photo: Nolan Arenado (Joe Puetz/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 3-3 on the week against two Eastern foes. Nolan Arenado’s cycle was a highlight for the offense. Our Blast from the Past recounts two prior cycles hit this past week in Cardinals history.
Game recaps
Monday, June 27 – Cardinals 9, Marlins 0
On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Miami Marlins in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Adam Wainwright started for St. Louis. The right hander pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed seven hits, fanned nine and walked one to earn his sixth win of the season.
James Naile and Jake Woodford each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
The Cardinals began their scoring in the first inning on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt. Juan Yepez smacked a three-run shot in the fourth to make it 4-0.
In the fifth, Tommy Edman singled and scored on a double by Goldschmidt. Yepez blasted a second long ball, a two-run shot in the sixth. The Cardinals led 7 -0.
In the eighth, Nolan Gorman doubled and scored on a triple by Dylan Carlson. Carlson scored on a wild pitch.
Goldschmidt went 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Yepez was 2-for-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Carlson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Gorman was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On the base paths, Edman stole his 18th base of the season.
Tuesday, June 28 – Cardinals 5, Marlins 3
On Tuesday, the Cardinals defeated the Marlins in the second game of the series in St. Louis. Dakota Hudson took the mound for the Cardinals. The right hander pitched five innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one. Hudson got the win, his sixth of the season.
Junior Fernandez relieved and threw two scoreless innings. Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley each tossed a scoreless inning. Helsley earned his sixth save.
Miami jumped ahead 3-0 in the third inning. The Cardinals chipped away at the lead in the fourth when Tommy Edman doubled and scored on a single by Dylan Carlson.
St. Louis took the lead they would not relinquish in the fifth. Brendan Donovan singled. Edmundo Sosa tripled, and Donovan scored. Edman singled to plate Donovan. Edman stole second base and scored on a Dylan Carlson ground rule double. Carlson came home on a single by Paul Goldschmidt.
Edman was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Carlson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-4. Brendan Donovan was 2-for-4.
On the base paths, Carlson stole his fourth base of the season. Edman swiped his 19th bag.
Wednesday, June 29 – Cardinals 3, Marlins 4
The Cardinals were edged by the Marlins in a 4-3 contest on Wednesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched seven innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out two and walked one.
Giovanny Gallegos threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley surrendered two runs in the ninth and took the loss, his first, and his third blown save.
The Cardinals got on the board with a 1-0 lead in the third. Edmundo Sosa singled and stole second base. Brendan Donovan reached on an error, advancing Sosa to third. Dylan Carlson plated Sosa on a sac fly.
The Marlins tied it up in the fourth, then took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. St. Louis answered with two in the home fifth. Sosa tripled and Andrew Knizner drew a walk. Sosa scored on a sac fly by Donovan. Carlson plated Knizner on a single.
The Cardinals took the 3-2 edge into the ninth but Avisail Garcia hit a two-run home run off Helsley to flip the lead. The Cardinals were unable to rally in the bottom half of the inning.
Sosa was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Juan Yepez was 2-for-3. Carlson drove in two.
On the base paths, Sosa stole his second base of the season.
Thursday, June 30 – Off day
Friday, July 1 – Cardinals 3 at Phillies 5
On Friday, the Cardinals fell to the Phillies in the first game of a weekend series in Philadelphia. Miles Mikolas started. The right hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up four runs, two earned, on six hits, struck out one and walked two. Mikolas took the loss, his sixth of the season.
Zack Thompson threw one scoreless inning. Johan Oviedo surrendered one run in 2/3 innings pitched. Packy Naughton tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Paul Goldschmidt singled and scored on a triple by Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals added to the lead with two runs in the third on a long ball from Arenado.
The Phillies fought back with three runs in the fifth to tie, then one run each in the sixth and seventh to go up 5-3. The Cardinals failed to score in response.
Arenado went 4-for-4 with three RBI while hitting for the cycle for the second time in his career. It was the first cycle by a Cardinal since Mark Grudzielanek in 2005. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Edman was picked off first base. Arenado and Juan Yepez each made a fielding error.
Saturday, July 2 – Cardinals 7 at Phillies 6
The Cardinals grinded out a one-run win over the Phillies on Saturday. Matthew Liberatore took the mound but struggled through 2 2/3 innings. The left hander gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked one.
Zack Thompson threw 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. Jordan Hicks hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Packy Naughton surrendered one run in the sixth. Junior Fernandez and Ryan Helsley combined for the final 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Helsley got the win, his fourth of the season.
The Cardinals took a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Franchise history was made as four Cardinals hit consecutive home runs. Nolan Arenado began with a two-run shot following a single by Paul Goldschmidt. Then Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez, and Dylan Carlson thumped solo shots into the stands at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies didn’t wait long to recover from the shock. They scored two runs in the second inning and three runs in the third to tie the game at 5-5.
In the fifth, St. Louis went ahead 6-5 with a run scored on a double by Goldschmidt, a hit by pitch of Arenado, and successive walks to Gorman and Lars Nootbaar.
The Phillies tied it in the sixth. In the ninth, an Arenado solo home run gave the Cardinals a 7-6 lead, and the Phillies were shut down by Helsley in the bottom of the ninth.
Arenado hit two home runs with three RBI. Goldschmidt was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Tommy Edman was 2-for-5. Gorman, Yepez, Carlson and Nootbaar each had an RBI.
Sunday, July 3 – Cardinals 0 at Phillies 4
The Cardinals were blanked by the Phillies in an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game that wasn’t one of the Cardinals’ best. Starter Adam Wainwright pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on eight hits, fanned five and walked one. Wainwright suffered his sixth loss of the season.
Packy Naughton relieved and threw a scoreless inning. James Naile tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Phillies scored their first run in the fourth on a solo home run. They added three more in the sixth for the 4-0 lead.
St. Louis’ offense had four hits, eight strikeouts and two walks. The hits were singles by Nolan Arenado, Dylan Carlson, Brendan Donovan, and Tommy Edman.
On the base paths, Arenado was caught stealing. In the field, Nolan Gorman had a missed catch error.
NL Central Standings
At the precise mid-point of the season, 81 games, the Cardinals are on pace for 88 wins and a second-place divisional finish. That would be down two games from 2021, when St. Louis did not advance beyond the Wild Card Game.
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 46 | 35 | 0.568 | |
| St. Louis | 44 | 37 | 0.543 | 2 |
| Chicago | 32 | 47 | 0.405 | 13 |
| Pittsburgh | 32 | 47 | 0.405 | 13 |
| Cincinnati | 27 | 51 | 0.346 | 17.5 |
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a 3-3 record. They won the series against the Marlins and lost 2 of 3 to the Phillies over the weekend. The Cardinals continue to fail to make significant ground to overtake and get a healthy lead over the Brewers.
To borrow a phrase from a former President, “It’s the pitching, stupid.” To be blunt, the ownership and front office continue to try to get by on the cheap, and it isn’t working. Potential “ace” Jack Flaherty was hurt from the beginning and has not gotten healthy. Adam Wainwright, bless his heart, pitches very well for someone who is on the wrong side of 40, but he isn’t the Wainwright that almost won the Cy Young Award three times, and he never will be again. Dakota Hudson just came off Tommy John surgery, and he wasn’t’ great before he had it. The newest addition, Steven Matz, has never terrified an offense (or even mildly frightened one). Miles Mikolas is the only pitcher on the staff who gives confidence that he can handle pretty much any opponent. Maybe not the Yankees, but no one is perfect.
You can’t go into a season with one good pitcher, one “he’s not bad for his age,” one who is only healthy when the moon is full, and two with whom you have to squint to see a positive outlook. At least you can’t go into the season and expect to win a World Series.
As for the bullpen, well, there is Ryan Helsley. Clone him seven times and they’d be off to the races. To be fair, some relievers are decent to middling. One would be okay if he wasn’t a human rain delay. Others are players to be designated for assignment later.
The offense is very pleasing though. The defense is good too. Get some pitching and maybe this team can really go somewhere special.
The Week that Was
The top offensive performers for the week by OPS are Nolan Arenado (1.429), Paul Goldschmidt (1.313), Juan Yepez (1.211), Nolan Gorman (1.600 in three games), Edmundo Sosa (1.064 in four games), and Dylan Carlson (.936).
From there, it is a huge gap down to Tommy Edman at .686 and to Ivan Herrera at .091. Brendan Donovan, dropped the most, all the way to .356. Several of the regulars are on the IL and are not included.
The offense has been very good, except for the dismal performance against Zach Wheeler of the Phillies on Sunday. Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader may be back within the next two weeks, which will help. The defense in the infield continues to be top notch. The outfield defense has suffered some with the absence of the aforementioned O’Neill and Bader. The substitutes have been okay, except for Juan Yepez, who is not good in the outfield.
The Cardinals left Philadelphia for Atlanta to play the Braves. This will be another tough series. St. Louis will end the week with the Phillies again, but at Busch Stadium. It is a tough stretch to be sure, and the Cardinals need to win consistently.
The first-place Brewers aren’t going anywhere, and they are playing the Cubs and the Pirates while the Cardinals are slogging it out with the World Series champions and the Phillies, who have already beaten them twice. It would be nice to keep up at least.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted that according to some rival executives, the Cardinals are the favorite to get Oakland pitcher Frankie Montas. However, Montas was pulled from his start on Sunday with tightness in the back of his shoulder and is considered day to day. Whether this injury will affect his availability or value in a trade is yet to be determined.
Transactions
- 6/27 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP James Naile from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/27 The Cardinals selected the contract of OF Conner Capel from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/27 The Cardinals placed RHP Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list. Right shoulder strain
- 6/27 The Cardinals placed CF Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list. Right foot plantar fasciitis.
- 6/28 The Cardinals sent LHP Steven Matz on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/2 The Cardinals recalled LHP Matthew Liberatore from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/2 The Cardinals optioned RHP Jake Woodford to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 7/2 The Cardinals activated RHP Jordan Hicks from the 15-day injured list.
- 7/2 The Cardinals designated RHP Nick Wittgren for assignment.
Despite the lengthy list of injuries, the Cardinals have been in good comparative shape over the first half. According to Man Games Lost, they are among the teams with the very fewest player games missed due to injury in 2022. (In the diagram below, St. Louis is under TOR at the far left.)
MLB injury plot. Injuries and injured list games missed versus team wins. Bubble size represents cumulative quality of players lost for games (Lost-war metric) https://t.co/FLVa0xiN8G pic.twitter.com/TCD83Y4xTL
— Man Games Lost MLB (@ManGamesLostMLB) July 3, 2022
Injury Report
- RHP Alex Reyes (frayed right labrum) remains on the 60-day IL. The right hander received a second opinion and has had surgery on the shoulder. Whether the injury is season-ending is yet to be determined.
- LHP Steven Matz (left shoulder stiffness) has made two rehab starts for the Memphis Redbirds, most recently on July 2. No information about additional rehab starts has been available. Matz is expected to return sometime in July.
- RHP Jordan Hicks (right forearm flexor) was activated from the injured list on Saturday, July 2 and made an appearance out of the bullpen against the Phillies.
- OF/DH Corey Dickerson (strained left calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 5. Dickerson was sent on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds on June 16 but made only one appearance before his rehab assignment was paused. He returned and played back-to-back games with Memphis on June 21 and June 22. The outfielder’s rehab assignment was paused again on June 24 due to a reinjury to his calf. Dickerson is being reevaluated.
- C Yadier Molina (right knee inflammation) was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 17, retroactive to June 16. Molina is rehabbing in Puerto Rico. No date for Molina’s return has been specified.
- LF Tyler O’Neill (left hamstring strain) was placed on the injured list on June 20. The outfielder will begin a rehab assignment for the Memphis Redbirds on Monday in Durham, NC. The plan is to have O’Neill play on Wednesday and Thursday, then have his hamstring evaluated for a possible return to the Cardinals lineup when the homestand begins on Friday.
- LHP T.J. McFarland was placed on the Covid injured list after testing positive for Covid-19. The left hander will go on a rehab assignment soon.
- RHP Drew VerHagen was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 24 with a right shoulder impingement. The right hander is undergoing testing while on the IL. No further information has been made available.
- LHP Genesis Cabrera was placed on the Covid injured list on June 25. The left hander is close to returning to baseball activities. No specific date of return was announced.
- RHP Jack Flaherty was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 27. Right shoulder strain. Flaherty was removed early from his last start due to a “dead arm.” Flaherty will not throw for 2-3 weeks and likely will not return until after the All-Star break.
- CF Harrison Bader was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 27. Right foot plantar fasciitis. Bader has been in a walking boot the past week and is ready to resume baseball activities. The outfielder will be put through throwing and hitting drills in St. Louis on Monday. Bader can come off the IL on Thursday, but a decision regarding a rehab assignment has not been made.
Looking Ahead
A four-game series in Atlanta with the Braves begins Monday. Dakota Hudson is scheduled to make the Monday start, with Andre Pallante to start on Tuesday. Miles Mikolas will get the start on Wednesday and Matthew Liberatore on Thursday.
The Cardinals then return home for a 10-game homestand that begins with a weekend series against the Phillies. The homestand continues with three games with the Dodgers, followed by a weekend series against the Reds before the start of the All-Star break on Monday, July 18.
After the break, the Cardinals travel to Cincinnati for a weekend set with the Reds. The team travels to Toronto to play two games with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27.
The regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past
This week the first Cardinal since 2005 hit for the cycle. It was the second cycle of his career for third baseman Nolan Arenado. Seventeen Cardinals have hit for the cycle in franchise history prior to Friday night. Arenado became the 18th. One Cardinal hit for the cycle twice. Ken Boyer did so on September 14, 1961, and again on June 16, 1964. The last Cardinal prior to Arenado to hit for the cycle was Mark Grudzielanek on April 27, 2005.
This week’s Blast from the Past remembers two Cardinals who hit for the cycle during the period June 27 through July 3. The first was a member of the “Gas House Gang” of the 1930s. The second was a former catcher and third who also managed the Cardinals for a period of time. Both had the same first name.
On June 29, 1935, the Cardinals played the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. It was a Saturday day game. The Cardinals eventually lost, 8-6, but during the contest Cardinals LF Joe “Ducky” Medwick hit for the cycle. Medwick was not the first Cardinal to accomplish the feat. Five Cardinals hit for the cycle prior to Medwick, including teammate Pepper Martin, who had done it two seasons earlier.
The sequence of Medwick’s cycle began with a double in the first inning that scored a run and put the Cardinals up 1-0. The Cardinals scored again when teammate Bill DeLancey hit a solo home run in the second.
In the third, Medwick tripled to center field, driving in the team’s third run. Medwick then scored the fourth run on a single by Ripper Collins.
Ducky singled to right field to begin the fifth inning. He scored, once again at the hands of DeLancey, who tripled. At this point the Cardinals led 5-1. The Reds scored in the home half of the fifth to make it 5-3.
Medwick popped out to second base in his fourth at bat in the seventh. The Reds scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead 8-5.
The final at bat for Medwick was in the ninth, when he accomplished the cycle by hitting a solo home run for St. Louis’ sixth and final run.
The second Cardinal to cycle during the period was Joe Torre. Torre played for the Cardinals from 1969-1974. He was the first baseman for a short time, then after Tim McCarver was traded, he shared the catching position with rookie Ted Simmons. Torre began his major league career as a catcher with the Braves. After Simmons was made the full-time catcher, Torre moved to third base.
Torre hit for the cycle on June 27, 1973, in a game against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. The Cardinals won, 15-4.
Like Medwick, Torre’s first hit was a run scoring double in the first inning. Lou Brock scored. Torre was driven in by Simmons and the Cardinals led 3-0. The Pirates scored one run in the bottom of the first.
Torre’s second hit was a home run in the third. The Cardinals scored six runs in that inning and led 9-1. Torre’s third hit was a triple to right field to lead off the fourth. Torre came home on a sac fly by Simmons.
Torre hit into a double play in the fifth. The Cardinals scored one run in that inning. He drew a walk in the eighth, but the Cardinals didn’t score.
In the ninth, Torre completed the cycle with a single to center field that plated two runs. The Cardinals scored four runs in that inning to bring the final score to 15-4.
Torre was traded to the Mets after the 1974 season, and he finished his playing career there. He returned to the Cardinals in 1990 as the manager, replacing Whitey Herzog. He held that job until June 1995 when he was fired because of a poor record. The team was rebuilding and was in the process of being sold to the group led by Bill DeWitt Jr. Torre managed the Mets and Braves prior to the Cardinals, and the Yankees and the Dodgers after he left St. Louis.
Medwick was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968. Torre was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014. Both Medwick and Torre are also in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, Medwick as part of the inaugural class in 2014, and Torre in 2016.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for its fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Twitter @Marilyncolor.
© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.