photo: Nolan Gorman and Willson Contreras (Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports)
On the road, the St. Louis Cardinals went 4-2 last week but remain in last place. Willson Contreras and Nolan Gorman led the resurgent offense. Our history feature on underperforming Cards teams looks back at the .481 winning percentage squad from 1972.
Game Recaps
Monday, September 4, 2023 – Off day
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 – Cardinals 10 at Braves 6
In Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series in Atlanta, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Braves by four runs. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked two to earn his seventh win.
John King relieved Mikolas and got the final out of the seventh inning. Giovanny Gallegos surrendered two runs in 1/3 of an inning. Andre Pallante relinquished one run in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals answered with three runs in the second to go up 3-1. Nolan Arenado singled and came home on a double by Jordan Walker. Tyler O’Neill followed with a two-run home run.
In the third, a two-run home run by Nolan Gorman widened the lead to 5-1. The Cardinals made it 6-1 in the fourth on a solo home run by Walker.
The Cardinals continued to add on with three runs in the top of the sixth. Walker and O’Neill singled. Tommy Edman doubled to score Walker. O’Neill came home on a fielder’ choice by Masyn Winn. Paul Goldschmidt plated Edman on a single. The Cardinals led 9-1.
The Braves cut the lead to 9-3 in the home half of the sixth, then shrunk the lead again to 9-6 in the eighth.
The Cardinals tallied one final run in the ninth on a second long ball by Gorman to win 10-6.
Gorman was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. O’Neill was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
O’Neill stole his fifth base of the season.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023 – Cardinals 11 at Braves 6
On Wednesday, the Cardinals beat the Braves for the second game in a row to win the road series. Starter Dakota Hudson pitched five innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked three but still received his sixth win.
Casey Lawrence surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Andre Pallante got the last out of the seventh. Drew VerHagen tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar walked and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a two-run home run. Nolan Gorman advanced to first on a wild pitch third strike. Nolan Arenado singled. The Nolans executed a double steal. Gorman came home on a ground out by Willson Contreras. Alec Burleson plated Arenado with a single.
St. Louis made it 6-0 in the third. Gorman walked and Arenado doubled. Gorman scored on a single by Contreras. Arenado crossed the plate on a force out by Burleson.
The Braves scored two runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 6-2. St. Louis made it 7-2 in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Masyn Winn.
Atlanta shrunk the lead to 7-5 in the home half of the sixth. The Cardinals answered in the top of the seventh with a solo home run by Contreras for an 8-5 lead.
The Braves made it 8-6 in the bottom of the seventh. Nolan Gorman blasted a three-run home run in the eighth for the 11-6 victory.
Contreras was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Arenado was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Gorman had three RBI and three runs scored.
On the base paths, Gorman, Arenado, Burleson, Tommy Edman, and Richie Palacios each stole a base. Contreras was caught stealing.
Thursday, September 7, 2023 – Cardinals 5 at Braves 8
The Cardinals lost the final game of the series in Atlanta on Thursday. In a much-publicized swan song in his hometown, starter Adam Wainwright pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up six runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked three. Wainwright took the loss, remaining two wins short of 200 for his career.
Jacob Barnes relieved Wainwright and surrendered two runs in one inning. Matthew Liberatore threw the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Braves went up 3-0 in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the second. Nolan Arenado singled but was out at second on a force out by Jordan Walker. Luken Baker walked and Nolan Gorman singled. Andrew Knizner was hit by a pitch and Walker was forced in. Tommy Edman plated Baker and Gorman on a single.
Atlanta regained the lead 4-3 in the fifth. They added two runs in the sixth and two runs in the seventh to widen the lead to 8-3.
St. Louis cut the lead to 8-5 in the ninth. Alec Burleson walked. Gorman doubled. Lars Nootbaar walked. Masyn Winn’s single scored Burleson. Gorman came home on a sac fly by Edman.
Edman was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Gorman was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
On the base paths, Edman was caught stealing.
Friday, September 8, 2023 – Cardinals 9 at Reds 4
On Friday, the Cardinals thrashed Cincinnati by a 9-4 score in the first game of a weekend series. Starter Drew Rom pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on seven hits and walked two.
Six relievers combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. Drew VerHagen, Andre Pallante and Casey Lawrence threw 2/3 of scoreless inning each. Matthew Liberatore secured four outs. Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley each tossed a clean inning.
The Cardinals went up in the first inning on a three-run long ball by Willson Contreras. The Cardinals increased the lead to 6-0 in the top of the third. Paul Goldschmidt walked. Nolan Arenado singled. Willson Contreras walked. Luken Baker hit a bases clearing double.
The Reds cut the lead to 6-3 in the home half of the third, then made it 6-4 in the fourth. In the seventh, the Cardinals scored two runs to increase the lead to 8-4. Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Tyler O’Neill walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Edman came home on a second wild pitch. O’Neill was driven in by a single from Arenado.
The Cardinals added a ninth run in the eighth. Jordan Walker singled and crossed the plate on a double by Lars Nootbaar.
Arenado was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. O’Neill was 2-for-4. Contreras and Baker each had three RBI.
On the base paths, Edman stole his 24th base. In the field, Walker had an outfield assist at second base.
Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Cardinals 4 at Reds 3
On Saturday, the Cardinals took the second game in Cincinnati for the series win. Starter Zack Thompson pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out six and walked three to earn his fifth win.
Four relievers tossed a total of four scoreless innings. Casey Lawrence relieved Thompson for the sixth and John King took the seventh. Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley pitched the eighth and ninth, respectively. Helsley earned his eighth save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar walked and later scored on a single by Willson Contreras.
The Reds came back with three runs in the second to lead 3-1. St. Louis answered with two runs in the third on a two-run long ball by Contreras to tie the game.
The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the fourth. Tommy Edman singled but was out at second on a force out by Masyn Winn. Winn was driven in by a Nootbaar double.
The score held for the remainder of the game.
Contreras was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Nolan Gorman was 2-for-4. Edman was 3-for-4.
On the base paths, Winn stole his second base. In the field, Thompson picked a runner off first base.
Sunday, September 10, 2023 – Cardinals 1 at Reds 7
The Cardinals fell to the Reds in the final game of the road series on Sunday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked one. Mikolas took the loss.
Andre Pallante threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. Andrew Suarez surrendered two runs in the seventh. Jacob Barnes tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Reds scored two runs in the second to lead. The Cardinals plated their only run in the fourth. Nolan Arenado reached on an error and later came home on a single by Andrew Knizner.
The Reds scored three runs in the sixth to increase the lead to 5-1. They added one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings for the final score of 7-1.
The Cardinals managed only one hit, Knizner’s RBI single. They were 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Knizner stole his second base. Masyn Winn made a fielding error. Tyler O’Neill had an outfield assist at second base.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a good week, going 4-2 in six road games played. They won the series at the Braves and Reds, taking two of three from each. St. Louis remains in last place in the NL Central, 16.5 games back of the Brewers, and three games back of the fourth place Pirates. The Cardinals do not play the Pirates again this season.
The starting pitching did not improve over the last week, but the offense did, which had much to do with their success over the Braves and Reds. Scoring 40 runs over six games does quite a bit to overcome mediocre pitching. No starting pitcher had an ERA under 4.00 for the week. The best performer was Zack Thompson with an ERA of 5.40. The worst was Drew Rom (9.82) with Adam Wainwright (9.53) right behind him.
The bullpen was better, with the best performers being Ryan Helsley, John King, Matthew Liberatore (now in the bullpen after coming off the IL), Drew VerHagen, Casey Lawrence, and Andre Pallante. Giovanny Gallegos, Jacob Barnes, and Andrew Suarez have been subpar.
The offense was superb, the best they have been in months. The top performers by OPS were Nolan Gorman (1.285), Willson Contreras (1.264), Tyler O’Neill (1.069), and Paul Goldschmidt (.838). At the bottom were Richie Palacios (.250), Masyn Winn (.350), and Alec Burleson (.368). Despite his poor overall performance, Winn did hit his first major league home run against the Braves.
Nolan Gorman and Willson Contreras basically carried the team for the week with six home runs and 15 RBI between them.
There are only 19 games left in the season. There is still a chance to get out of last place, but the Cardinals have a difficult schedule ahead. They will play only one team below .500 (Padres). The Pirates, on the other hand, play two last place teams in the Nationals and the Yankees.
The Cardinals end their road trip in Baltimore and will return to St. Louis to play the Phillies. After that they conclude the season playing the first-place Brewers (twice), Padres and Reds.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 79 | 63 | 0.556 | ||
| Chicago | 77 | 67 | 0.535 | 3 | plus 2 |
| Cincinnati | 74 | 71 | 0.510 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 66 | 77 | 0.462 | 13.5 | 8.5 |
| St. Louis | 63 | 80 | 0.441 | 16.5 | 11.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/4 The Cardinals recalled SS José Fermin from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/4 The Cardinals designated 2B Taylor Motter for assignment.
- 9/4 The Cardinals activated LHP Matthew Liberatore from the 15-day injured list.
- 9/4 The Cardinals placed LHP JoJo Romero on the 15-day injured list retroactive to September 2, 2023.
- 9/6 The Cardinals sent 2B Taylor Motter outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
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 manager Oli Marmol acknowledged that the left hander is unlikely to return to pitch this season. Marmol said even if Matz returned, it would be as a reliever.
- 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 is dealing with two injuries, as his earlier ankle injury which occurred in May never healed completely. Prior reports had him contemplating ankle surgery, but since that report Carlson has indicated he hopes to play again this season. Carlson received a pain injection in his ankle and is reportedly engaging in some activity. No update has been given on the oblique injury. No expected return date has been announced.
- LHP Matthew Liberatore (lower back tightness) was activated from the 15-day injured list and has appeared in game action.
- RHP Guillermo Zuñiga was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right forearm strain. Zuñiga had been recalled when Drew VerHagen was placed on the Bereavement List. The right hander felt pain in his right arm during a bullpen session. The right hander is out for the remainder of the season.
- LHP JoJo Romero (left knee tendinitis) 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 Cardinals are hopeful Romero can return before the end of the season.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals will finish their nine-game, three city road trip with three games in Baltimore beginning on Monday. Dakota Hudson is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by Adam Wainwright and Drew Rom.
After a travel day on Thursday, the Cardinals return to St. Louis for a seven game homestand. It begins with three against the Phillies and ends with four versus the division-leading Brewers.
The final road trip of the season begins on September 22 with three games against the Padres in San Diego. The team travels to Milwaukee to play 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
St. Louis having 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.
This week’s Blast from the Past is the 13th installment in the series showcasing the worst seasons in the franchise’s long history.
The current Cardinals are 63-80 with a win percentage of .441. 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 that finished with a better record than the current Cardinals now have.
We move from the 1938 Cardinals of last week to the 1972 Cardinals. The previous year, 1971, was the best team of that decade, with a second place finish in the NL East, seven games back of the Pirates. Their record that season was 90-72. But the 1972 team lost that momentum.
The 1972 Cardinals were owned by Gussie Busch. The GM was Bing Devine. The manager was Red Schoendienst.
Two months before the 1972 season started, the Cardinals made what was arguably the worst trade in the history of the franchise due to a salary dispute. On February 25, 1972, the Cardinals traded pitcher Steve Carlton to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise. Wise gave the Cardinals two decent seasons and then was traded to the Red Sox. Carlton, on the other hand, gave the Phillies 15 exceptional seasons that included four Cy Young Awards.
Whether the Carlton trade was an arbiter of the rest of the decade for the Cardinals is left to the individual to contemplate. Nevertheless, the Cardinals never finished above second place for the remainder of the 1970s.
The 1972 Cardinals concluded in fourth place in the NL East with a record of 75-81 and a win percentage of .481. They were 21.5 games back of the Pirates, five games ahead of the fifth place Expos and 16 games ahead of the last place Phillies. (Carlton’s Phillies gradually improved to three first place finishes in their division by the end of the decade and won the World Series title in 1980.)
The primary starters for the 1972 Cardinals squad were C Ted Simmons, 1B Matty Alou, 2B Ted Sizemore, SS Dal Maxvill, 3B Joe Torre, LF Lou Brock, CF Jose Cruz, and RF Bernie Carbo.
The best offensive player was Simmons, who slashed .303/.336/.465 with 16 home runs and 96 RBI. Second was Torre, with a slash line of .289/.357/.419 with 11 home runs and 81 RBI.
The starting rotation was Bob Gibson, Rick Wise, Reggie Cleveland, Al Santorini, and Scipio Spinks. Gibson had the best ERA (2.46). Gibson also had the best FIP (2.54).
The 1972 Cardinals were never in first place. The most they were over .500 was six games, which occurred last on July 13.
Their longest winning streak was seven games and their longest losing streak was eight games. They had 34 comeback wins, 29 blown leads, nine walk off wins, and three walk off losses.
The team was shut out by opponents in 14 games and they shut out opponents 13 times. They had a winning record against three teams, the Astros, Mets, and Giants. They tied the Braves.
The 1972 Cardinals barely outperformed their Pythagorean Expectation, which was 74-82.
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