photo: Ryan Helsley (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The last-place St. Louis Cardinals took two of three from the American League’s best squad before losing 2 of 3 at home to the Phillies. Closer Ryan Helsley saved all three wins. Our history feature on the poorest performing Cardinals teams of all times revisits 2007.
Coaching changes begin early
The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday that coach Daniel Nicolaisen has resigned his position. The resignation of the team’s third hitting coach occurred a week before it became public.
Nicolaisen cited family concerns as his reasons for leaving, although the announcement came with the statement that Nicolaisen had accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Ole Miss softball program.
Nicolaisen, a native of Denmark, was hired by the Cardinals in 2020 and was a minor league coach before assuming his position with St. Louis for the 2023 season.
Nicolaisen’s position will be filled for the remainder of the season by minor league hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn.
In addition, the team added former Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen to the staff in a supplemental role. Isringhausen has been working in player development as a special pitching advisor for several years.
More coaching changes are expected for 2024.
Game Recaps
Monday, September 11, 2023 – Cardinals 5 at Orioles 11
On Monday, the Cardinals fell to the Orioles in the first of a three game series. Starter Dakota Hudson pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up seven runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked three. Hudson took the loss.
Andre Pallante relieved Hudson and surrendered two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Drew VerHagen threw a scoreless seventh. Andrew Suarez relinquished two runs in 1/3 of an inning. Jacob Barnes secured the final two outs with no additional damage.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Nolan Gorman walked and was driven in by a single from Willson Contreras.
Baltimore scored two runs in the second, but St. Louis came back in the third with three to retake the lead, 4-2. Lars Nootbaar doubled. Gorman walked. Three RBI singles followed. Nootbaar was driven in by Nolan Arenado. Contreras plated Gorman and Arenado came home on a single by Jordan Walker.
The Orioles made it 4-3 in the fourth. The Cardinals increased the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fifth. Arenado singled and later came home on a single by Alec Burleson.
The Orioles scored five runs in the home fifth to go up 8-5. They followed with one run in the sixth and two in the eighth to pull away, at 11-5.
Contreras was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5.
On the base paths, Nootbaar stole his 10th base of the season. Masyn Winn was picked off and caught stealing.
In the field, Arenado made a throwing error.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – Cardinals 5 at Orioles 2
The Cardinals bounced back to take the second game of the road series, 5-2. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched five innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three to earn his fourth win of the season and 199th of his career.
The pen combined for four scoreless frames. Giovanny Gallegos threw 2/3 of a inning and Matthew Liberatore hurled 1 1/3 innings. John King and Ryan Helsley each tossed an inning. Helsley earned his ninth save.
St. Louis went up in the first inning on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt. The Cardinals made it 2-0 in the second. Willson Contreras singled and later came home on a sac fly by Jordan Walker.
The Cardinals added a run in the fourth on a solo home run by Richie Palacios before Baltimore scored twice in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the seventh, St. Louis took a 5-2 lead. Palacios hit a second solo home run. Walker walked and later came home on a single by Lars Nootbaar.
Palacios was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. He was the only Cardinal with multiple hits.
In the field, Nolan Arenado made a fielding error.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 – Cardinals 1 at Orioles 0
On Wednesday, the Cardinals blanked the Orioles 1-0 to win the road series against the American League’s best team in 2023. Starter Drew Rom pitched a gem against his former team. The left hander tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits allowed, seven strikeouts and two walks to earn his first major league win.
Casey Lawrence threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. Giovanny Gallegos, John King, and Ryan Helsley each tossed a scoreless inning. Helsley earned his 10th save.
The Cardinals scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Richie Palacios.
The offense had just four hits. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Thursday, September 14, 2023 – Off day
Friday, September 15, 2023 – Cardinals 4, Phillies 5
The Cardinals were defeated by the Phillies in the opener of a weekend series at Busch Stadium on Friday. Starter Zack Thompson pitched five innings, gave up four runs on five hits, struck out four and walked two. Thompson took the loss.
Casey Lawrence surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning of relief. Matthew Liberatore threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Drew VerHagen and Andre Pallante each tossed a scoreless inning.
The Phillies took a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals began playing catch up with two runs in the third. Lars Nootbaar walked. Paul Goldschmidt singled. Nootbaar scored on a single by Alec Burleson. Nolan Arenado plated Goldschmidt on a single.
St. Louis shrunk the lead further to 4-3 in the fourth. Jordan Walker singled and later came home on a sac fly by Masyn Winn.
Philadelphia widened the lead to 5-3 in the sixth. St. Louis rallied in the ninth with one run but fell short of tying. Willson Contreras singled. Juniel Querecuto pinch ran for Contreras. Querecuto later crossed the plate on a single by Tommy Edman.
Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Contreras and Walker were each 2-for-5.
On the base paths, Goldschmidt stole his 11th base of the season. Burleson swiped his second bag.
Saturday, September 16, 2023 – Cardinals 1, Phillies 6
The Cardinals lost to the Phillies in the second game of the series on Saturday. Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, gave up five runs on eight hits and struck out two. Mikolas suffered his 12th loss of the season.
Andre Pallante relieved Mikolas and threw two scoreless innings. Jacob Barnes surrendered one run in the ninth.
The Phillies scored single runs in the first and second. The Cardinals responded with their only run of the game in the third. Masyn Winn singled and was driven in by Paul Goldschmidt’s double.
Philadelphia widened their lead to 5-1 in the fifth and 6-1 in the ninth.
Winn was 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits. The offense was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.
In the field, Tyler O’Neill had an outfield assist at first base.
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – Cardinals 6, Phillies 5
The Cardinals salvaged a win from the Phillies and avoided the sweep with a one run victory on Sunday. Starter Dakota Hudson pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out three and walked three.
Matthew Liberatore relieved Hudson and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. John King relinquished one run in the eighth but still received the win. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 11th save.
St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Andrew Knizner singled. Juniel Querecuto bunted into a force out. Knizner and Querecuto were driven in on a double by Paul Goldschmidt. Nolan Arenado plated Goldschmidt on a double.
The Phillies quickly tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth, but St. Louis pulled ahead with two in the fifth. Goldschmidt hit a solo home run. Alec Burleson doubled and scored on a single by Arenado.
Philadelphia tied it again with two runs in the top of the eighth. The Cardinals responded again in the home half of the eighth with a solo home run by Jordan Walker and held on to win the game, 6-5.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Knizner was 2-for-3.
In the field, Querecuto made a throwing error. Richie Palacios had an outfield assist at home plate.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 3-3. They took the road series at Baltimore 2-1 but came home to lose two of three to the Phillies over the weekend. They remain in last place in the NL Central with a record of 66-83 and sit 18 games back of the Brewers and 3.5 games back of the fourth place Pirates.
Not much has changed since the prior week in terms of pitching or offense. The Cardinals are officially mathematically eliminated and at this point are playing spoiler with a goal of getting out of last place.
As far as pitching is concerned it is status quo. Only two starters, Adam Wainwright and Drew Rom, finished the week with an ERA under 4.00. Wainwright’s ERA for the week is 3.60 and he won his fourth game of the season against the Orioles. He needs one more win to reach the 200 mark and has possibly three starts left to get there. Rom finished the week with an ERA of 0.00.
The bullpen has been improved with the return of Ryan Helsley, who saved all three wins. Matthew Liberatore, Drew VerHagen, and John King also had good weeks. Andrew Suarez, with only one appearance, had the worst week, with an ERA of 54.00.
As for the offense, they were not as good as last week, but still decent. Top performers by OPS were Willson Contreras (1.240), Richie Palacios (1.071), Paul Goldschmidt (.979), and Jordan Walker (.814). Over the weekend, the 21-year-old Walker became the fourth-youngest Cardinal ever to have 100 hits.
At the bottom was Tommy Edman (.174), Tyler O’Neill (.192) and Lars Nootbaar (.440). O’Neill is now once again on the IL with a right foot sprain and is likely not going to return this season. Nolan Gorman is also now on the IL with a return still possible but remote at best.
There are 13 games left in the season, 10 of which are with the Brewers and the Reds. The Pirates remain as the obstacle to getting out of last place. Anything is possible, but the road will not be easy. Both the Cardinals and the Pirates play mostly over .500 teams, with the exception of the Padres, which the Cardinals play this week. The Pirates face the Cubs, Reds, Phillies, and Marlins, all of which are battling for one of the three Wild Card spots. The Phillies are in a good spot for one of those berths, and the remaining two are up for grabs among the teams mentioned plus the Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals play the Brewers in St. Louis for four games and then head to San Diego for three games with the Padres, who like the Cardinals had high expectations but have been eliminated from a playoff spot.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 84 | 65 | 0.564 | ||
| Chicago | 78 | 72 | 0.520 | 6.5 | tied for 3rd WC |
| Cincinnati | 78 | 73 | 0.517 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 70 | 80 | 0.467 | 14.5 | 8 |
| St. Louis | 66 | 83 | 0.443 | 18 | 11.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/13 The Cardinals select the contract of 3B Juniel Querecuto from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/13 The Cardinals place 2B Nolan Gorman on the 10-day injured list. Right hamstring strain.
- 9/17 The Cardinals place LF Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list. Right foot sprain.
- 9/17 The Cardinals recalled 1B Juan Yepez from the Memphis Redbirds.
On Sunday, the Cardinals ended another injury-plagued season for left fielder Tyler O’Neill. The 28-year-old could answer the bell for just 72 games this season, with a mediocre .715 OPS.
Yepez returns to St. Louis red-hot, carrying the longest active hitting streak in minor league baseball, 17 games. During that stretch, the 25-year-old went 17-for-57 with a slash line of .333/.369/.509/.878. His 43 RBI with Memphis since August 1 is the second-most in professional baseball behind the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger (45). Yepez did not start for St. Louis on Sunday.
Injury Report
- RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) went on the 60-day injured list after May arthroscopic surgery. He is currently on a rehab assignment in Memphis and is expected to return to pitch before the end of the season.
- LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on May 17. Naughton underwent season ending surgery on June 26.
- LHP Steven Matz (left lat strain) remains on the 15-day injured list. Matz has yet to begin a throwing program and is unlikely to return this season.
- INF/OF Brendan Donovan (right elbow) was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on September 1. He had season ending surgery on August 2 to repair a damaged ligament. Donovan had pain in his throwing arm and had been participating in games as a DH only for weeks. With the Cardinals selling at the deadline, the decision to have the internal brace surgery was made. Donovan is out for the remainder of the season but is expected to be fully ready for Spring Training in 2024.
- CF Dylan Carlson (left oblique strain and left ankle sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 12, retroactive to August 10. Carlson had season-ending ankle surgery on September 13, but is expected to be ready to go for Spring Training 2024.
- RHP Guillermo Zuñiga was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right forearm strain. The right hander is out for the remainder of the season.
- LHP JoJo Romero (left knee tendonitis) was placed on the 15-day injured list on September 4, retroactive to September 2. Romero jammed his knee while covering first base in the September 1 game against the Pirates. The left hander threw a bullpen session on September 15 and is working on strengthening his knee. The team is hopeful he will return to pitch this season.
- LF Tyler O’Neill (right foot sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. The injury will likely end the outfielder’s season. O’Neill has been plagued with injuries all season and has played in only 72 games.
- 2B Nolan Gorman (right hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 12. Gorman sustained the injury running to first base. It is unclear whether the injury is season-ending.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals homestand continues with four games against the Brewers beginning on Monday. Adam Wainwright is set to make the Monday start, followed by Drew Rom on Tuesday, Zack Thompson on Wednesday, and Miles Mikolas on Thursday.
The final road trip of the season begins on September 22 with three games with the Padres in San Diego. The team travels to Milwaukee to face the Brewers in the final three games of the trip.
The season ends with a three game homestand with the Reds.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals are having one of their worst seasons in 50 years despite being one of the most consistent franchises in terms of winning seasons over the history of major league baseball. Nevertheless, St. Louis had periods of underperforming.
This week’s Blast from the Past is the 14th installment in the series showcasing the worst seasons in the franchise’s long history.
The current Cardinals are 66-83 with a win percentage of .443. The teams that ended in worst shape than the current Cardinals with at least 154 games played have almost been exhausted (the exceptions are a few teams within a year or two of teams already covered). We continue with looking at below .500 teams who finished with a better record than the current Cardinals now have.
We looked at the 1972 Cardinals in the last installment. This week we jump to the 2000s and remember the 2007 Cardinals.
The 2007 club was the last Cardinals team until this year to finish the season with a losing record. At 66-83 with 13 games left in the season, the 2023 Cardinals will end with a losing record.
Unlike the 2023 Cardinals, the 2007 team did not end up in last place. In fact, the 2007 squad held third place, despite a 78-84 record and a win percentage of .481. They were seven games back of the first place Cubs, with the Astros, Reds, and Pirates in the final three spots in the Division. As many recall, the Astros were in the NL Central Division until 2013 when they were moved into the American League West Division as part of an MLB realignment.
The 2007 Cardinals were led by the present owner, Bill DeWitt Jr. The GM was Walt Jocketty in his final season. The team was managed by Tony La Russa.
The 2007 team was coming off the World Series Championship in 2006. That was the franchise’s 10th title.
The primary starters for the 2007 team were C Yadier Molina, 1B Albert Pujols, 2B Adam Kennedy, SS David Eckstein, 3B Scott Rolen, LF Chris Duncan, CF Jim Edmonds, and RF Juan Encarnacion.
Pujols was by far the best offensive player on the team with a slash line of .327/.429/.568 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI. No other starting position player came anywhere close. Edmonds had been a very good offensive player for St. Louis, but he was on the downside of his career and was traded at the end of the season to San Diego for future 2011 postseason hero David Freese. The future Hall of Famer Rolen was in a similar position and was traded a year later to the Toronto Blue Jays. Rolen remained an active player a little longer than Edmonds.
The Cardinals’ rotation in 2007 consisted of Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes. Current Bally Sports Midwest color analyst Brad Thompson started 17 games. Joel Pineiro and Todd Wellemeyer each started 11 games. Chris Carpenter was to be a starter but missed most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons with elbow problems.
Wellemeyer had the best ERA (3.11) in his limited starts. Next was Wainwright (3.70). 2007 was Wainwright’s first season as a full-time starter. Wainwright had the best FIP (3.90).
Jason Isringhausen was the closer in a bullpen that also featured current scouting director Randy Flores.
Early that season, pitcher Josh Hancock was killed in a car accident. It was later determined that Hancock was intoxicated at the time.
The 2007 Cardinals were only in first place for three days, last on April 12. The team was never more than one game above .500 and was last at one game above .500 on September 6.
The team’s longest winning streak was five games and their longest losing streak was nine games. They had 38 comeback wins, 27 blown leads, five walk off wins and four walk off losses.
The 2007 squad was shut out by opponents 12 times and shut out opponents eight times. They had winning records against the Braves, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Astros, Brewers, Pirates, and Padres. They were tied with the Dodgers and the Royals.
The 2007 Cardinals outperformed their Pythagorean Expectation, which was 71-91.
Next week will be the 15th and final installment of this series.
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