photo: J.A. Happ (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 6-0 for the week, with road sweeps over two last-place teams. Well-traveled lefty J.A. Happ earned his first two wins as a Cardinal, Jack Flaherty returned and Adam Wainwright remains the anchor. Our history feature includes a recap of a controversial forfeiture played this week in 1995.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 9 – Off day
Tuesday, August 10 – Cardinals 4 at Pirates 1
The St. Louis Cardinals began a three-game series in Pittsburgh against the last place Pirates and won the opener, 4-1. J.A. Happ started against his former team and pitched six innings, giving up one run on one hit, fanned five and walking two. The one hit was a solo home run. Ryan Helsley pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. Genesis Cabrera followed with 1 1/3 run-free innings and Alex Reyes tossed a scoreless ninth. Happ earned his first win as a Cardinal and Reyes earned his 26th save.
The Redbirds offense opened the scoring in the first inning on a solo home run by Tommy Edman. Paul DeJong contributed a bases empty long ball in the second.
The Pirates scored their only run in the fourth on a home run by Hoy Park. The Cardinals widened their lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning. Dylan Carlson singled and Nolan Arenado drew a walk. Yadier Molina singled to score Carlson, and Harrison Bader followed with a single that plated Arenado.
Carlson was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Edmundo Sosa was 2-for-4. Edman, Molina, Bader, and DeJong each had an RBI.
On the base paths, Bader was picked off first base for the first time this season. In the field, Goldschmidt committed a dropped foul error.
Wednesday, August 11 – Cardinals 4 at Pirates 0
The Cardinals blanked the Pirates in the second game of the series at PNC Park. St. Louis scored the first run in the fourth inning. Paul Goldschmidt singled and Nolan Arenado drew a walk. Yadier Molina singled to bring home Goldschmidt.
The Redbirds added on in the sixth with three runs on a two-run double by Paul DeJong and a single by starting pitcher Adam Wainwright. Wainwright was 2-for-4 for the night, as was DeJong and Molina.
Wainwright threw a complete game shutout that was not your typical CGSO. The right hander pitched what is called a “Maddux”, which is a complete game shutout with under 100 pitches thrown. Wainwright finished with only 88 pitches. His Maddux included only two hits, seven strikeouts and no walks. It was Wainwright’s 27th career complete game and 11th career shutout.
In addition to the stellar pitching of Wainwright, Harrison Bader made three exceptional plays in center field, with the last two in the ninth inning to help keep Wainwright’s pitch count low.
Thursday, August 12 – Cardinals 7 at Pirates 6
The Cardinals completed the sweep of the Pirates, but the final win did not come easy. It began with a short outing by starter Wade LeBlanc, who only completed two innings due to injury. The left hander gave up three runs on three hits in the two innings, struck out one and walked one. T.J. McFarland tossed a scoreless third before Andrew Miller surrendered one run in the fourth. Luis Garcia pitched a scoreless fifth and Genesis Cabrera threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos added 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Alex Reyes gave up two runs, one earned, in the ninth.
The Cardinals scored first with a first inning RBI double by Nolan Arenado. The Pirates answered with three in the home half of the first.
The Cardinals put up a four-run fourth inning to gain a 5-3 lead on a two-run home run by Paul DeJong and a two-run home run by pinch hitter Lars Nootbaar. The Pirates cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth.
In the sixth, the Redbirds widened the lead to 6-4. Harrison Bader singled and Tommy Edman reached on fielder’s choice with Bader advancing to third on a throwing error. Bader came home on a ground out by Andrew Knizner.
In the ninth, the Cardinals increased their lead to 7-4 on an RBI double by Paul Goldschmidt. The Pirates made it a nail biter in the ninth, scoring two on a home run by Bryan Reynolds. The Cardinals eked out the win, 7-6.
Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with an RBI. No other Cardinal had multiple hits. DeJong and Nootbaar both had two RBI.
On the base paths, Dylan Carlson stole his second base of the season. Edman made a fielding error.
Friday, August 13 – Cardinals 6 at Royals 0
The Cardinals began a weekend series at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium against the Royals on Friday. The two teams met the preceding weekend in St. Louis and the home club took 2 of 3. This first game was a 6-0 shutout of the Royals.
Jack Flaherty made the start, fresh off the 60-day injured list. Flaherty hadn’t pitched in a major league game since the end of May. The right hander took up where he left off, however, throwing six almost flawless scoreless innings. Flaherty allowed two hits, struck out five and issued no walks.
T.J. McFarland, Giovanny Gallegos, and Ryan Helsley each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Flaherty earned his ninth win of the season.
The Cardinals scored their first runs in the fourth inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Nolan Arenado and Tyler O’Neill. Another run was added in the fifth on a sac fly by Arenado.
An RBI single by Yadier Molina and a sac fly by O’Neill added two more. A solo home run by Lars Nootbaar made the final score 6-0.
On the base paths, Paul Goldschmidt stole his eighth bag of the season.
Saturday, August 14 – Cardinals 9 at Royals 4
The Cardinals won the second game of the series in a five-run victory that almost got out of hand in the final inning.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. The Cardinals responded with two runs in the fifth, helped by two errors by the Kansas City defense. To begin the inning Yadier Molina reached on a throwing error by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera. Lars Nootbaar singled, moving Molina to second. Edmundo Sosa reached on a fielding error by shortstop Nicky Lopez. Tommy Edman followed with a single and scored Molina and Nootbaar.
St. Louis took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, when Sosa and Edman singled back-to-back. Paul Goldschmidt singled to plate both runners. Nolan Arenado’s two-run home run to left field gave the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.
St. Louis added three more runs in the ninth. Harrison Bader and Sosa singled. A wild pitch sent Bader to third and Sosa to second. Paul Goldschmidt plated Bader on a sac fly. Nolan Arenado hit a ground-rule double that was initially called a home run by the Cardinals broadcasters due to poor camera work by whomever was filming the feed. Sosa and Edman came in on the double. The Cardinals led 9-1.
In the home half of the ninth the Royals fought back. Two singles and a double resulted in two runs. A third single brought the third run home and the Cardinals lead shrunk to 9-4. The rally ended there as the last two batters were retired by Reyes.
Edman, Arenado, and Bader were each 2-for-4. Sosa was 3-for-4. Arenado had four RBI, Goldschmidt had three RBI and Edman drove in two.
Jon Lester goth the start for the Cardinals and pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up one run on seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Ryan Helsley tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Luis Garcia threw a scoreless eighth. Andrew Miller started the ninth but surrendered three runs and got only one out. Genesis Cabrera came in and cleaned up the mess by retiring the last two hitters. Lester won his sixth game of the season.
On the base paths, Edman and Bader were both caught stealing, Edman’s fifth and Bader for the third time.
Sunday, August 15 – Cardinals 7 at Royals 2
On Sunday, the Cardinals completed the sweep of the Royals, following the sweep of the Pirates the series before. St. Louis scored early and then hung on to the win.
All the Redbirds’ seven runs were plated in the first two innings. The game began with singles by Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado. Edman scored on the Arenado single. Paul Goldschmidt stole third. Lars Nootbaar walked to load the bases. Jose Rondon doubled to left and Goldschmidt and Arenado scored. The Cardinals led 3-0.
In the second inning, Goldschmidt drove in a run on a double, followed by a two-run home run by Arenado, then a solo home run by Tyler O’Neill. The Cardinals increased the lead to 7-0.
In the eighth inning. Salvador Perez hit his 30th home run, a two-run shot, to put the Royals on the board.
Edman, Goldschmidt, and Arenado were each 2-for-5, and each scored two runs. Arenado drove in three. Edmundo Sosa was 2-for-3. Rondon had two RBI.
Starter J.A. Happ pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed five hits, struck out two and walked two. Luis Garcia tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Justin Miller surrendered two runs in the eighth, and T.J. McFarland threw a scoreless ninth. Happ earned his second win of the week and as a Cardinal.
Goldschmidt stole his ninth base of the season.
The Big Picture
St. Louis said goodbye to its previous bad week and said hello to a 6-0 week with consecutive sweeps at the Pirates and the Royals. In third place, they still remain 10 games of the Brewers in the Division, but they are closer to the Wild Card, now 4.5 games back of the Padres, who currently are in the second Wild Card spot. Only the Reds stand between the Cardinals and the Padres, though that spot is tenuous, as the Phillies are only a half game back of the Cardinals.
The Cardinals accomplished the six-game winning streak by first playing two very bad teams, but also with better pitching and offense. The additions of Jon Lester and J.A. Happ, two veterans with not good records with their most recent former teams, have so far paid off. Perhaps there is something to the “fresh start” cliché. Cardinals pitching, ranked by ERA, has risen to 10th overall in the last 15 days, up from 14th over the entire season.
One cannot talk about Cardinals pitching without emphasizing the historical performance by Adam Wainwright against the Pirates on Tuesday. The veteran right hander, soon to be 40 years old, pitched a “Maddux”, a complete game shutout with only 88 pitches thrown. He also added to his overall performance with two hits, one that drove in a run.
The team offense has taken even greater strides in the right direction, from 21st overall in MLB (ranked by OPS) over the entire season, up to sixth over the last 15 days. Only Oakland, Cincinnati, Boston, Colorado, and the Dodgers have a higher team OPS than the Cardinals over that time span.
The top performers for the week are (by OPS): Nolan Arenado (1.196), Edmundo Sosa (1.033), Paul DeJong (1.027), Paul Goldschmidt (.883), and Tommy Edman (.837). Dylan Carlson has an OPS of .954 but only played in three games of the six due to injury. Jose Rondon has an OPS of .889 in only three games, not due to injury.
Under the .800 mark are Tyler O’Neill (.721), Yadier Molina (.706), and Harrison Bader (.503). O’Neill hit his home runs but has also struck out quite a bit over the last week. Bader was hot in July but has cooled off in the first two weeks of August. The defense was still there however, as Bader made three exceptional plays in center during Wainwright’s Maddux on Tuesday, no doubt keeping the pitch count down. Two of the three catches were in the ninth inning.
St. Louis will face its greatest test in recent weeks beginning on Tuesday, as they open the three games against the first place Brewers at Busch Stadium. The head-to-head matchups provide an opportunity to gain ground rather quickly if the Cardinals can win the series; even better if they sweep. That is a tall, tall order as they will face Milwaukee’s three best pitchers, Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta. The Cardinals will have Wainwright and Flaherty going so it won’t be as lopsided as it could be. The third starter has yet to be named, but it is possible it is Miles Mikolas, who will likely be activated off the injured list after having made his final rehab start on Saturday.
After the Brewers series the Cardinals will again play the last place Pirates, this time at Busch Stadium and without Adam Wainwright shutting them down.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 72 | 47 | 0.605 | |
| Cincinnati | 64 | 55 | 0.538 | 8 |
| St. Louis | 61 | 56 | 0.521 | 10 |
| Chicago | 52 | 68 | 0.433 | 20.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 42 | 76 | 0.356 | 29.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/9 The Cardinals activated RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon.
- 8/9 The Cardinals placed LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim on the 10-day injured list. Left elbow inflammation.
- 8/13 The Cardinals placed LHP Wade LeBlanc on the 10-day injured list. Left elbow soreness.
- 8/13 The Cardinals activated RHP Jack Flaherty.
- 8/14 The Cardinals sent RHP Miles Mikolas on a rehab assignment to the Peoria Chiefs.
- 8/14 The Cardinals designated CF Scott Hurst for assignment.
Injury Report
- RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm tightness), remains on the 60-day injured list. Mikolas made his final rehab start in Peoria on Saturday and is expected back to the roster soon.
- 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 Jack Flaherty (left oblique strain) was activated from the 60-day injured list and made his first post injury start against the Royals on Friday.
- RHP Dakota Hudson (Tommy John surgery) was expected to be out all the 2021 season. Hudson is tracking well toward an Opening Day 2022 return, though a late 2021 season return is possible.
- RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (right shoulder inflammation) was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 9 but has yet to make a game appearance.
- RHP Carlos Martinez (right thumb ligament sprain) had surgery on July 16 to repair his thumb ligament. The surgery makes it unlikely 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 placed on the 10-day injured list on August 9. The left hander has started throwing from 60 feet, but the inflammation has continued to linger during the recovery. The team stated that Kim is likely to be out longer than the 10-day minimum and may have to return in the bullpen.
- LHP Wade LeBlanc (left elbow pain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 13. Imaging revealed no structural damage, but manager Mike Shildt is expecting the left hander to be out more than 10 days. LeBlanc left his start on Thursday after only two innings when the pain began.
- RF Dylan Carlson (right wrist) has a mild sprain of his wrist near the hamate bone. Carlson was taken out of Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh after he felt some pain on a check swing. The outfielder did not start in the Royals series over the weekend but is expected to be available for the Brewers series that begins on Tuesday.
- SS Paul DeJong was scratched from the lineup on Saturday due to lower back tightness. He did not play in Sunday’s game but is expected to be available on Tuesday.
Looking Ahead
After Monday’s off day, the Cardinals begin a homestand with a three-game series with the Brewers beginning Tuesday, August 17. Adam Wainwright is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game with Jack Flaherty to follow on Wednesday. No starter has been announced for Thursday. Miles Mikolas and Jon Lester are possibilities.
The homestand continues with a weekend series with the Pirates. After an off day for the Cardinals on the Monday following, the Tigers come to town for a two-game series.
The team travels to Pittsburgh to play the third series of August against the Pirates, a four-game series beginning Thursday. The Cardinals end the month with a series against the Reds in Cincinnati.
The Cardinals regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past takes a brief detour from talk of transactions to focus on a particular game that happened during this week in 1995. It involved ejections, thrown baseballs and a rare forfeiture.
A forfeit in Major League Baseball is a rare occurrence in the modern era, but in the early days of the game, they were more commonplace. There have only been three forfeited games since the 1960s. Two occurred in the 1970s – one in 1974 and the second in 1979. The third and most recent forfeit occurred on August 10, 1995, and it involved the Cardinals.
This game was recent enough that many current Cardinals fans may remember the matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. It featured a promotion of souvenir baseballs given to attendees as they entered the park.
The game began and proceeded normally, with the Cardinals taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Brian Jordan off Hideo Nomo, the eventual NL Rookie of the Year winner.
First baseman Mark Sweeney took Nomo deep in the fourth inning to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers didn’t get on the board until the eighth inning, when Dave Hansen scored on a single by Jose Offerman.
This game was very important to the Dodgers, who were in a tight Division race with the Colorado Rockies, a game ahead of them. The Cardinals were in no such race, as they were dead last in the NL Central on this date, 21.5 games behind the Reds.
The eighth inning is when the trouble started. The last batter of the inning was Eric Karros, facing Cardinals’ reliever T.J. Matthews with two outs and two runners on. Karros fell behind 1-2. He checked his swing on the next pitch and home plate umpire Jim Quick called him out. The two had words and Karros was ejected.
Dodger fans were unhappy. A few had already tossed their souvenir balls onto the field an inning earlier. The ninth inning commenced with Dodger fans already fuming over the Karros ejection, and a few more balls were tossed onto the field. Then the Dodgers came up to bat in the home half of the ninth behind 2-1.
Raul Mondesi led off. Closer Tom Henke fell behind Mondesi 3-0. The next pitch at the bottom of the zone was called a strike but Mondesi stepped toward first as if he had drawn a walk. The next pitch was called a strike but was most likely not one. Mondesi got the next pitch in the same spot and swung and missed. An unhappy Mondesi also had words with Quick and he was ejected.
Manager Tommy Lasorda did what managers do and had his say to protect his player. He did so rather demonstrably which riled up further an already boiling over crowd. Lasorda was thrown out and the balls were also thrown, as many, many came raining down on the field. From the upper deck they came along with a few beer bottles as well. The Cardinals were called off the field and the balls kept coming.
Umpire Quick made a decision. The game was forfeited in favor of the Cardinals. And thus ended the last game that came to an end prematurely on a forfeit.
A more recent very similar incident happened with the Cardinals in the Wild Card game against the Braves in 2012. That game was not forfeited.
The 1995 forfeit was quite controversial. There was debate over whether the fans had been warned over the PA system that a forfeit was imminent. In the 2012 Wild Card game, there was such an announcement. The games ended differently for whatever reason.
In any event, the Dodgers eventually won the Division anyway, but they lost to the Reds in the 1995 NLDS.
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