photo: Edmundo Sosa (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals forged a 3-2 week at home that included a disappointing series loss to the Chicago Cubs. As the bullpen is struggling, fill-in shortstop Edmundo Sosa is providing a lift with the glove and bat. In our history feature, the team Hall of Fame candidacy of Charles Comiskey is assessed.
Game Recaps
Monday, May 17 – Off day
Tuesday, May 18 – Cardinals 5, Pirates 2
The St. Louis Cardinals took on their NL Central rival Pittsburgh Pirates for a brief two-game set at Busch Stadium beginning Tuesday.
St. Louis scored early and kept command throughout the contest. In the first inning Dylan Carlson drew a walk and Nolan Arenado drove him in on two-run home run to left center field. In the second, Harrison Bader drew a leadoff walk, Edmundo Sosa singled and Tommy Edman singled to plate Bader and Sosa. The Redbirds led 4-0.
In the third inning the Cardinals scored for the final time when Arenado drew a walk and Sosa later drove him home on a double to right field.
The Pirates finally plated two in the sixth inning off starter John Gant, who pitched 5 1/3 innings and surrendered the two runs on five hits while fanning three and walking one. Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes combined to toss the final 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Gant earned his third wing of the season, Reyes his 12th save.
Wednesday, May 19 – Cardinals 8, Pirates 5
The second game of the series was a little tougher for the Cardinals but in the end they came out the winners.
Jack Flaherty earned his MLB leading eighth win with a six-inning outing during which he yielded two runs on four hits. The right hander punched out seven and walked four. It was not one of Flaherty’s better starts but he got the job done.
Kodi Whitley relieved in the seventh but was unable to record an out and surrendered three runs. Tyler Webb secured just one out and after giving up two hits was replaced by Genesis Cabrera. Cabrera tossed one complete scoreless inning. Ryan Helsley and Alex Reyes combined for the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Reyes earned his 13th save of the season.
The Redbirds offense started the scoring with a first-inning run. Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt launched doubles, with the latter scoring the first.
In the third the Cardinals added five runs to take a 6-0 lead. Harrison Bader drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Justin Williams walked and Edmundo Sosa was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jack Flaherty’s sac fly plated Bader. Sosa stole second. He scored, along with Williams on a single by Edman. Dylan Carlson walked. Paul Goldschmidt plated Edman on a single and Nolan Arenado singled to score Carlson.
The Pirates cut the lead to 6-2 with two runs in the fifth. The Redbirds answered with two in the bottom of the frame on an Edman sac fly and a Carlson single. The Pirates put up three runs in the seventh off Whitley to slash the lead to the final score of 8-5.
Bader stole his third base of the season, Sosa snatched his first base, and Edman purloined his eighth base of the season.
Thursday, May 20 – Off day
Friday, May 21 – Cardinals 3, Cubs 12
The first home game against the Cubs since Sept 29, 2019 ended in a disaster for the Cardinals. The game was well within winning distance until the bullpen melted down in the eighth inning.
The Cubs got on the board with one run in the first inning off starter Carlos Martinez. Joc Pederson hit the first pitch he saw to begin the game over the right center field wall. The Cardinals tied the game in the third when Edmundo Sosa singled, and Tommy Edman drove him home on a double.
The Cubs scored a second run off Martinez in the top of the fifth to take the 2-1 lead. The Cardinals answered with a run in the sixth to retie the score. Matt Carpenter led off with a single and Paul Goldschmidt plated him on a double.
Ryan Helsley replaced Martinez in the seventh and the Cubs scored two to take a 4-2 lead. St. Louis got one run back in the home seventh on an RBI single by Dylan Carlson. The Cubs led 4-3, but the game was still manageable for the Cardinals.
Kodi Whitley replaced Helsley to begin the eighth and couldn’t get anyone out. It snowballed from there as Tyler Webb and Seth Elledge followed in the eighth, and against the three relievers the Cubs put eight runs on the board. When the inning mercifully came to an end the game was out of reach. Daniel Ponce de Leon staunched the bleeding with a scoreless ninth but the damage was done.
Nolan Arenado turned a beautiful double play in the sixth inning, but his night was marred by two fielding errors. Dylan Carlson and Justin Williams each had an outfield assist, Carlson at home and Williams at second base.
Saturday, May 22 – Cardinals 2, Cubs 1
The Cardinals turned the page on the previous night’s debacle and rebounded to defeat the Cubs in a close game on Saturday. The victory was marred, however, by the early exit of newly activated starter Miles Mikolas, removed after four innings with forearm soreness.
The Cubs got on the board with a first inning run. It was the only tally Mikolas yielded in his four innings pitched. The right hander allowed three hits, struck out three and walked one before signaling distress during warmups prior to the fifth inning.
The Cubs held that 1-0 edge until the Cardinals tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Edmundo Sosa tripled into the right field corner and Lane Thomas followed with a single to bring Sosa home. The game remained knotted up 1-1 until Yadier Molina broke the tie with a solo home run to left in the seventh.
Daniel Ponce de Leon, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Ales Reyes kept the Cubs off the board following the exit of Mikolas. Cabrera was awarded the win, his first, while Reyes earned his 14th save.
Sosa went 2-for-3 as the only Cardinal with multiple hits. Thomas and Molina had the RBI. Thomas stole his second base of the season.
Sunday, May 23 – Cardinals 1, Cubs 2 (10 innings)
In the rubber match of the series, the Cardinals lost a grueling 10-inning contest at Busch Stadium. In the pitcher’s duel, each team was unable to score in regulation.
The Cardinals wasted a pitching gem from starter Adam Wainwright, who brilliantly tossed eight scoreless one-hit innings. The right hander fanned seven Cubs and walked one. Giovanny Gallegos followed with a scoreless ninth. Alex Reyes fumbled in the 10th, surrendering a two-run home run to Javier Baez to give the Cubs the 2-0 lead. Reyes was tagged with the loss.
The Cardinals came back with one in the home 10th on a passed ball and a sac fly.
On the evening, St. Louis hitters were a dismal 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. . A potential scoring opportunity occurred in the fifth inning when Harrison Bader led off with a double, but he was doubled off second when Justin Williams hit a line drive into the shift and it was caught, catching Bader too far off the bag. The next hitter, Edmundo Sosa, doubled and Bader would have scored without the double play. An even worse situation occurred in the seventh where the bases were loaded with no outs and the offense was unable to scratch a run home.
The offense managed six hits, three more than the Cubs, with Sosa the only Cardinal with multiples.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week and the homestand with a record of 3-2, sweeping the Pirates in a two-game set before losing the Cubs series, 1-2. The Cardinals nevertheless remain in first place in the NL Central, two games ahead of the Cubs.
The first of the three against Chicago was a bullpen induced blowout. This game highlighted the Cardinals’ precarious position with pitching, especially the bullpen. Middle relief is the weakest with pitchers including Tyler Webb, Kodi Whitley, and Seth Elledge unable to dependably get outs. Elledge was optioned to Memphis on Saturday, but Webb and Whitley remain. As manager Mike Shildt said, he cannot pitch his three best pitchers in the pen every night. It has come down to only three being able to get outs consistently, Cabrera, Gallegos, and Reyes. With Andrew Miller still on the injured list, only two left handers are in the pen, and one of them is Webb. This situation with the pen is not sustainable.
The starting pitching is in better shape, though getting Mikolas back only to lose him again is a major blow. The Cardinals have begun another 17 day stretch of games with no off days, so six starters will be needed. That means John Gant will have to remain in the rotation for now, and the Cardinals will have to rely on either Johan Oviedo or Daniel Ponce de Leon for spot starts. There doesn’t appear to be any relief in sight on the pitching end.
Offense has been streaky. There was plenty in the Pirates series and almost none in the Cubs series. The lineup has gotten some help from the bench in the form of Edmundo Sosa, who has filled in for injured Paul DeJong and has done so admirably both offensively and defensively. Sosa leads the team for the week in OPS with 1.328. Nolan Arenado has an OPS of .964 for the week. Everyone else in the lineup is under .800 OPS. Harrison Bader, who was one of the top offense producers lately, went into an 0-for-16 slump following the Padres series a week ago. He doubled in Sunday’s game to end the drought. It may be a coincidence, but the slump began when Bader was moved up in the lineup.
A return of Tyler O’Neill to the lineup appears to be nearing. Dylan Carlson missed the last two games of the Cubs series with a tight back, but will likely return for the White Sox set. Paul DeJong will be out longer than originally thought, perhaps some time in June according to team sources.
Defense continues to be the strength of the team. Baserunning has been mostly good aside from the costly blunder by Bader in Sunday’s game. Pitching is the weak link and continues to be so.
The Cardinals take on the AL Central first place White Sox beginning Monday. This will be a very tough series as the White Sox are very good and the Cardinals have been notoriously bad in interleague play. The team ends the week at the Diamondbacks, cellar dwellars in the NL West. Not getting swept by the White Sox would be a win. A series win or even better, a sweep, of Arizona would be very advantageous.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| St. Louis | 26 | 20 | 0.565 | |
| Chicago | 24 | 22 | 0.522 | 2 |
| Milwaukee | 23 | 23 | 0.500 | 3 |
| Cincinnati | 20 | 25 | 0.444 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 18 | 28 | 0.391 | 8 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 5/18 The Cardinals activated 1B John Nogowski from the 10-day injured list.
- 5/18 The Cardinals activated RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon from the 10-day injured list.
- 5/18 The Cardinals optioned RHP Junior Fernandez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/18 The Cardinals placed LF Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list. Left middle finger fracture.
- 5/20 The Cardinals optioned 1B John Nogowski to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/21 The Cardinals activated RHP Carlos Martinez from the 10-day injured list.
- 5/22 The Cardinals activated RHP Miles Mikolas from the 10-day injured list.
- 5/22 The Cardinals optioned RHP Seth Elledge to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 5/23 The Cardinals placed RHP Miles Mikolas on the 10-day injured list. Right forearm tightness.
- 5/23 The Cardinals recalled RHP Junior Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- RHP Miles Mikolas (right forearm tightness), was removed from Saturday’s game prior to the fifth inning after indicating an arm issue. Mikolas had been activated from the injured list that day and made his first start against the Cubs. Mikolas had an MRI done with no structural damage reported. The right hander has been put back on the 10-day injured list with next steps to be determined.
- 1B John Nogowski (left hand bone bruise) was activated and later optioned to Memphis to make room on the roster for Carlos Martinez.
- RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (right shoulder inflammation) was activated and made relief appearances against the Cubs over the weekend.
- LHP Andrew Miller (right foot toe blister) continues on the 10-day injured list. He has thrown bullpen sessions but no further information about a return has been reported.
- RHP Jordan Hicks (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 60-day injured list to make room for the addition on 2B Max Moroff on the 40 man roster. Hicks will not be eligible to return until early July, but the time out will likely be longer per manager Mike Shildt. Shildt does anticipate Hicks will pitch again this season.
- RHP Carlos Martinez (right ankle sprain) was activated and made a start on Friday against the Cubs.
- SS Paul DeJong (left rib fracture) continues on the 10-day injured list. The Cardinals report DeJong will likely need more than two weeks to recover from the injury so his return will not come until sometime in June.
- LF Tyler O’Neill (left finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a middle finger fracture on Tuesday May 18. The placement is not considered to be lengthy and O’Neill was cleared for baseball activity on Friday.
- RF Dylan Carlson was scratched from Saturday’s lineup with back tightness. He is considered day to day.
Looking Ahead
Following the Cubs series, the Cardinals begin a 10-game road trip. It starts in Chicago on Monday with a three-game series with the White Sox.
The team then travels to the west coast for a four-game set in Arizona against the Diamondbacks followed by three games in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.
The Cardinals return home on Thursday, June 2 for four games with the Reds. An off day on Monday, June 7, will the team’s first in 17 days. The homestand ends with two interdivision games against the Cleveland Indians.
The Cardinals regular season schedule can be found here.
Blast from the Past
This is the final installment of our Cardinals Hall of Fame series. It has been a fun ride and this writer at least hopes to live to see each and every one of the individuals in the series be honored by selection to the Cardinals Hall of Fame at some point.
This week we look at a man who contributed to baseball as a player, manager and team owner. This man, maybe more so than any of the others, has warts in his history which could tarnish his candidacy.
Charles Albert Comiskey was born on August 19, 1859 in Chicago and was one of seven children of John and Mary Comiskey. His father was an Irish immigrant and a local politician and his mother was a New York native.
Charlie discovered baseball at an early age on the local sandlots, as did all youngsters in those days. Comiskey attended Catholic parochial school and later religious colleges but continued his interest in baseball. He played all positions but discovered a preference for pitching. Charlie’s father did not approve of his obsession with baseball and tried to turn him in another direction by getting him an apprencticeship with a local plummer, and then in construction. The story goes that one day while driving a brick wagon, Comiskey spotted a baseball game in progress and thought the pitcher wasn’t doing a great job so he took his place.
Charlie defied his father and left home at the age of 17 to play third base for an independent team in Milwaukee. The next year he pitched for a team in Elgin, Illinois and then found a spot on a Dubuque, Iowa team. Comiskey stopped pitching because of arm troubles and moved to first base permanently. It is said Comiskey was the first to play the position “off the line” to enable him to field grounders headed toward right field.
Charlie made it to major league ball in 1882 when he was offered a contract by Chris von der Ahe to play for the St. Louis Browns. The two became close, and von der Ahe chose Comiskey to be his new manager after a dispute with his then-current manager Ted Sullivan late in the 1883 season. Charlie led the Browns (later the Cardinals) to four consecutive American Association pennants (1885-1888) and the 1886 World Series title.
Comiskey briefly left the Browns in 1890 for a position in a new Player’s League, but returned to the Browns at the end of the season when the PL disbanded. Friction developed between Comiskey and von der Ahe and Charlie left for good in 1892 to defect to the Cincinnati Reds. Comiskey spent three seasons with the Reds as player-manager. While on a sabbatical in aid of his health, Comiskey came up with an idea to form a new league in the western states.
The new league was formed with Ban Johnson, the sports editor of the Cincinnati Commerical Tribune, who became the league’s president. Charlie returned to the Reds to fulfill his contractual obligations and then left to purchase one of the new league’s teams, the Sioux City Cornhuskers in 1894. Comiskey moved the team to St. Paul, Minnesota and bought a ballpark.
Comiskey spent five seasons in Minnesota, and then moved the team to Chicago, with permission of the National League. The National League already had a team in Chicago, the Cubs, which had formerly been the White Stockings. Charlie’s St. Louis Browns had defeated the White Stockings in the 1886 championship, so in honor of that association he named his new team the “White Sox” though without “Chicago” in the title as that was a condition of his moving the team.
Comiskey continued his association with Western League, and in 1899, it changed its name to the American League. In addition to the White Sox, there were seven other franchises in various cities, and in 1901 the new league declared major league status.
Comiskey built the White Sox into a very financially successful franchise. He built and opened a new ballpark in 1910, aptly called “Comiskey Park”. The White Sox won five AL pennants and two World Series in 1906 and 1917. By this time however, Comiskey’s reputation with his players began to sour, as did his relationship with league president Ban Johnson. All the discord reached a culimination in 1919 with the infamous Black Sox Scandal.
The details of the Black Sox Scandal are well known. Some believe Comiskey knew of the fix during the World Series, but Comiskey denied it. He offered money to anyone who had knowledge as part of the investigation, though it was seen as more of a PR move than a genuine desire to get to the bottom of it. The scandal ruined Comiskey’s reputation and harmed the franchise. The White Sox did not win another pennant or World Series in Charlie’s lifetime.
Comiskey passed away at the age of 72 on October 26, 1931. The ownership of the White Sox passed to various members of the Comiskey family until 1958, when controlling interest in the team was sold to Bill Veeck. Comiskey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1939.
Should Comiskey be honored with induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame? I will leave this one to the judgment of others, as Comiskey certainly contributed much to the early Cardinals as well undoubtedly to baseball itself. The Black Sox Scandal haunts his candidacy though the Baseball Hall Of Fame saw fit to include him among its ranks. His introduction into major league baseball started with St. Louis, but his legend grew with another organization. Whether Comiskey should grace the halls of the Cardinals Hall Fame is a decision best left up to the organization itself.
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