photo: Kyle Gibson (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 3-3 for the week on the road. They remain in second place but are seven games behind the Brewers. Kyle Gibson continues to be solid in the rotation. Our history feature looks at notable events during these dates in team history.
Game recaps
Monday, May 27, 2024 – Cardinals 1 at Reds 3
The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a three-game series at Great American Ballpark. Starter Lance Lynn pitched six innings, gave up three runs, one earned, on five hits, struck out five and walked three. Lynn took the loss, his third.
Matthew Liberatore relieved Lynn and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Kyle Leahy tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Cardinals scored in the top of the first inning on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt.
The Reds answered to tie the game in the home first. Cincinnati added two runs in the second for a 3-1 lead that held through the end of regulation.
The offense scored one run on five hits. No Cardinal had multiples. The Cardinals were 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.
On defense, Goldschmidt and Arenado each made a fielding error which led to the two unearned runs and the loss.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – Cardinals 7 at Reds 1
On Tuesday, the Cardinals bounced back to take the second game of the series. Starter Kyle Gibson pitched six innings, gave up one run on two hits, struck out six and walked two to earn his fourth win of the season.
John King relieved Gibson and threw two scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Brendan Donovan singled and scored on a double by Masyn Winn. St. Louis added two runs in the fourth on a home run by Nolan Arenado to increase the lead to 3-0.
The Reds scored their only run of the game in the sixth. The Cardinals responded with three runs in the seventh to widen their lead to 6-1. Dylan Carlson walked. Nolan Gorman followed with a two-run home run. Brendan Donovan doubled. Michael Siani pinch ran for Donovan and scored on a ground out by Masyn Winn.
St. Louis produced their seventh and final run in the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt doubled and came home on a single by Iván Herrera.
Herrera went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4. Donovan was 2-for-3. Winn and Arenado each had two RBI.
On the bases, Siani stole his sixth base of the season. Herrera was picked off first base.
Wednesday, May 29 – Cardinals 5 at Reds 3
The Cardinals took the series with a 5-3 win in the final game on Wednesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched six scoreless innings, allowed three hits, struck out four and walked three to earn his first win of the season.
Kyle Leahy relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. John King threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Andrew Kittredge yielded one run in the eighth. Ryan Helsley allowed one run in the ninth for his 18th save.
St. Louis went up in the third inning on a solo home run by Matt Carpenter. They added two runs in the fourth to lead 3-0. Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk and scored on a double by Nolan Gorman. Gorman came home on a single by Masyn Winn.
The Reds got on the board with one run in the seventh. The Cardinals answered in the top of the eighth with a solo home run by Gorman.
Cincinnati responded with one run in the home eighth to cut the lead to 4-2. St. Louis made it 5-2 in the top of the ninth. Michael Siani and Donovan singled. Paul Goldschmidt walked to load the bases. Siani came home on a walk by Alec Burleson.
The Reds scored one run in the bottom of the ninth for the final score of 5-3.
Gorman was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Donovan was 3-for-4. Lars Nootbaar was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Winn was caught stealing twice. Nootbaar was picked off first base. On defense, Dylan Carlson made a throwing error.
Thursday, May 30, 2024 – Off day
Friday, May 31, 2024 – Cardinals 2 at Phillies 4
The Cardinals lost to the Phillies in the first game of a weekend series in Philadelphia. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out five and walked one. Mikolas took the loss, his sixth of the season.
Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning of relief. Matthew Liberatore tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Phillies took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Cardinals answered in the third on a solo home run by Brandon Crawford.
St. Louis closed the gap to 3-2 in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by Nolan Arenado. Philadelphia scored one run in the home half of the seventh to widen the lead to 4-2.
The Cardinals offense scored two runs on three hits. Crawford was 2-for-2 with an RBI and was the only Cardinal with multiple hits. The offense was 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.
Saturday, June 1, 2024 – Cardinals 1 at Phillies 6
The Cardinals were defeated for the second time in the series on Saturday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up four runs on five hits, struck out 10 and walked three. Gray took the loss, his third.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Gray and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. John King surrendered two unearned runs in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Loutos tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Phillies again took a 3-0 lead, this time in the first inning. The Cardinals plated their only run of the game in the top of the third. Nolan Gorman singled and Michael Siani doubled. Gorman scored on a sac fly by Masyn Winn.
Philadelphia responded with one run in the home third to widen the lead to 4-1. They added two runs in the seventh for the 6-1 lead.
The Cardinals meager offense scored one run on five hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Doubles by Siani, Iván Herrera and Paul Goldschmidt were the only extra base hits. The team was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
On defense, Nolan Arenado made a throwing error.
Sunday, June 2, 2024 – Cardinals 5 at Phillies 4 (10 innings)
The Cardinals salvaged one game from the series by beating the Phillies in extra innings in the final game on Sunday night. Starter Lance Lynn pitched four innings, gave up four unearned runs on three hits, struck out four and walked two.
Matthew Liberatore relieved Lynn and threw a scoreless fifth. Ryan Fernandez hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Andrew Kittredge and John King each pitched a scoreless inning. King earned the win. Ryan Helsley ended the game with a scoreless 10th inning.
The Cardinals took the lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Nolan Gorman. The Phillies came back to tie the game in the second.
The Cardinals regained the lead in the third on a two-run home run by Alec Burleson. In the fifth, the Phillies knotted it up again at 4-4.
The game remained 4-4 through regulation. The Cardinals scored the Manfred runner, Winn, on a single by Gorman to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the 10th. The Phillies were kept off the board in the bottom of the inning.
The game was riddled with infield errors beginning with a botched double play in the second inning that led to the first two of the four unearned runs. The last two unearned runs were caused by errors committed by Lynn and catcher Iván Herrera.
The offense scored five runs on nine hits. Gorman was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4. Burleson had two RBI. Winn scored three runs.
Winn and Lynn had fielding miscues. Herrera made a throwing error.
The Big Picture
By the skin of their teeth, the Cardinals pulled off a 3-3 week on the road. They won two of three at the Reds and took one of three at the Phillies. The team remains in second place in the NL Central due to the Reds beating the Cubs twice over the weekend. The Cardinals would be the third NL Wild Card if the playoffs started tomorrow (they don’t, of course).
The team record hit .500 after the Reds series but fell back to one game under after two losses to the Phillies. The Brewers widened their lead in the division to seven games over St. Louis after beating up on the Cubs and the White Sox. After losing both games played in St Louis, the Cubs have lost five of their last seven games (no tears here).
The offense did not look good in the Phillies series. It didn’t help that two good hitters were unavailable for the weekend, Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan. Nootbaar is on the IL, but Donovan should be able to avoid a long outage due to neck stiffness. There remains a considerable amount of lethargy in this offense. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are still not back to their normal selves offensively despite some recent improvement.
The top performer for the week by OPS was Brandon Crawford (3.500), who had one good offensive game against the Phillies on Friday. Also, the currently ailing Brendan Donovan had a 1.542 OPS, all in the Reds series. Finally, Nolan Gorman came in at .988.
At the bottom are Alec Burleson (.303, home run on Sunday notwithstanding), and Dylan Carlson (.466). Pedro Pagés and José Fermín are both at .000, but with little to no playing time.
Carlson has been lackluster offensively since returning from the IL. He plays only because of recent injuries in the outfield, specifically to Nootbaar and Donovan.
The team needs Goldschmidt and Arenado to come out of their doldrums or whatever it is that is ailing them. Otherwise, it is going to be difficult to keep up the pace with the Cubs nipping at the heels and the Pirates still trying to be relevant. The Reds may put something together too at some point, as they have the knack for that.
The pitching is another matter. It is hanging in there but there have been hiccups. Sonny Gray has been looking a little green around the gills lately (metaphorically speaking). He still gets strikeouts but is giving up more runs and “walking dudes”, as he so eloquently put it. Lance Lynn has a penchant for wildness (and unearned runs). Miles Mikolas has been a little better of late and Kyle Gibson has been good. The fifth starter merry-go-round appears to have settled on Andre Pallante for the time being. He had a good start against the Reds.
Mikolas and Gray both had ERAs over 4.00 for the week, 4.50 and 7.20, respectively. Lynn has kept his down due to the unearned runs. Pallante (0.00) and Gibson (1.50) had good weeks.
The bullpen has been its usually sunny self, even though Ryan Helsley has attempted to give us cardiac arrest a few times at the end of games. He threw a good inning in Sunday’s game though. The characters keep changing, with new ones coming in to replace the ones going out with injuries. The newest addition to the gang is Ryan Loutos, who threw a scoreless inning this week.
The Cardinals finish their road trip in Houston starting on Monday. They end the week with the Rockies, who have played better of late and could be a handful. The Astros could be a challenge as well, especially with their good offense. The Cardinals pitching needs to step up in Houston.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 36 | 23 | 0.610 | |
| St. Louis | 28 | 29 | 0.491 | 7 |
| Chicago | 29 | 31 | 0.483 | 7.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 27 | 32 | 0.458 | 9 |
| Cincinnati | 26 | 33 | 0.441 | 10 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 5/31 The Cardinals placed OF Lars Nootbaar on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 30. Left oblique strain.
- 5/31 The Cardinals recalled IF José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/31 The Cardinals sent RHP Giovanny Gallegos on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- CF Tommy Edman (arthroscopic wrist surgery) was transferred to the 60-day injured list from the 15-day injured list on May 6. Edman recently had a left-handed batting practice session and came through with no ill effects. Edman is expected to take BP next week. There is no timetable for his return.
- RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to March 25. Middleton is seeking a second opinion from a specialist this week. Middleton’s rehab assignment was halted due to continued soreness in his forearm.
- 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 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 has thrown one bullpen session and will throw a second one at Busch Stadium. A rehab assignment appears on the horizon.
- LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 3, retroactive to May 1. Matz will throw a full intensity bullpen on Monday and then will be evaluated for a possible rehab assignment.
- RHP Giovanny Gallegos (right shoulder impingement). Gallegos was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 6. Gallegos was sent on a rehab assignment to Memphis and pitched one inning in the Redbirds game on Friday.
- C Willson Contreras (left arm fracture) was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 8. Contreras had surgery on the arm and has had the cast removed. The catcher has resumed conditioning drills and is hopeful he will be medically cleared to swing at pitches with his right arm. Return is expected after the All-Star break if not sooner.
- OF Lars Nootbaar (left oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 30. Nootbaar injured the oblique while batting in the seventh inning in the final game in Cincinnati. The strain was described as “moderate” by manager Oli Marmol, and Marmol expects Nootbaar to be out several weeks.
- RHP Nick Robertson (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to May 23. Robertson felt tightness while playing catch. A prolonged stay on the IL is not expected.
- UT Brendan Donovan (neck) was held out of the Phillies series due to persistent neck stiffness. Donovan is considered day to day.
Looking Ahead
Continuing the road trip, the team travels to Houston for a three-game series against the Astros. Kyle Gibson is set to make the Monday start, followed by Andre Pallante on Tuesday and Miles Mikolas on Wednesday.
The Cardinals return home for a six game homestand with the Rockies and the Pirates. They then head out on another road trip that begins at Wrigley Field for three games and ends at Loan Depot Park in Miami against the Marlins for three.
The Cardinals will play the Giants in the annual Field of Dreams Game on Thursday, June 20 at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama, rather than the Field of Dreams field in Dyersville, Iowa. The latter field is undergoing major renovations.
The Cardinals finish the three-game series with the Giants at Busch Stadium after a Friday off day. The homestand then continues with three games against the Atlanta Braves and a four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds that ends the month of June.
Blast from the Past
In this week’s Blast from the Past, we look back at the period May 27 through June 2 to highlight unique events in Cardinal history. Some happened in a game, and others are team related events that are odd or just notable.
The following happenings in Cardinal history occurred during the period May 27 through June 2 for various years in the past.
May 27, 2000 – The Cardinals dedicate a statute to Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean outside Busch Stadium.
May 29, 1905 – Cardinals’ shortstop David Braun hit three triples in a 6-3 win over the Pirates.
May 30, 1922 – Before the second game of a doubleheader between the Cardinals and the Cubs, the two teams made a trade. The players, Cliff Heathcote and Max Flack, exchange their uniforms and play the second game for the other team. Both players had a hit.
May 30, 1925 – Between games of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, second baseman Rogers Hornsby replaced Branch Rickey as manager of the Cardinals. Hornsby remained an active player and Rickey remained the team’s General Manager.
May 31, 1999 – In a game between the Cardinals and the Marlins in Miami, umpire Frank Pulli uses a dugout TV monitor to change a fifth inning home run by Cliff Floyd to a ground rule double in the first use of instant replay in an MLB game. The umpire is admonished by National League officials for using technology to make a call.
June 1, 1910 – In a 10-5 win over the Phillies, Cardinals shortstop Miller Huggins comes to the plate six times but has no official at bat. Huggins records four walks and two sacrifices.
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