the Pirates.
- LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 8. Naughton was removed from the April 7 game in the eighth inning. Naughton had an MRI which showed no internal damage. Manager Oli Marmol stated that Naughton’s return is subject to when his forearm strain heals.
- LF Alec Burleson exited Sunday’s game early after fouling a ball off his right leg. He was diagnosed with a right shin contusion and is considered day to day.
- OF Dylan Carlson missed three games with a pinched nerve in his neck, but returned to action on Friday.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals continue the homestand on Monday with a three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Jack Flaherty will make the Monday start, followed by Jordan Montgomery and Jake Woodford on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Cardinals have a travel day on Thursday and will embark on a West Coast road trip, stopping first in Seattle to face the Mariners in a weekend series.
From Seattle, the Cards travel to San Francisco for a four-game set. The road trip concludes with a weekend series with the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The Cardinals then return home to play the Los Angeles Angels at Busch Stadium beginning May 2.
Blast from the Past
This week Blast from the Past continues a series showcasing the major league coaching staff of the Cardinals. Each week we present a brief biography of one member of the coaching staff as well as a summary of the member’s playing career if applicable.
This fifth installment profiles Third Base Coach Ron “Pop” Warner. The duties of the third base coach are to relay signals to hitters and advise runners at second and third base to stop or to continue running.
Ronald Michael “Pop” Warner was born on December 2, 1968, in Alhambra, CA. He played baseball at the University of Wyoming and was drafted by the Cardinals in the 17th round in 1991.
Warner played for nine seasons in the Cardinals minor league system at all four levels. His career slash line was .267/.356/.389 with 40 home runs and 242 RBI. Warner was primarily an infielder.
Warner retired as a player in 2000 and became the batting practice pitcher for the Cardinals. From 2001-2002 he was a minor league coach. In 2003 he was named manager of the Johnson City Cardinals and remained there for two seasons. He became the manager of the Palm Beach Cardinals from 2005-2006. From there he moved up to manage the Springfield Cardinals from 2008-2011. He managed the Memphis Redbirds from 2012-2014.
Warner became the Cardinals Minor League Infield Coordinator from 2015-2016. He became the Assistant Field Coordinator in 2017, but midway through the 2017 major league season he was promoted to St. Louis’ coaching staff. He returned to the minors to begin the 2018 season but was again brought up to the major league staff when Cardinals’ manager Mike Matheny was fired and replaced by Mike Shildt. Warner served as the bench coach for the remainder of the 2018 season.
For 2019, Warner became the third base coach and remains through the present. Warner has been part of the Cardinals organization for 32 years and 2023 is his fifth season as third case coach.
Warner resides in St. Charles, MO with his wife Laura. He has three children, sons Colin and Benjamin, and daughter Callie.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2023 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2023 Prospect Guide is back for its sixth year. It includes 292 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-tcns-2023-cardinals-prospect-guide/
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.
© 2023 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.