photo: Paul DeJong and Jose Martinez (Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Sports)
The surging St. Louis Cardinals have won five consecutive series for the first time in three years. Paul DeJong and Jose Martinez join NL Player of the Week Matt Carpenter as hot hitters. In our weekly history feature, the “Show Me Series” is remembered.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 6 – Cardinals 1 at Marlins 2
The Cardinals played a three-game series in Miami, with the opener a one run loss to the NL East last-place team. Luke Weaver pitched well but received almost no run support from his offense. Weaver pitched six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. The right hander fanned five and walked none. Lefty Tyler Webb tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The offense was held scoreless until the ninth inning when Matt Carpenter walked with the bases loaded to plate Paul DeJong. All seven St. Louis hits were singles. Marcell Ozuna was 3-for-4. Harrison Bader was 2-for-4.
Tuesday, August 7 – Cardinals 3 at Marlins 2
The second game of the series went better for the Cardinals, with a one run victory instead of a loss. The offense was stymied again by Marlins’ pitching, kept off the board until the seventh inning, when Paul DeJong’s two run home run tied the score at 2-2. In the eighth, Matt Carpenter hit a solo shot to give the Cardinals the lead and the win. DeJong went 2-for-4, as did Marcell Ozuna.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on five hits. Mikolas struck out only one and walked no one. The right hander earned his 12th win. Dakota Hudson tossed a scoreless eighth and Bud Norris a run-free ninth to earn his 22nd save.
Wednesday, August 8 – Cardinals 7 at Marlins 1
The Cardinals bats finally got going in this six-run win in the final game in Miami. The scoring began in the first on a solo home run by Yadier Molina. The Marlins tied it up the next inning and the score remained tied until the sixth, when Matt Carpenter’s solo home run gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead. An RBI double by Marcell Ozuna in that same inning put the Redbirds up 3-1. In the eighth, Paul DeJong slammed a two run double. The final two runs came home in the ninth on Molina’s double. The catcher went 2-for-4. Kolten Wong was 2-for-3.
Starter John Gant earned his fourth win of the season. Gant pitched six innings and gave up one run on two hits while fanning four and walking one. Chasen Shreve began the seventh and struck out the only batter he faced. Dakota Hudson retired the next two batters on ground outs. Hudson returned to register a run-free eighth. Mike Mayers tossed a scoreless ninth.
Harrison Bader stole his 12th base of the season. Yairo Munoz and Yadier Molina were both caught stealing, Munoz for the fifth time and Molina for the second time.
Thursday, August 9 – Off day
Friday, August 10 – Cardinals 7 at Royals 0
The Cardinals traveled to meet their cross-state rivals for a weekend series. Austin Gomber started the opener and pitched five scoreless innings, allowing four hits, striking out three and walking one. Chasen Shreve tossed a scoreless sixth and Daniel Poncedeleon handled the final three scoreless innings.
The offense got going in the second inning, putting five runs on the board. Paul DeJong hit a solo home run. Harrison Bader singled to score Jedd Gyorko. Matt Carpenter slammed a two-run home run and Jose Martinez added an RBI single. Bader hit a solo home run in the sixth and Martinez plated Yadier Molina on a double in the seventh. Molina went 2-for-3. Martinez was 3-for-4 and Bader was 2-for-4.
Kolten Wong made a throwing error, his fourth of the season.
Saturday, August 11 – Cardinals 8 at Royals 3
The Cardinals defeated the Royals in Game 2, after taking the lead with four runs in the third inning. Jose Martinez singled to score Yadier Molina, and Marcell Ozuna followed with a triple to plate Martinez. Paul DeJong drove in Ozuna on a double and Jedd Gyorko brought DeJong home on a single. Harrison Bader added to the lead with a two-run home run in the sixth, and Martinez topped it off with a long ball with one aboard in the ninth. Molina and Ozuna were both 2-for-5. Martinez and Gyorko were 2-for-4. Bader was 2-for-3.
Starter Jack Flaherty pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on three hits. The right hander struck out nine and walked three. Dakota Hudson followed with 2/3 of an inning in which he surrendered one run. Jordan Hicks spun the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Matt Carpenter was charged with an error on a pickoff throw from the pitcher.
Sunday, August 12 – Cardinals 8 at Royals 2
The Cardinals got out the brooms and swept the Royals in the final game of the road series. Luke Weaver was the scheduled starter for the game but was scratched due to a cut on his finger. Tyson Ross made his St. Louis debut by taking the start. Ross pitched six innings and gave up two runs on four hits to earn his seventh win. Mike Mayers and Jordan Hicks added a scoreless seventh and eighth, respectively.
Tyler Webb started the ninth and got two outs when he was inexplicably ejected from the game by the home plate umpire for hitting Jorge Bonafacio with a pitch. Prior to this, four Cardinals hitters, Paul DeJong, Yadier Molina, Harrison Bader, and Matt Carpenter, had been hit by Royals pitchers at various times throughout the game. No argument ever arose from these hit by pitches and no warning had been issued by the umpire to either team. Nevertheless, with two outs in the ninth and a six run lead, the assumption was made that Webb hit Bonafacio on purpose and he was tossed. Arguments did ensue at this point, first from Molina, and then from Cardinal manager Mike Shildt. Neither Molina nor Shildt was ejected. After Webb was ejected, Bud Norris came in to get the last out of the inning and the game.
The Cardinals scored their eight runs thusly: Jose Martinez began with a two-run single in the third inning; Patrick Wisdom plated his first run in the majors on a single in the seventh and Molina drove in two runs on a single; Greg Garcia doubled to score Marcell Ozuna in the eighth; Ozuna drove in a run on a double and Paul DeJong launched a home run with one on in the ninth. Ozuna, Jedd Gyorko, and Garcia were each 2-for-5. Wisdom was 2-for-4.
Wisdom made a fielding error. Harrison Bader threw out Lucas Duda at home plate.
Big Picture
The Cardinals had a good 5-1 week, all on the road against lesser teams, with a series win over the Marlins and a sweep of the Royals. The Cardinals are now eight games over .500, tying their season best. Their record is 63-55, including a current five-game winning streak.
The team continues to improve under Mike Shildt, with the 16-9 record since the managerial change the best in the National League. All facets of the game have been good and the current five-game winning streak is the result. The Cardinals haven’t had a winning streak of five games since early May. Their five-series winning streak is the longest since the Cards took six consecutive series in August 2015.
The Cardinals now sit 2.5 games back of the second wild card, tied with Colorado, and behind Los Angeles. Philadelphia and Milwaukee currently sit in the first two wild card spots.
The Cardinals have a tough homestand coming up, with four games against Washington and three versus second-place Milwaukee. Series wins over both would go a long way in the climb to make the postseason.
| NL Central standings | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 68 | 49 | 0.581 | – |
| Milwaukee | 67 | 54 | 0.554 | 3 |
| St. Louis | 63 | 55 | 0.534 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 61 | 58 | 0.513 | 8 |
| Cincinnati | 52 | 66 | 0.441 | 16.5 |
Carpenter does it again
For the period of July 30 through August 5, Matt Carpenter slashed .423/.543/.962 with seven runs scored, 11 hits, two doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, eight walks and a stolen base across seven games played to claim his second NL Player of the Week Award in the last three weeks, and the fourth of his career.
Among his NL counterparts that week, Carpenter ranked 1st in total bases (25); T1st first in home runs and walks; 2nd in on-base and slugging; T2nd in hits and extra-base hits (6), T3rd in RBI; T4th in runs scored; and 7th in batting average.
Who’s Hot
Over the past six games (does not contain recent Sunday game results):
- Jose Martinez has an OPS of 1.007. He has one HR, one double, and five RBI.
- Paul DeJong has an OPS of 1.050. He has two HRs, three doubles, and six RBI.
- Yadier Molina has an OPS of .993. He has one HR, four doubles, and three RBI.
- Matt Carpenter has an OPS of .930. He has four HRs, and six RBI.
- Harrison Bader has an OPS of .933. He has two HRs, and four RBI.
- Jack Flaherty has an ERA of 1.38 and a WHIP of 0.77.
- John Gant has an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.50
- Miles Mikolas has an ERA of 2.57a WHIP of 0.71
- Austin Gomber has an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 1.00.
- Tyler Webb has an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.50.
- Jordan Hicks has an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.38.
- Bud Norris has an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.50.
Who’s Not
Over the past six games (does not contain recent Sunday game results):
- Adolis Garcia has an OPS of .200.
- Jedd Gyorko has an OPS of .473.
- Chasen Shreve has an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.20.
A Look at Cardinals Lineups
The lineups over the last six games (does not contain recent Sunday game):
- The leadoff hitter has been Matt Carpenter.
- The number two hitter has been Yadier Molina.
- The number three hitter has been Jose Martinez.
- The cleanup hitter has been Marcell Ozuna.
- The fifth hitter has been Jedd Gyorko for three games and Paul DeJong for three games.
- The sixth hitter has been Gyorko for two games, DeJong for two games, Kolten Wong for one game and Yairo Munoz for one game.
- The seventh hitter has been Wong for three games, Harrison Bader for two games, and Greg Garcia for one game.
- The eighth hitter has been Harrison Bader for two games, Munoz for two games, Garcia for one game, and Wong for one game.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/6 The Cardinals placed RHP John Brebbia on the 10 day disabled list. Right forearm tightness.
- 8/6 The Cardinals placed OF Tyler O’Neill on the 10 day disabled list retroactive to August 4, 2018. Inflammation of the groin area.
- 8/6 The Cardinals sent LHP Brett Cecil on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/6 The Cardinals selected the contract of OF Adolis Garcia from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/7 The Cardinals activated RHP Tyson Ross.
- 8/10 The Cardinals sent OF Tyler O’Neill on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/11 The Cardinals transferred RHP Luke Gregerson from the 10 day disabled list to the 60 day disabled list. Right shoulder impingement.
- 8/11 The Cardinals placed IF/OF Yairo Munoz on the 10 day disabled list. Right wrist strain.
- 8/11 The Cardinals selected the contract of 3B Patrick Wisdom from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
The Cardinals are up to 11 players on the disabled list.
- RHP Dominic Leone (right upper arm nerve irritation) was transferred from the 10 day DL to the 60 day DL. Leone was sent on a rehab assignment to Memphis on August 1.
- RHP Alex Reyes (right lat strain) had surgery on June 6 to reattach a tendon in his right lat. The right hander was transferred from the 10 day DL to the 60 day DL. Reyes is expected to be out for the remainder of the season.
- RHP Adam Wainwright (right elbow inflammation) continues on the 60 day DL. Wainwright threw a high intensity bullpen session on August 1. Wainwright was sent on a rehab assignment to the Palm Beach Cardinals on August 13.
- RHP Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) continues on the 10 day DL. Wacha has begun a throwing program in St. Louis. It is possible Wacha will return to the roster in late August.
- RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) continues on the 10 day DL. Martinez played catch on August 10. No timetable for return has been announced.
- LHP Brett Cecil (right foot inflammation) continues on the 10 day DL. Cecil was sent on a rehab assignment in Memphis on August 6.
- RHP Luke Gregerson (right shoulder impingement) was transferred from the 10 day DL to the 60 day DL on August 11 with a return this season appearing unlikely.
- OF Dexter Fowler (fractured left foot) continues on the 10 day DL. The outfielder is expected to be in a walking boot for a month. A return sometime in September is expected.
- OF Tyler O’Neill (groin inflammation) continues on the 10 day DL. O’Neill was sent on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds on August 10.
- RHP John Brebbia was placed on the 10 day DL on August 9 retroactive to August 6 with right forearm tightness. Brebbia had originally been optioned to Memphis, but the optional assignment was voided and the pitcher was placed on St. Louis’ DL. No timetable for a return has been set.
- IF/OF Yairo Munoz was placed on the 10 day DL on August 11 with a right wrist strain. No timetable for a return has been set.
- RHP Luke Weaver was scratched from his Sunday start against the Royals with a cut on a finger. No DL placement is expected, Weaver is considered day to day.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals return to St. Louis to begin a seven game homestand. The team plays a four-game series against the Nationals beginning on Monday. Miles Mikolas is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by John Gant on Tuesday, Austin Gomber on Wednesday, and Jack Flaherty on Thursday.
Following the Nationals, the Brewers come to town for a weekend series. No starting pitchers have been announced, but they will likely be Luke Weaver, Mikolas, and Gant.
The Cardinals will then travel to the west coast. Beginning Monday, August 20 the Cardinals have a three game set in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. After an off day Thursday, the Cardinals head to Colorado for a weekend series with the Rockies.
After an off day on Monday, August 27, the Cardinals are back home again in Busch Stadium to play the Pirates in a three game series. The homestand continues with a weekend series with the Reds.
A three game series with the Nationals in Washington D.C. begins on Labor Day. After a Thursday travel day, the Cardinals will be in Detroit for a weekend interleague series with the Tigers.
The Cardinals’ regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals completed a three-game series sweep of Royals in Kansas City over the weekend. The Royals and the Cardinals have something of a rivalry, being teams from the two biggest cities in the state. The rivalry is fairly strong considering one team is from the American League and the other from the National League. The two teams play each other every year, as MLB has seen fit to have area rivalry AL/NL teams play every year rather than the typical every three years between other AL/NL teams from the three Divisions.
The Royals are a much younger franchise than the Cardinals. The Royals were established in 1969 and this weekend celebrated their 50th season. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are one of the oldest franchises in major league baseball, established in 1882 (or 1892 if you agree with the team). So the rivalry is of much shorter duration than the rivalry that exists between the Cardinals and the Cubs, for example, another old franchise.
The Royals and the Cardinals met one time in a World Series, in 1985. That World Series was the first official meeting between the two franchises. The two teams did not face off again until 1997, when interleague play first began in MLB. St. Louis leads the regular season interleague series 59-41. The two teams meet every year for two games in each city, except for the season where the AL Central plays the NL Central, where the two teams meet for three games in each city. Such is the current season. The Cardinals lead this season series 4-2.
The last time the Cardinals swept the Royals in a three-game series in Kansas City was in 2012, but as noted, three-game series occur only once every three years. The 2012 series was played June 22-24. St. Louis won the first game 11-4, the second game 8-2, and the third game 11-8. Joe Kelly was the winning pitcher in the opener. That game was highlighted by seven doubles, including two from Carlos Beltran. The winning pitcher in Game 2 was Adam Wainwright and was highlighted by a two-run home run from Allen Craig. Lance Lynn started the third game but didn’t get the win, which was awarded to Victor Marte, who had blown the save. Carlos Beltran launched a three-run home run, and Yadier Molina added a solo shot.
In 2015, the year the Royals won their second World Series, the Royals and the Cardinals ended the season with the best records in their respective leagues. However, St. Louis lost the NLDS to the Chicago Cubs – and have not returned to the post-season since.
The season series between the two teams has been nicknamed “The Show-Me Series” by some, and “The I-70 Series” by others.
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