St. Louis Cardinals Major League Notebook – September 25–October 1

photo: Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals)

The last place Cardinals said goodbye to retiring franchise icon Adam Wainwright and the lost 2023 season as Miles Mikolas won his last two starts in the 3-3 week.

Retiring Adam Wainwright receives a big sendoff

Before the final game of the season on Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals gave retiring Adam Wainwright an emotional and gift-filled goodbye ceremony.

Wainwright was joined by family and friends, along with former teammates to bid him farewell. Among the former teammates were Hall of Famer Scott Rolen, and Cardinals Hall of Famers Jason Isringhausen and Chris Carpenter. Former teammates from the 2011 World Series team included Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook.

Adam Wainwright

The most emotional moment was the introduction of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, as they came out of the dugout in a somewhat surprising fashion. Wainwright acknowledged later that he knew Pujols was present, but he was unaware that Molina would be there.

Wainwright’s former manager Tony La Russa was also in the group, along with Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith, Ted Simmons, and Whitey Herzog.

Speaking to the crowd to laud Wainwright were Cardinals owner and Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr, his son and President of the Cardinals Bill DeWitt III, and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. Albert Pujols also spoke of his friend and former teammate. Carpenter made a very emotional speech about how Wainwright had changed his life by leaving a Bible in his locker in 2010 to help him with some personal issues in his life.

Bill DeWitt III presented Wainwright with multiple gifts. These gifts included a guitar with the Cardinal logo, career highlights and personal messages from his children on the back. Also given was a painting of Wainwright painted personally by DeWitt III and a $100,000 donation to Wainwright’s foundation.

The most unique gift was a total surprise to Wainwright and his children. The Cardinals, with the aid of Wainwright’s wife Jenny, presented Adam and the children with a puppy. The story is that Wainwright told his children they could not get a dog until he retired from baseball. The promise was fulfilled by the Cardinals rather than Wainwright himself.

In addition to the gifts, the Cardinals presented he and Molina with engraved silver bowls to honor them for their accomplishment last season breaking the MLB record for most starts by a pitcher/catcher battery.

The ceremony was very touching and was a tremendous send off for Wainwright, who played for almost two decades for this one team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Wainwright promised to return often and thanked the fans for being so supportive.

The ceremony followed a concert by Wainwright on the previous night after the game. Wainwright performed three songs that he wrote to the delight of the fans who remained to hear him.

The future for Wainwright appears to include a broadcasting career. He has made some appearances on Fox as a color analyst in past postseasons, and announced he will be doing so again this postseason.

Game Recaps

Monday, September 25, 2023 – Off day

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – Cardinals 4 at Brewers 1

The Cardinals beat the Brewers by three runs in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched seven innings, gave up one run on five hits, struck out five and walked two to earn his eighth win of the season.

Miles Mikolas

Drew VerHagen relieved Mikolas and threw one scoreless inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 13th save.

The Brewers scored first in the third to lead 1-0. The Cardinals responded with two runs in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Tommy Edman singled. Lars Nootbaar walked. Richie Palacios doubled to score Edman and Nootbaar.

St. Louis increased their lead to 4-1 in the fifth. Andrew Knizner walked and later came home on a sac fly by Masyn Winn. Tommy Edman hit a solo home run.

Edman was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4. Palacios had two RBI.

On the base paths, José Fermin was caught stealing.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – Cardinals 2 at Brewers 3

The Cardinals dropped the second game of the series to the Brewers by one run on Wednesday. Starter Zack Thompson pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out five and walked one.

Zack Thompson

Jacob Barnes surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning and took the loss. Matthew Liberatore threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Casey Lawrence tossed the final 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and later scored on a sac fly by Masyn Winn.

St. Louis increased the lead to 2-0 in the top of the sixth. Luken Baker singled and later came home on a wild pitch. The Brewers tied the game in the home half of the sixth and took a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

Tommy Edman was 2-for-4 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits. The offense was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

In the field, Richie Palacios made a throwing error.

Thursday, September 28, 2023 – Cardinals 0 at Brewers 3

The Cardinals were blanked by the Brewers in the final game of the series in Milwaukee. Starter Dakota Hudson pitched five innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three. Hudson took the loss.

Andre Pallante relieved Hudson and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Jacob Barnes tossed a scoreless eighth.

The Brewers went up 1-0 in the first inning. They added one in the third and one in the sixth to win 3-0.

The Cardinals offense scattered six hits. No Cardinal had multiples. Two of the six went for extra bases, doubles by Tommy Edman and Juniel Querecuto.

Friday, September 29, 2023 – Cardinals 2, Reds 19

The Cardinals were annihilated by the Reds in the first game of the final series of the season at Busch Stadium. Starter Jake Woodford pitched 1 2/3 innings, gave up seven runs on six hits and walked one. Woodford took the loss.

Casey Lawrence relieved Woodford and surrendered five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Andrew Suarez relinquished five runs, two earned, in 3 2/3 innings. Jacob Barnes yielded two runs in the eighth. Matthew Liberatore tossed a scoreless ninth.

The Reds began their scoring bonanza in the first inning with three runs. They made it 7-0 in the second.

Richie Palacios

The Cardinals scored their only runs in the third on a two-run home run by Richie Palacios.

The Reds put up seven more runs in the fourth, and added the final five runs in the eighth.

The Cardinals scored two runs on six hits. Masyn Winn was 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Palacios had two RBI.

In the field, Winn made two errors, one fielding and one throwing. José Fermin made a throwing error.

Saturday, September 30, 2023 – Cardinals 15, Reds 6

The Cardinals returned the favor to the Reds in a 15-6 blowout on Saturday. Starter Drew Rom pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out seven and walked three.

Andre Pallante relieved Rom and surrendered one run in one inning. Drew VerHagen relinquished one run in one inning and earned the win. Matthew Liberatore threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. John King and Casey Lawrence each tossed a scoreless inning.

The Cardinals broke out on top with five runs in the first inning. Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt and Lars Nootbaar walked. Jordan Walker doubled to score Edman and Goldschmidt. Ivan Herrera plated Nootbaar and Walker on a double. Herrera came home on a double by Luken Baker.

St. Louis added five more runs in the second to lead 10-0. Edman singled and Goldschmidt hit a ground-rule double. Lars Nootbaar hit a three-run home run. Walker doubled. Herrera walked. Walker and Herrera came home on a double by José Fermin.

Lars Nootbaar

The Cardinals made it 11-0 in the third. Edman singled and scored on a double by Goldschmidt.

The Reds finally got on the board with one run in the fourth and added four more runs in the fifth to shrink the lead further to 11-5. A sixth run in the seventh made it 11-6.

The Cardinals widened their lead with four runs in the eighth for the final score of 15-6. Nootbaar singled. Walker grounded into a force out, eliminating Nootbaar. Herrera singled. Richie Palacios walked. Baker walked and Walker scored. Herrera came home on a walk by Fermin. Masyn Winn plated Palacios and Baker on a single.

Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 2-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Herrera was 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Goldschmidt was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Edman was 2-for-5 with three runs scored. Fermin had three RBI. Baker drove in two. Masyn Winn had two RBI.

On the base paths, Edman stole his 26th base of the season.

Sunday, October 1, 2023 – Cardinals 4, Reds 3

The Cardinals beat the Reds in the final game of the season to end their terrible season on a semi-high note. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched one of his better games of 2023. The right hander went seven innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, struck out 10 and gave no free passes. Mikolas won his ninth game of the season and reached his personal goal of 200 innings pitched.

Miles Mikolas

John King relieved Mikolas and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth for his 14th save of the season.

The Reds scored first with one run in the first inning. The Cardinals tied it in the second. Richie Palacios doubled and came home on a sac fly by Irving Lopez.

Cincinnati came back to make it 2-1 in the top of the third. St. Louis scored three in the home half of the third to regain the lead at 4-2. Tommy Edman singled and stole second base. Edman scored on a double by Jordan Walker. Luken Baker doubled to bring in Walker. José Fermin plated Baker on a single.

The Reds made it a one run game in the seventh, but the Cardinals held on to win.

Walker was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Edman was 2-for-4.

On the base paths, Edman stole his 27th base and was also caught stealing.

The Big Picture

St. Louis finished the final week of the dismal season with a record of 3-3. They won 1 of 3 from the Brewers and took 2 of 3 from the Reds. Cincinnati fell short in its wild card bid as did the Cubs.

The Cardinals finished the season in last place in their division for the first time since 1990 and for only the seventh time in franchise history since becoming the Cardinals in 1890.

The summary of 2023 comes down to one thing, pitching. The pitching, both starting and relief, was a failure. If the Cardinals do only one thing in the offseason, they need to completely revamp the staff. At least two starters should be obtained, preferably top of the rotation starters. The bullpen needs to be reconfigured as well.

Ryan Helsley

For the final seven days of the season, only two starters had an ERA below 4.00, Zack Thompson (1.61) in one start and Miles Mikolas (2.57) in two starts. Ryan Helsley, John King and Matthew Liberatore were the best performers out of the bullpen.

In looking at the entire season, Steven Matz, who pitched in only 25 games, 17 as a starter, was the only rotation member with an ERA under 4.00 (3.86). Similarly, Helsley, King (who was obtained at the trade deadline), JoJo Romero, and Drew VerHagen were the only relievers with an ERA under 4.00.

Tommy Edman

Looking at the offense, the top performers by OPS over the last seven days were Ivan Herrera (1.127 in two games), Tommy Edman (1.027), and José Fermin (.831). At the bottom were Masyn Winn (.375) and Juan Yepez (.432)

For the entire season, the top hitters were Willson Contreras (.825), Paul Goldschmidt (.810) and Nolan Gorman (.806). Richie Palacios, in the 32 games in which he played, had an OPS of .823.

Willson Contreras

Several of the better offensive players, most notably Nolan Arenado, had a down season. Brendan Donovan’s season was cut short by injury, so his year may have ended better than it did. Injury was a big factor this season for many offensive players. Tyler O’Neill, who had a great 2022 season, couldn’t stay on the field in 2023.  Dylan Carlson struggled with injuries as well. Young players like Jordan Walker look promising for 2024, especially if he can improve his defense.

The core is present, and with a few tweaks here and there could be very good in 2024. Though reigning MVP Goldschmidt and Arenado did not repeat their outstanding performance at the plate in 2022, there is no reason they can’t be better in 2024.

In conclusion, the lost season is over, and it is time for the organization to plan for 2024. Let us all hope they do their job better in the offseason and bring the devoted fan base a division winning contender next season.

NL Central Final Standings

Team W L PCT GB WCGB
Milwaukee 92 70 0.568
Chicago 83 79 0.512 9 1
Cincinnati 82 80 0.506 10 2
Pittsburgh 76 86 0.469 16 8
St. Louis 71 91 0.438 21 13

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

  • 9/30 The Cardinals recalled RHP James Naile from the Memphis Redbirds.
  • 9/30 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford to the FCL Cardinals.

Injury Report

  • RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) went on the 60-day injured list after May arthroscopic surgery. He had a brief rehab assignment in Memphis but pain in the shoulder returned and he was unable to pitch again this 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) remained on the 15-day injured list. Matz was not able to return to pitch this season but will be ready for spring training.
  • 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 internal brace surgery on August 2 to repair a damaged ligament. Donovan is expected to be fully ready for Spring Training in 2024.
  • CF Dylan Carlson (left oblique strain and left ankle sprain) was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on September 22. 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 was scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen during the San Diego series but had to return to Los Angeles for a family matter. He is expected to be ready for spring training.
  • LF Tyler O’Neill (right foot sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list last Sunday, which ended 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. The injury ended his season and he is expected to be ready for spring training.
  • 3B Nolan Arenado (low back spasms) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 22. The third baseman had been plagued with low back pain for weeks and the decision was made to shut him down.
  • C Willson Contreras (left wrist tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 22. Contreras has been banged up for much of the second half of the season. The catcher had an MRI on his left wrist and the recommendation was that he be shut down for the rest of the season. Surgery will not be required, however.
  • RHP Giovanny Gallegos (right rotator cuff tendinitis) was placed on the 15- day injured list on September 18. Like many of his teammates, Gallegos was shut down for the remainder of the season.
  • IF/OF Alec Burleson (left thumb fracture) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 20. The injury occurred when Burleson stole third base and jammed his thumb on the bag during the September 19 game against the Brewers. An X-Ray revealed the thumb was fractured and surgery was done to insert a stabilizing pin. Burleson is done for the season.

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals season has ended. There will be no return to the postseason and they finished the season in last place in the NL Central for the first time since 1990.

The postseason begins on Tuesday, October 3 with four best of three Wild Card Series, two in each Division. First place Milwaukee plays wild card Arizona.

The postseason continues through the month of October and into the first week of November. The offseason officially begins after the last game of the World Series which will be no later than November 4.

Blast from the Past

St. Louis had one of its worst seasons in 50 years. The Cardinals have been one of the most consistent franchises in terms of winning seasons over the history of major league baseball. Nevertheless, St. Louis had had periods of underperforming.

For the past 15 weeks, this segment has looked at past losing seasons, both worse than the 2023 season and slightly better. This week we summarize the 2023 season in light of those past seasons in order to provide a broader context.

The Cardinals have had approximately 125 seasons since the franchise changed its name to the Cardinals in 1900. Of those, in 41 seasons the team finished below .500. The 2023 Cardinals season ranks 18th worst of those 41 seasons.

Fourteen of those worse 17 teams were teams in the early 19th century. Only the 1978, 1990 and 1995 seasons were more proximate to the 2023 season.

In terms of Division or League rank, the 1990 season was the last season the Cardinals finished in last place. The teams that also finished in last place were 1903, 1907, 1908, 1913, and 1918. Therefore, in total the franchise finished in last place only seven times in its history, a group that now includes 2023.

The 2023 last place finish, however, must be looked at in the context of the size of the Division or League in which they were playing. The 1990 and 2023 teams were the only teams that played in a six team Division. The remaining last place teams played in an eight team National League.

One must also remember that baseball has changed a great deal since the early 20th century. It would be unfair to compare the 2023 team in terms of the type of baseball played in those days, with the faster paced, more demanding style played currently. There were fewer teams to compete with back in the early 20th century, for instance.

Nevertheless, the 2023 season was a major disappointment to both fans and the players themselves. One could spend pages trying to analyze why the season played out as it did, but that is for another day. The fact remains that in terms of the franchise history, the 2023 team did not meet the expectations that comes along with such a long and successful franchise as the St. Louis Cardinals.

It is perhaps best to think of 2023 as a freakish outlier for a franchise that has built a reputation for being perennial winners.

Let us all look forward to a better season in 2024 and into the future.

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