photo: St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals had a difficult time winning at home but celebrated six former greats over the weekend. Adam Wainwright has been consistently strong and Paul Goldschmidt is hot, but many others are struggling. Our history feature includes a look at key transactions this week in prior seasons.
Hall of Fame inductions and greats honored
Though the St. Louis Cardinals’ results on the field over the weekend were not ideal, fans received a special treat all three days. Late Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Bob Gibson were honored on Friday and Sunday, respectively, with the Classes of 2020 and 2021 inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The four newest Cardinals Hall of Famers are Bill White, Tom Herr, John Tudor and Keith Hernandez. The latter three spoke during the ceremonies, with many prior inductees in attendance.
For those who missed the ceremony live, Bally Sports Midwest will replay the festivities in a one-hour special debuting Tuesday, August 24, at 5 p.m . It will also run five other times this coming week.
The 2021 @Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony special debuts tomorrow at 5 and 10 pm on Bally Sports Midwest. #CardsHOF #STLCards
Air dates and times: https://t.co/wf4XTEBfl2. pic.twitter.com/ibXf0lbMlY
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 23, 2021
2022 spring training schedule announced
St. Louis’ 30-game 2022 Grapefruit League slate will begin on Saturday, February 26, with the club’s first home game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium the next day.
The Cardinals spring schedule features 15 home dates and 15 road games, including three games as the visiting team against stadium co-tenants Miami Marlins, giving them 18 total games in Jupiter.
The Cardinals will host six different Grapefruit League opponents, with the highlight home (and away) games with the New York Yankees.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 16 – Off day
Tuesday, August 17 – Cardinals 0, Brewers 2
The Cardinals were blanked by the NL Central leading Brewers in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis’ offense managed only four hits, all singles, against Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. Paul Goldschmidt tagged Burnes for two with Tommy Edman and Yadier Molina contributing the other two.
Starter Adam Wainwright pitched six innings and gave up two runs on nine hits, struck out four and walked two. It was good enough for a win, but the offense gave the right hander no run support. T.J. McFarland, Luis Garcia, and Andrew Miller combined for the final three scoreless innings.
On the base paths, Nolan Arenado stole his second base of the season. In the field, Edmundo Sosa made a throwing error. Tyler O’Neill collected two outfield assists, throwing former teammate Kolten Wong out at home, and throwing Avisail Garcia out at second.
Wednesday, August 18 – Cardinals 4, Brewers 6 (10 innings)
The Cardinals were defeated by the Brewers in a heartbreaking second game of the series. This time, they could score, but not enough to edge first place Milwaukee.
Jack Flaherty got the start and the right hander pitched six innings giving up two runs on four hits, fanning eight and walking one. Genesis Cabrera and Giovanny Gallegos each tossed a scoreless inning. Alex Reyes took the ninth and 10th and surrendered four runs, one earned, on three hits. The closer was tagged with the blown save and the loss. It was Reyes’ second blown save and sixth loss.
The Redbirds offense got off to a good start, with two runs in the first inning and one run in the second to take a 3-0 lead. In the first, Paul Goldschmidt doubled to left and scored on a single from Tyler O’Neill. Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch and Lars Nootbaar singled to plate O’Neill. In the second inning, Tommy Edman doubled and scored on a double by Goldschmidt.
The Brewers got two back in the fourth and fifth innings. The Cardinals failed to add on, and in the eighth, Nolan Arenado was ejected after exchanging words with the first base umpire over two previous questionable check swing calls.
The Cardinals took a 3-2 lead into the ninth, with closer Reyes in to pitch. The inning began with a punch out of Omar Narvaez. Narvaez took exception to the umpire’s strike three call, which was off the plate. Narvaez was ejected, as was manager Craig Counsell. Avisail Garcia hit a solo home run on the first pitch he saw from Reyes following the ejections. The game was tied 3-3. Reyes finished the ninth and was sent back out for the 10th after the Cardinals failed to score in the home ninth.
The 10th started poorly with a throwing error by Reyes on a ball in play from Luis Urias, with a runner already on second. The runner, Jackie Bradley Jr., advanced to third with no outs. Reyes retired the next two hitters, but with Christian Yelich at the plate, Reyes threw a wild pitch and Bradley Jr. scored. Yelich bunted to the left side and with no Arenado there to field it, it was a hit. Urias scored on the bunt single. Jace Peterson singled to right field and Nootbaar misplayed the ball, then made a bad throw, and Yelich scored from first base. The inning mercifully ended when Reyes struck out Manny Pina.
The Cardinals, behind 6-3, managed to get one run with O’Neill on second base, on a Molina single. Nootbaar grounded out, Paul DeJong and Harrison Bader both struck out, and the game was over.
Flaherty and Reyes both made throwing errors, and Nootbaar had the fielding miscue on Peterson’s single.
Thursday, August 19 – Cardinals 8, Brewers 4
The Cardinals managed to avoid the sweep by the Brewers, taking the final game of the series 8-4. It was not an easy feat, as Milwaukee had a big inning to take a three-run lead, but the Redbirds offense smartly responded with a big inning of their own.
St. Louis got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Nolan Arenado. The fourth inning got away from Cardinals starter Jon Lester, beginning with hitting the first batter, Avisail Garcia with a pitch. From there it snowballed into a four-run burst.
The Cardinals persevered, and in the fifth inning they were rewarded. Andrew Knizner led off with a single. With two out, Paul Goldschmidt singled, and Arenado followed with a single that scored Knizner. Tyler O’Neill then blasted a three-run home run to straight center field, and Lars Nootbaar followed with a solo home run to right center field. The Cardinals were ahead 6-4.
St. Louis’ offense proceeded to add on with an RBI double by Edman in the sixth, and a bases loaded walk to Harrison Bader in the seventh. The bullpen kept the Brewers from scoring after the fourth inning.
The top of the Redbirds lineup, Edman, Goldschmidt, Arenado, and O’Neill, all had two hits. Arenado had two RBI and O’Neill drove in three on the long ball. Nootbaar and Bader each had an RBI.
Lester pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on six hits, and walked three. Junior Fernandez relieved in the fifth and threw two pitches to get an inning ending double play. Fernandez received his first win as a result. Luis Garcia, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and T.J. McFarland each tossed a scoreless inning.
Friday, August 20 – Cardinals 0, Pirates 4
The Cardinals responded to the much-needed win on Thursday over the first place Brewers by getting shut out by the last place Pirates on Friday. The offense scattered 10 hits but could not string any together to bring runs home.
In the first start since coming off the injured list, right-hander Miles Mikolas pitched fine, going five innings, and giving up two runs on two hits while striking out five and walking two. His offense rewarded him with a big goose egg. Andrew Miller and Daniel Ponce de Leon both surrendered one run in two innings pitched each. Mikolas took the loss.
The 10 hits were all singles, including three by Lars Nootbaar. Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong had two. Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina, and pinch hitter Austin Dean had the other three. The Cardinals had the bases loaded in the second inning, but it was with Mikolas up. They had two runners on a few times but to no avail.
After making two great diving catches, Harrison Bader attempted a third one and likely wished he hadn’t. He missed it and it resulted in the first two Pirates runs. He was charged with a fielding error.
Saturday, August 21 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 5
The Cardinals put themselves in a position to be swept for the second time in a week by losing to the Pirates in the second game of the series. It was doubly disappointing coming on Hall of Fame induction day.
The Pirates scored in the third inning on a solo home run by Kevin Newman. The Redbirds quickly tied it in the home half of the inning on an RBI double by Paul Goldschmidt.
The Pirates regained the lead in the fourth on a second solo home run, this one by Yoshi Tsutsugo. The Cardinals took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on a single by Yadier Molina and a double by Edmundo Sosa.
The big inning did St. Louis in as the bullpen gave up three runs in the seventh. The Cardinals got one back in the bottom of the inning on consecutive singles by Tommy Edman, Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado, and a sac fly by Tyler O’Neill. The Redbirds didn’t rally in the final two innings and the Pirates took home their second win in two nights.
Edman, O’Neill, and Sosa each went 2-for-4. Goldschmidt was 2-for-5.
Cardinals starter J.A Happ pitched six innings and gave up two runs on six hits, fanned eight and walked one. His quality start was to no avail, as reliever Giovanny Gallegos had a bad day and surrendered three runs in the seventh. Luis Garcia and T.J. McFarland each threw a scoreless inning. Gallegos was tagged with the blown save and the loss.
On the base paths, O’Neill stole his 10th base of the season. In the field, Lars Nootbaar made his second fielding error in right field. Nootbaar did have an outfield assist at first base. Harrison Bader had an outfield assist at home.
Sunday, August 22 – Cardinals 3, Pirates 0
For the second time in a week, the Cardinals avoided being swept at home by taking the final game of the series, 3-0. It is not a pattern to be continued, one must hope.
In a season marked with the ability to stop losing streaks, no matter how brief, Adam Wainwright did his thing again. The soon to be 40-year-old right hander pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed two hits, and fanned nine. His manager prevented him from going nine and sent Alex Reyes out to pitch the ninth. Reyes did what he often does and gave everyone a scare. He retired the first two batters, then gave up two singles and almost gave up an extra base hit after that, but the acrobatics of Lars Nootbaar prevented the disaster as he made a twisting catch up against the right field wall. Wainwright earned his 12th win and Reyes got his 28th save.
The Cardinals offense scored three runs on nine hits. The first run was driven home by Yadier Molina in the first inning following a Paul Goldschmidt double and a Tyler O’Neill walk.
The Redbirds went up 2-0 in the fifth on a solo home run by Goldschmidt, his 19th of the season. The third and final run came home in the eight on a single by Harrison Bader that scored Molina, who led off the inning with a single. The Pirates only managed four hits, two of which occurred in the ninth.
Goldschmidt, Molina, and Nootbaar each had two hits.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week 2-4 after going 6-0 the week before. The week prior to that, they were 2-4. One might call the Cardinals the poster team for inconsistency. The team lost 2 of 3 to the first place Brewers, then lost 2 of 3 to the last place Pirates.
The offense is like the weather in Missouri, wait five minutes and it will change. To make this week even more special, the team was shut out twice, once by the Brewers, and once by the Pirates. In the prior 2-4 week they scored at least one run in every game. This kind of offense if it continues is not going to get the Cardinals anywhere near the Wild Card. Despite San Diego’s flop, it is the Reds who have taken advantage.
During the bad week, while there were individual accomplishments on offense, there were just not enough strung together to win consistently. Over the last seven days, OPS leaders were Paul Goldschmidt (1.195), Lars Nootbaar (.875), Tyler O’Neill (.839), and Tommy Edman (.802).
Sunk to new lows are Nolan Arenado (.302) and Harrison Bader (.291). Middle of the road is Yadier Molina (.697). To be fair, however, seven-day stats mean virtually nothing in the big picture, so fans should leave the pitchforks at home. Adam Wainwright had a 1.167 OPS in three at-bats. Paul DeJong (.500) and Edmundo Sosa (.536) have been time sharing at SS, but as you can see, neither is taking advantage.
The starting pitching has been fine overall, from Adam Wainwright (great) to Jon Lester (not particularly good but kept the team in the game). The bullpen had some spectacular meltdowns unfortunately, by pitchers whom one would not expect (Giovanny Gallegos) to one we’ve seen do it before (Alex Reyes).
The Cardinals will be getting a reinforcement in the bullpen, as Kwang-Hyun Kim will be pitching in relief for the near term at least if not longer. Ryan Helsley went on the IL in the pair of moves announced Sunday.
There were also some ugly defensive errors, from an unexpected source (Harrison Bader) and another player not necessarily unexpected because he’s a rookie (Lars Nootbaar). There was a defensive debacle from Alex Reyes as well. No base running blunders; thank goodness for small favors. Baserunning has been very good this season, so that’s to be expected.
The Cardinals move to two games against the Tigers, a sub .500 team, and a four-game weekend series one more time in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, who will face their nemesis Wainwright again. Cue the “win the series” mantra. They really must at this point with a more difficult September schedule looming.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 76 | 49 | 0.608 | |
| Cincinnati | 69 | 57 | 0.548 | 7.5 |
| St. Louis | 63 | 60 | 0.512 | 12 |
| Chicago | 54 | 72 | 0.429 | 22.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 44 | 80 | 0.355 | 31.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/16 The Cardinals sent CF Scott Hurst outright to the Memphis Redbirds
- 8/17 The Cardinals recalled OF Austin Dean from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/17 The Cardinals placed OF Dylan Carlson on the 10-day injured list. Right wrist sprain.
- 8/18 The Cardinals recalled RHP Junior Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/18 The Cardinals placed RHP Justin Miller on the 10-day injured list. Right ulnar nerve irritation.
- 8/19 The Cardinals sent LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/20 The Cardinals activated RHP Miles Mikolas.
- 8/20 The Cardinals placed RHP Ryan Helsley on the 10-day injured list. Right elbow stress reaction.
- 8/22 The Cardinals optioned RHP Junior Fernandez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/22 The Cardinals activated LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim.
Injury Report
- RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm tightness), was activated on August 20 and made a start against the Pirates.
- RHP Jordan Hicks (right elbow inflammation) remains on the 60-day injured list and the team seems less optimistic that he can return to pitch sometime before the end of the season.
- 2B Max Moroff (left shoulder subluxation) remains on the 60-day injured list after suffering a shoulder injury in a batting practice session. Moroff had surgery on the shoulder and is out for the rest of the season.
- RHP Dakota Hudson (Tommy John surgery) is expected to start a rehab assignment soon with the hope he can return in a relief role in September.
- RHP Carlos Martinez (right thumb ligament sprain) had surgery on July 16 to repair his thumb ligament. The surgery makes it less likely the right hander will return to pitch this season. If that is the case, Martinez may have thrown his last pitch as a Cardinal. Martinez is on the final year of his contract, and though the team holds options for 2022 and 2023, they are not expected to pick them up.
- LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim (left elbow inflammation) was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 22. Kim is likely to be used out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future.
- LHP Wade LeBlanc (left elbow pain) remains on the 10-day injured list. The left hander has begun throwing from flat ground and will slowly build himself back up. An early September return is the hope for LeBlanc if all goes well.
- RF Dylan Carlson (right wrist) has a mild sprain of his wrist near the hamate bone. Carlson has begun some light swinging, but only from the left side. Carlson will test his swing from the right side in an attempt to return to play for the Detroit series on Tuesday.
- RHP Ryan Helsley (right elbow stress reaction), was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 20. Helsley will refrain from throwing for 5-6 days and then be reevaluated. Imaging showed no structural damage. A return for Helsley is to be determined.
- RHP Justin Miller (right ulnar nerve irritation) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18. Miller will undergo scans and treatment and his return is yet to be determined.
Looking Ahead
Following an off day on Monday, the Tigers come to town for a two-game series. Flaherty is scheduled to make the Tuesday start with Jon Lester following on Wednesday.
The team travels to Pittsburgh to play the third series of August against the Pirates, a four-game set beginning Thursday.
The Cardinals end the month with a crucial series against the wild card-leading Reds in Cincinnati. After a Thursday off day, the team goes to Milwaukee to play the Brewers in a weekend set.
Starting Labor Day, Monday, September 6, the other wild card leader, the Dodgers, will come to Busch Stadium for a four-game series.
The Cardinals regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast returns to Cardinals historical transactions for the week of August 16-22. The following are some notable transactions during that time.
The only notable Cardinals transaction on August 16 was the release of catcher Tom Pagnozzi in 1998. Pagnozzi was the last Cardinals catcher to play his entire career with the team prior to Yadier Molina. “Pags” was drafted in the eighth round of the 1983 draft and made his major league debut on April 12, 1987, in a 13-12 win over the Pirates. Known for his defense, Pagnozzi won three Gold Glove Awards. His best season with the bat was in 1994, when he slashed .272/.327/.416. He was selected for the All-Star Game once, in 1992. Pagnozzi retired from baseball after his release. His nephew, Matt Pagnozzi, also a catcher, had a brief career with the Cardinals as well.
There were no transactions of note on August 17. On August 18, 2006, the Cardinals signed outfielder Preston Wilson, nephew of Mookie Wilson. Wilson had been DFAed by Houston on August 12, and the Cardinals picked him up because they needed a replacement for injured Jim Edmonds. Wilson was put in right and Juan Encarnacion was moved to center. Wilson hit a home run against the Cubs on the day he was signed and was part of the 2006 World Series, during which he had two hits. The Cardinals re-signed him for 2007, but he injured his knee in May and was out for the rest of the season. The Cardinals released Wilson at the end of the season.
On August 19, 2010, the Cardinals traded future MLB reliever David Carpenter to Houston for infielder Pedro Feliz and cash. Feliz was acquired to ostensibly replace the injured David Freese, after backup Felipe Lopez failed miserably. Unfortunately, Feliz was a bust as well and never played in the major leagues again after 2010. David Carpenter went on to play to pitch for six different teams over the next nine years, concluding with the Texas Rangers. Carpenter’s career was also unremarkable, though longer. He last pitched in a major league game on August 18, 2019. He played in the minors for a few other organizations, most recently the Reds. Carpenter is currently on suspension from MLB for violation of the drug policy.
There were no notable transactions on August 20. On August 21, 2018, the Cardinals claimed Matt Adams off waivers from the Nationals. Most are quite familiar with Adams, who was the 23rd round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2009. He made his major league debut on May 20, 2012, to replace the injured Lance Berkman. “Big City” is perhaps most well-known for his three-run home run off Clayton Kershaw in Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS.
The Cardinals traded Adams to the Braves in 2017 for Juan Yepez (currently playing well for the Memphis Redbirds). He signed with the Nationals as a free agent for the 2018 season and then returned briefly to the Cardinals on a waiver claim. His return was not successful, and he re-signed with the Nationals and has moved around ever since to the Mets, back to the Braves and then to the Rockies, from where he was released on July 27 of this year.
Two notable transactions occurred on August 22. The Cardinals signed Bernard Gilkey, a St. Louis native, as a nondrafted free agent in 1984. Gilkey played six seasons with the Cardinals forming a strong outfield with Ray Lankford and Brian Jordan. Gilkey slashed .282/.354/.431 with 52 home runs and 250 RBI. He is currently hitting coach of the Florida Complex League Cardinals.
The second August 22 transaction was the signing of another nondrafted free agent in 1974, one even more notable than Gilkey. In fact, that NDFA was just inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on Saturday. Tom Herr went on to make his major league debut on August 13, 1979.
Herr played 10 seasons for the Cardinals, including the 1982, 1985, and 1987 World Series and was an All Star in 1985, his best MLB season. He finished fifth in the 1985 MVP voting, the year he posted 110 RBI with only eight home runs. Herr was traded to the Twins in 1988 for Tom Brunansky, then went on to play for the Phillies, the Mets, and the Giants before retiring after he was released in 1991.
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