photo: Jordan Montgomery (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals scuffled to a 1-5 week as Jordan Montgomery has been the only dependable starter. Rookie Jordan Walker has a hit in all nine of his professional games. Our history feature highlights fan favorite Willie McGee.
Game Recaps
Monday, April 3 – Cardinals 4, Braves 8
The St. Louis Cardinals were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in the first of a three-game series on Monday. Starter Jake Woodford pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up six runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three. Three of the seven hits were home runs. Woodford took the loss, his first of the season.
Zack Thompson threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Jordan Hicks surrendered two runs in two innings pitched. Packy Naughton tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals offense scored four runs on 12 hits. The only extra base hit was a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the seventh inning. The first baseman and reigning NL MVP went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nolan Gorman was 2-for-3 and Tyler O’Neill was 2-for-4. Brendan Donovan and Jordan Walker each drove in a run.
Despite scoring four runs, the offense was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Tuesday, April 4 – Cardinals 1, Braves 4
In the second game with the Braves, the Cardinals did not prevail and lost the series. Steven Matz took the mound for the Cardinals. The left-hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on 10 hits, struck out seven and walked one. Again, the long ball featured prominently in the game as Matz gave up two home runs. Matz suffered his first loss of the season.
Drew VerHagen relieved and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Andre Pallante hurled a scoreless eighth and Giovanny Gallegos tossed a scoreless ninth.
For the second game in a row the Cardinals had a lot of hits but couldn’t bring enough runs home to win. On Tuesday, 10 hits produced only one run, which came in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Willson Contreras.
Every Cardinal in the lineup had one hit, but there were no multiples. The only extra base hit was a double by Taylor Motter. The offense was 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.
Wednesday, April 5 – Cardinals 2, Braves 5
The Cardinals couldn’t avoid the sweep by the Braves, as they dropped the third and final game of the series on Wednesday. Starter Miles Mikolas struggled again in his second start of the season. The right hander pitched six innings, gave up five runs on nine hits, struck out six and walked one. Mikolas took the loss, his first of the season.
Packy Naughton relieved and threw a scoreless seventh inning. Chris Stratton tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals offense scored two runs on six hits. The solo home run by Jordan Walker was his first major league longball. The rookie and top prospect also doubled in the second run in the ninth inning. Walker was 2-for-4 with two RBI and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
The offense was 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. The only other extra base hit was a double by Nolan Gorman.
Thursday, April 6 – Off day
Friday, April 7 – Cardinals 0 at Brewers 4
The Cardinals were blanked by the Brewers in the first game of a weekend series in Milwaukee. This was the fourth consecutive loss for St. Louis. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out three and walked six. In his previous start, Flaherty issued seven walks though the Cardinals won that game. The right hander is now 1-1 on the season.
Andre Pallante surrendered one run in the sixth. Jordan Hicks relinquished a run in the seventh. Packy Naughton and Chris Stratton combined to toss a scoreless eighth. Naughton was injured in that inning and removed from the game.
The Cardinals offense scattered five hits, all singles. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4. Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, and Jordan Walker had the other hits. Walker has hit safely in all seven games played this season.
The offense was 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
On the base paths, Tommy Edman was caught stealing for the first time in 2023
Saturday, April 8 – Cardinals 6 at Brewers 0
The Cardinals broke the four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 6-0 win over the Brewers. Left hander Jordan Montgomery started and pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed three hits, walked two and punched out nine. Montgomery earned his second win of the season.
Zack Thompson relieved Montgomery and threw a scoreless eighth. Drew VerHagen tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals offense scored six runs in the first three innings. In the first inning, Nolan Arenado drove in a run on a sac fly. An RBI single by Willson Contreras plated a second run.
St. Louis added four runs in the third inning. Arenado blasted his milestone 300th career home run, a two-run shot to increase the lead to 4-0. Jordan Walker also hit a two-run long ball in that inning, his second of his rookie season. The Cardinals took a 6-0 lead which they maintained for the remainder of the game.
Arenado was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Walker was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Tommy Edman was 2-for-5. Paul Goldschmidt had the only other extra base hit, a double.
Sunday, April 9 – Cardinals 1 at Brewers 6
The Cardinals lost the rubber match of the series with a 6-1 loss to the Brewers. Starter Jake Woodford had a better outing in his second start, but it was still not good enough to keep the Cardinals in the game against an aggressive Brewers lineup. Woodford pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out five and walked one. Woodford took his second loss of the season.
Genesis Cabrera relieved with two outs in the fifth and also got the first out of the sixth before being replaced by Andre Pallante. Pallante surrendered three runs in a full inning pitched. Jordan Hicks secured the final two outs of the seventh. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the fourth inning. Nolan Arenado singled and Nolan Gorman drew a walk. Jordan Walker extended his career-opening hitting streak to nine games with a single to plate Arenado.
Tyler O’Neill was 2-for-4. The only extra base hit was a double by Alec Burleson. The offense was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. A lack of timely hits was fatal in this game.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a poor week, going 1-5. They were swept by the Braves in three games and won only 1 of 3 from the Brewers. The Cardinals have a record of 3-6 and are in last place in the NL Central. It is very early in the season, so these numbers mean little right now. Nevertheless, the Cardinals need to play better.
The offense is the team’s strength, and despite not scoring a lot of runs this week, that will surely change over time. The issue that is clear right now is that the pitching, especially the starting pitching, is not strong enough to support the potentially explosive lineup. That is not likely to change much unless there is some addition to the rotation. The Cardinals do not have a number 1 type starter and they need one.
Another issue looming is the outfield defense. Lars Nootbaar is on the injured list, and the Cardinals have Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson to use in those positions. Burleson is a below average fielder. He should be used sparingly defensively. Dylan Carlson has the most experience in center field with Harrison Bader gone, but he has issues hitting against right-handed pitching. He is slightly above average defensively in center field but is better at the corners. Tyler O’Neill has speed but lacks experience in the position. This became clear with his performance during the Brewers series. When Nootbaar returns, he could get some innings there and could be an option if O’Neill doesn’t work out. Neither Walker nor Burleson can play center field, and that is the Achilles heel for the defense.
Other than the weakness in center field, the rest of the defense is very good. There are no issues with baserunning.
Jordan Montgomery was the only starting pitcher to have a successful outing this week. It is too early to predict doom, but the starting rotation was also the weakness of the team last season. That rotation didn’t have Jack Flaherty for the majority of 2022, but Flaherty has not had a good start in 2023. Adam Wainwright should be returning within the next few weeks but counting on the 41-year-old right hander to save the rotation is a shaky bet.
As stated, despite the lack of run scoring in this first full week of the season, there is no reason to see the offense as anything but a positive. The top performers by OPS this week are Jordan Walker (1.099), Nolan Arenado (.907), and Paul Goldschmidt (.836). At the bottom are Andrew Knizner (.000), Brendan Donovan (.347), and Willson Contreras (.358).
The Cardinals begin the second week with a three-game series against the Rockies in Denver and end with a four-game series with the Pirates at Busch Stadium. Games are always difficult at Coors Field, especially for pitching. The Rockies have the same record (3-6) as the Cardinals, but St. Louis is the better team. The Pirates have started strong (6-3) but are the perennial cellar-dwellers of the NL Central. The Cardinals need to beat up on both teams to get back to where they should be.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Milwaukee | 7 | 2 | 0.778 | |
| Pittsburgh | 6 | 3 | 0.667 | 1 |
| Chicago | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 2.5 |
| Cincinnati | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 2.5 |
| St. Louis | 3 | 6 | 0.333 | 4 |
O’Neill returns to the lineup after baserunning dispute
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill returned to the starting lineup on Friday following a public dispute regarding his baserunning play in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Braves.
The Cardinals had a three-run deficit when O’Neill hit a one out single to left field. Teammate Jordan Walker followed with a single that sent O’Neill to second base. After Juan Yepez flied out, Brendan Donovan laced a single to right. O’Neill attempted to score but was thrown out easily at home by Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr, ending the rally.
Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was asked about the play in the post-game presser and questioned the effort made by O’Neill, describing it as “unacceptable”.
When O’Neill was asked about his manager’s comments, the outfielder expressed disagreement with Marmol’s assessment of his efforts. O’Neill commented that he is “out here every day grinding my butt off, giving it my all and trying to stay on the field for 160 games”. When asked if he was directly refuting Marmol’s claims he said, “Yeah. I’m trying to score that run, of course. I’m not out there to dog it all. Those are pretty strong words from him.”
Following the incident, many expressions were shared by fans and members of the media about the sagacity of Marmol raising the issue in the public domain. Many believe the incident should have been kept behind closed doors.
O’Neill was kept out of the lineup for Wednesday’s game with questions forthcoming about whether this was a planned day off or a form of punishment. O’Neill did make an appearance as a pinch-hitter late in the game.
Thursday was an off day, but O’Neill was back in the lineup on Friday against the Brewers. When asked further about O’Neill’s standing with the team, Marmol told reporters “I like Tyler O’Neill. I think he is one of the most talented players in that clubhouse. But there’s a next step for Tyler and his career and my job is to get him there.”
O’Neill went 0-for-4 in Friday’s game but had a hit on Saturday, a ninth inning single. O’Neill was in the lineup on Sunday as well, going 2-for-4 and raising his season average to .267.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors.
Transactions
- 4/3 The Cardinals recalled 1B Juan Yepez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/3 The Cardinals placed OF Lars Nootbaar on 10-day injured list retroactive to March 31. Left thumb contusion.
- 4/6 The Cardinals sent SS Paul DeJong on a rehab assignment to the Palm Beach Cardinals.
- 4/8 The Cardinals recalled LHP Genesis Cabrera from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/8 The Cardinals placed LHP Packy Naughton on the 15-day injured list. Left forearm strain.
Injury Report
- SS Paul DeJong (back pain) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 27. The shortstop was sent on a rehab assignment to Palm Beach on April 6. DeJong’s expected return is in late April.
- RHP Adam Wainwright (groin strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27. The groin strain happened in a workout on the final day of the WBC. The right hander has thrown two bullpen sessions, the latest on Saturday, with no issues reported. He will throw another session on Tuesday, then a decision will be made on the next steps.
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 27. Rodriguez has begun a throwing program and is expected to return in late April.
- OF Lars Nootbaar (left thumb contusion) was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 3, retroactive to March 31. Nootbaar injured the thumb on a slide into third base on Opening Day. Nootbaar will take batting practice with the team in Colorado on Monday and then be re-evaluated.
- 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 on Saturday which showed no internal damage. Next steps are to be determined.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals next take on the Rockies in Denver in a three-game series. Steven Matz is set to make the Monday start. Miles Mikolas will go on Tuesday and Jack Flaherty will take the mound on Wednesday.
The Cardinals return to St. Louis on Thursday to begin a four-game series with the Pirates. The pitchers for this series have not been announced. If the rotation holds, those pitchers will likely be Jordan Montgomery, Jake Woodford, Steven Matz, and Miles Mikolas.
The Cardinals continue the homestand on Monday, April 17 with a three-game set against the Diamondbacks.
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 fourth installment profiles Assistant Coach and Cardinals Hall of Famer Willie McGee. McGee’s duties as Assistant Coach include helping outfielders, baserunning and hitting.
Willie Dean McGee was born on November 2, 1958, in San Francisco, CA. McGee was one of seven children. He attended Harry Ellis High School in Richmond, CA and Diablo Valley Community College.
He was first drafted out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the 1976 draft. He did not sign and attended Community College instead.
After a few months of college, the Yankees selected McGee in the first round of the 1977 January draft (from 1965-1986 MLB held two drafts, one in June and one in January; there was also an August draft that was dropped after two years). McGee signed with the Yankees and played in their minor league system from 1977-81.
The Cardinals acquired McGee on October 21, 1981 in exchange for pitcher Bob Sykes. McGee briefly played for the Cardinals Triple-A team, the Louisville Redbirds, before being called up on May 10, 1982.
McGee had a long and distinguished major league career.
McGee played in St. Louis in two separate stints, from 1982 until August 1990, then again from 1996-99. In his 13 seasons for the Cardinals, McGee slashed .294/.329/.400 with 63 home runs and 678 RBI. Those 13 seasons included an MVP award, a batting title, three Gold Gloves and four All-Star Game appearances. McGee’s 1985 season included the MVP, the batting title, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, and an All-Star Game appearance. He also led the NL that season in hits (216) and triples (18). McGee finished third in the Rookie of the Year Award balloting in 1982.
The Cardinals traded McGee to the Oakland Athletics on August 29, 1990. He signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants, where he played for four seasons. He was with the Boston Red Sox for part of 1995. The Cardinals signed him in December 1995, and he played for four more seasons before retiring in 1999 at the age of 40.
McGee was hired as a Special Assistant to General Manager John Mozeliak on March 6, 2013. This position included working with outfielders in the minor league system and monitoring the players in the system.
McGee was selected for the Cardinals Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2014.
McGee was hired as a Cardinals Assistant Coach on October 23, 2017. He wears his familiar number 51. McGee sat out the shortened 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, then returned to his position in 2021.
McGee and his wife, Vivian, have five children, Nanuashika, Jessica, Whitney, Virginia, and William, and eight grandchildren.
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