photo: Jack Flaherty (Jeff Curry/Imagn)
The St. Louis Cardinals compiled a 2-4 record against the Rangers and Reds as they continue to drop one-run games. Jack Flaherty tossed six scoreless against Texas and has a 0.79 ERA in June. Our history feature highlights manager Oli Marmol.
Game Recaps
Monday, June 5, 2023 – Cardinals 3 at Rangers 4
The St. Louis Cardinals continue to lose one-run games, this one a loss to the Rangers 4-3. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked two.
Andre Pallante relieved Wainwright and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Drew VerHagen got the final out of the seventh. Ryan Helsley hurled a scoreless eighth. Genesis Cabrera relinquished the winning run in the ninth and took the loss.
The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the second when Willson Contreras reached on an error, stole second base, and scored on a single by Paul DeJong. The Rangers answered with three runs in the home half of the second.
The score remained 3-1 until the Cardinals finally rallied in the eighth. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Nolan Gorman and Tommy Edman singled. Walker scored on a sac fly by Paul Goldschmidt. Nolan Arenado doubled and Gorman scored but Edman was thrown out at the plate, preventing the Cardinals from taking the lead.
With the game tied at 3-3, Cabrera was called upon to keep the game tied. The left-hander failed and Texas won the game in a walk-off.
The Cardinals scored three runs on six hits. Paul DeJong was 2-for-3 with an RBI and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
On the base paths, Contreras stole his fifth base of the season. DeJong was caught stealing for the first time.
Tuesday, June 6, 2023 – Cardinals 4 at Rangers 6
The Cardinals lost the second game of the series with the Rangers on Tuesday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched four innings, gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Liberatore took the loss, his second on the season.
Drew VerHagen relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in the fifth. Steven Matz threw 1 ½ scoreless innings. Chris Stratton tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Cardinals began well, scoring two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run by Nolan Arenado. Texas wasted no time in tying it 2-2 with one run scored in the second and one run in the third.
The Rangers took the lead in the fourth, scoring three more runs to go up 6-3. The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the sixth on solo home runs by Willson Contreras and Jordan Walker.
St. Louis was unable to rally further, and the game was won by the Rangers by the score of 6-4.
Arenado drove in two of the Cardinals four runs. Contreras and Walker provided the remainder. Only one Cardinal had multiple hits, Brendan Donovan, who was 2-for-4.
On the base paths, Tommy Edman stole his ninth base of the season. In the field, Nolan Gorman made a throwing error.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 – Cardinals 1 at Rangers 0
The Cardinal barely salvaged one game of the series with a 1-0 win over the Rangers on Wednesday. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched six scoreless innings, with three hits allowed, eight strikeouts and five walks.
Jordan Hicks relieved Flaherty and threw a scoreless seventh to earn his first win of the season. Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley each tossed a scoreless inning.
The game was a pitching duel between Flaherty and Rangers starter Jon Gray for seven innings. In the eighth, the Cardinals finally broke through the standoff with a solo home run by Alec Burleson.
The Burleson long ball was the only RBI and the only one needed. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-3 and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
On the base paths, Jordan Walker was caught stealing.
Thursday, June 8, 2023 – Off day
Friday, June 9, 2023 – Cardinals 7, Reds 4
The Cardinals won the first game of a weekend series with the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Starter Jordan Montgomery pitched six scoreless innings, allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one to earn his third win of the season.
Jordan Hicks relieved Montgomery and surrendered two runs while recording only one out. Andre Pallante followed Hicks and got the final two outs of the inning. Chris Stratton relinquished two runs in his 2/3 innings. Giovanny Gallegos tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Nolan Arenado. Jordan Walker blasted a two-run home run in the second to increase the lead to 4-0.
In the fourth, Jordan Walker singled and scored on a single by Brendan Donovan to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead.
The lead was diminished in the top of the seventh when the Reds scored two runs to cut the lead to 5-2. The Cardinals quickly answered with two runs in the home half of the seventh on a two-run long ball from Nolan Gorman.
The Reds rallied again for two more runs in the eighth, but that was all they got.
Walker was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gorman had two RBI.
Saturday, June 10, 2023 – Cardinal 4, Reds 8
The Cardinals fell to the Red in the second game of the series on Saturday. Starter Miles Mikolas did not have a good outing. The right-hander pitched six innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Mikolas took the loss, his third of the season.
Drew VerHagen relieved Mikolas and surrendered two runs in two innings of relief. Genesis Cabrera relinquished one run in the ninth.
The Reds took a huge lead in the early innings, causing the Cardinals to play catch up. The team ultimately failed. The Reds scored three runs in the second inning and two runs in the third off Mikolas to take a 5-0 lead.
The Reds increased their lead to 7-0 in the top of the seventh as the Cardinals bullpen also faltered. St. Louis finally pushed a run across the plate in the home half of the seventh. Brendan Donovan was hit by a pitch but Tommy Edman grounded into a force out and Donovan was out at second. Edman scored on a double by Paul Goldschmidt.
The Cardinals cut the lead to 7-3 in the eighth on a two-run home run by Dylan Carlson.
In the ninth, the Reds scored their final run of the game. The Cardinals managed one more run in the bottom of the ninth on a solo home run by Nolan Arenado.
Carlson was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Goldschmidt and Arenado were both 2-for-4 with an RBI.
In the field, Donovan made a throwing error.
Sunday, June 11, 2023 – Cardinals 3, Reds 4
The Cardinals completed the loss of their sixth-straight series with another one-run failure against the Reds on Sunday. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked one.
Chris Stratton relieved Wainwright and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jordan Hicks surrendered one run in the eighth. Andre Pallante tossed a scoreless ninth. Hicks took the loss.
The Reds scored first as Jonathan India thumped a solo home run off a meatball from Wainwright. The Cardinals fought back and scored two runs in the second. Willson Contreras walked, Dylan Carlson doubled and Jordan Walker singled to score Contreras. Carlson scored on a ground out by Tommy Edman.
The Reds tied the game by scoring one run in the top of the third. St. Louis answered with one more run in the home half of the third to regain the lead 3-2. Paul Goldschmidt singled and scored on a triple by Nolan Arenado
The Cardinals scored no more runs in the game. The Reds scored one in the eighth, predictably, and the Cardinals lost one more of many one-run games.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 and Brendan Donovan was 2-for-5.
On the base paths, Paul Goldschmidt was caught stealing for the first time since 2019. But of course he did.
In the field, Contreras had a passed ball that facilitated the winning run.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals continued their descent into the maelstrom of irrelevance with a 2-4 week against the Rangers and the Reds. The team lost both three-game series and have lost six straight series. To put it bluntly, the Cardinals are reaching the level of being unwatchable if they haven’t already.
What is wrong with the Cardinals? According to the President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak, they just haven’t figured that out yet. Good luck with that.
The Cardinals remain in last place and are eight games back of the Pirates currently, the newest leader of the revolving door that is the NL Central Division.
All aspects of the Cardinals’ game are not working. The pitching was what everyone believed was the weakness to start the season, and that has proved to be true up to a point. But the pitching is joined by the offense, the defense and the baserunning in the “what is wrong with them?” category.
Starting with the pitching, every starter in the rotation has, at various times, been ineffective, some worse than others. Jack Flaherty has looked the most consistent of late, but that can change on a dime, as Cardinals fans have witnessed. Miles Mikolas, who has up until recently looked the most consistent, has not remained so. Adam Wainwright is who he is, a 42-year-old soon-to-retire pitcher. Jordan Montgomery is better than he has been and the last spot in the rotation appears to be Matthew Liberatore at the moment. Liberatore has been spotty at best. In conclusion, the rotation is mediocre.
The bullpen, to put it simply, is not to be relied on, especially in high-leverage situations. It has become a “pick your poison” situation in most instances. Every one of them at one time or another has blown a lead.
Then there is the offense, once believed to be the greatest strength when the season started, has proven to be the opposite. This offense, which on paper looks like a powerhouse, appears to wilt when losing by one run. They can’t score with runners in scoring position on any kind of consistent basis.
The two “big guns”, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, are frustrating to say the least. When one of them is playing well, the other isn’t. Nolan Gorman started the season looking like he was going to be a powerhouse at the plate but has cooled off. The entire lineup at times can look like they don’t have a clue how to hit.
The top performers by OPS this week are Dylan Carlson (1.692), Nolan Arenado (1.458), Jordan Walker (1.192), and Alec Burleson (.875). Two of these, Carlson and Burleson, have played in only three games. At the bottom are Tommy Edman (.212) and Paul DeJong (.310).
The defense is not what it used to be. Nolan Arenado has made so many mistakes on the field that he doesn’t even resemble himself. This is the most head-scratching situation of all. The second base position has become a revolving door.
Recently the most effective defensive player on the field has been Tommy Edman, the center fielder who isn’t a center fielder at all. Who knew one could fix a floundering outfield with a middle infielder?
Dylan Carlson has returned to the roster, which should help, though he is playing right field because Edman has been so effective in center. Left field remains a problem and Tyler O’Neill is still weeks away from returning.
As for the baserunning, well Paul Goldschmidt was caught stealing for the first time since 2019 in Sunday’s game. That should tell you all you need to know.
In conclusion, the Cardinals are bad. Yes, I said it.
In the coming week, the Giants come to town for three games. Then the Cardinals leave for a road trip to play the Mets and the Nationals. Games will be played. The End.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Pittsburgh | 34 | 30 | 0.531 | |
| Milwaukee | 34 | 32 | 0.515 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 31 | 35 | 0.470 | 4 |
| Chicago | 28 | 37 | 0.431 | 6.5 |
| St. Louis | 27 | 39 | 0.409 | 8 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors.
Transactions
- 6/6 The Cardinals sent C Tres Barrera outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/6 The Cardinals sent CF Dylan Carlson on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/9 The Cardinals optioned 1B Juan Yepez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/9 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/9 The Cardinals activated CF Dylan Carlson from the 10-day injured list.
- 6/11 The Cardinals sent LHR Packy Naughton on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Rodriguez is out for the season with shoulder surgery.
- LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on May 17. Naughton was sent on a rehab assignment to Memphis on Sunday, June 11 but threw just two pitches before becoming injured again.
- LF Tyler O’Neill (low back strain). The outfielder has been out since May 5 with low back pain. O’Neill’s planned rehab has been cancelled at least once but the outfielder now says he is pain-free. O’Neill will be reevaluated Thursday and hopes to be cleared to start baseball activities at that time. Best case for his return is late June after a minor league rehab period.
- RHP Jake Woodford (right shoulder inflammation) was activated off the 15-day injured list and was optioned to the Memphis Redbirds.
- CF Dylan Carlson was activated off the 10-day injured list and has returned to the roster.
- OF Lars Nootbaar (low back contusion) was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 2, retroactive to May 30. Nootbaar hurt his back crashing into the outfield wall at Busch Stadium. Nootbaar is still experiencing some back pain and stiffness and will likely need a rehab assignment before returning to the roster. The hope is that he will be ready to return by late June if not sooner.
Looking Ahead
The weekend series with the Reds ends on Sunday. Following that series, the Cardinals welcome the Giants to Busch Stadium for a three-game series. Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to make the Monday start with Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery scheduled to go in the final two games.
After an off day on Thursday, another road trip begins with three games each against the Mets and the Nationals.
The Cardinals have two travel days after the road trip ends to fly to London to play a two-game series with the Cubs. The Cardinals will be the home team in that series. The team flies back on Monday, June 26.
The final series in the month of June is a three-game set with the Astros at Busch Stadium. Following that series, the Yankees come to town on June 30 for a three-game series.
Blast from the Past
This week’s 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 13th and final installment profiles Manager Oli Marmol. The duties of the Manager are to put together the daily lineup and make in-game tactical decisions. Managers are also responsible for interacting with the media.
Oliver Jose Marmol was born July 2, 1986, in Orlando, Florida. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Marmol out of high school in the 31st round of the 2004 draft. Marmol did not sign but instead attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He played three seasons with the Charleston Cougars, where he batted .327.
The Cardinals drafted Marmol in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. He played four seasons in the Cardinals minor league system, never achieving a level higher than Class A Advanced. His minor league slash line was .203/.301/.282.
Following his final season in 2010 Marmol immediately began his coaching career, starting as the hitting coach for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Cardinals in 2011. After one season in that position, he was promoted to manage the Johnson City Cardinals. Marmol led the Johnson City team to the postseason.
Marmol became the manager of the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League in 2013. In 2014, the Spikes won the League Championship. Marmol was the recipient of the George Kissell Award for excellence in player development in 2013.
In 2015, the Cardinals named Marmol the manager of the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals. He managed the Palm Beach team for both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The team went to the Florida State League playoffs in 2015 but lost in the first round.
Marmol was promoted to the major league staff in 2017 as the first base coach. He remained there until 2019 when he was named the Bench Coach for manager Mike Shildt.
After Shildt was fired following the 2021 season, the Cardinals named Marmol the manager of the Cardinals. Marmol led the Cardinals to the postseason in 2022, where the Cardinals lost in the Wild Card round to the Phillies.
Marmol became the youngest manager in Major League Baseball in 2022 at the age of 35. The next youngest manager, Rocco Baldelli, is five years older.
Marmol resides in Jacksonville, Florida in the offseason with his wife Amber and two daughters, Riley and Kylie.
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