Monday Afternoon GM: The Downward Spiral

Things continue to get worse during a tough stretch for the Cardinals; the Braves and the Phillies are 2 of the hotter teams right now, and the Cardinals showed their current roster can’t hold up to playoff contenders. The pitching is stretched thin and the hitting is very inconsistent.

The Braves took 3 of 4 from the Cards, and it wasn’t close in those 3 losses; the team was outscored 18 to 7, including a shutout and a 1-run game. And the 1 win was an extra innings one which everyone can thank Dylan Carlson for; he made big catch that doubled off Phil Gosselin before hitting a game winning single to win it in the 11th.

A return to home was sure to fix the recent woes, but the Phillies took 2 out of the first 3 (game 4 is today). Game 1 was a heartbreaker that saw Adam Wainwright pitch a complete game allowing 2 runs, but receiving absolutely no run support. That was followed by a game lost in the 9th inning on a sacrifice fly. The redeeming game was game 3, where the Cardinals over came a 2 run lead with a run in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings to take the lead.

Up Next
The Cards finish out the series with the Phillies tonight, followed by 3 against the Dodgers and 3 against the Reds before the All Star Break. The Cardinals are 2-4 against the Phillies, haven’t faced the Dodgers yet, and 4-2 versus the Reds.

NL Central

Even with the rough week, the Cardinals picked up a half a game on the Brewers since last Monday. The good thing for the Cardinals is they are facing a little bit of an easier schedule after the Dodgers, while the Brewers are taking on a bunch of contenders.

As of today, the Cardinals are on pace for a 85-77 records, about 5 games worse then predicted.

Run Differential
The Cardinals have scored 394 runs and allowed 342, good for a run differential of +52; that means their record should be 50-38, about 4 games better then their actual record. They should be on pace for a 91-71 record if their run differential were to remain the same.

They are still in the Top 5 of the NL, but the East has really caught up; the Mets, Braves, and Phillies are all head of the Cardinals (along with the Dodgers. They are 7th in baseball, with the Yankees and Astros ahead of them.

Cardinal News
The Cardinals were able to snag 4 All Stars spots this season. Paul Goldschmidt will start at first base for the NL, while Nolan Arenado narrowly lost the starting spot at third to Manny Machado. Ryan Helsley was added to the NL bullpen. Before all the announcements, the commissioners office announced a special roster spot for a “legacy” selection for each team. Albert Pujols was selected (along with Miguel Cabrera in the AL) since it’s his final season. The biggest crime was Tommy Edman not making the team, but his position switch earlier in the season hurt his case; he’d probably be the favorite at second base, but he was listed as shortstop and Trea Turner got the fan vote. It probably didn’t help that Turner is in a bigger market and got more votes that way.

To go with the All Star Game, MLB also announced the Futures Game roster; Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn will represent the Cardinals.

There were a rash of roster moves over the last week. Genesis Cabrera was activated from the Covid IL; the team sent down James Naile to clear an 26-man spot and designated Angel Rondon for assignment to clear a 40-man spot. Later in the week, the team activated Corey Dickerson and sent down Conner Capel (per John Denton); hopefully Dickerson’s leash is short. The same day, the team released Nick Wittgren after he was DFAed last week.

Now to injury news. Harrison Bader is out until after the All Star Break with his plantar flaciitis; he’s doing some light baseball drills, but is still wearing a protective boot. And there really isn’t an update for Yadier Molina; he’s still in Puerto Rico rehabbing his knee, but they don’t know when he’ll be back. It’s kind of a weird situation as he’s not with the team and no one is really talking about what the issue is with his knee.

Back to Pujols, who recorded his 684th homer, which put him in a tie for 3rd all time for extra base hits; the tie is with another Cardinal legend, Stan Musial. Pujols is still 12 homers behind Alex Rodriguez for 4th all time; they way the season is going for Pujols, he probably won’t make it.

Pujols records

Cardinal Rumors
Besides the pitcher rumors for the last few weeks, mark the Cardinals down for a potential catcher. The Cardinals catching corp haven’t hit at all this season, and Austin Romine has proved he’s not the answer in a small sample. For now, the team really just needs to let Ivan Herrera catch 2 out of 3 games to see what they have with him.

MLB Trade Rumors only has 1 catcher on their Top 50 Trade Candidates: Willson Contreras of the Cubs. Since he’s a Cub, he won’t be a Cardinal; they’ll ask for more from the Cardinals, and it won’t be worth the price for a rental. Other catchers they name include Tucker Barnhart (Tigers), Stephen Vogt (Athletics), Kurt Suzuki (Angels), and Curt Casali (Giants).

Minor Leagues

• Memphis Redbirds: 46-38
  • Up Next: @ Nashville Sounds (52-31)
  • Brandon Waddell (RHP) off IL
  • Blake Parker (RHP) released
• Springfield Cardinals: 37-44
  • Up Next: vs Tulsa Drillers (45-34)
  • Leonardo Taveras (OF) promoted from Peoria
  • Johan Quezada (RHP) promoted from FCL Cardinals
  • John Beller (LHP) to IL
  • Griffin Roberts (RHP) off IL
• Peoria Chiefs: 33-48
  • Up Next: vs South Bend Cubs (45-36)
  • Colin Schmid (LHP), Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (RHP), Jack Ralston (RHP) off IL
  • Zade Richardson (C) released
• Palm Beach Cardinals: 39-40
  • Up Next: vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (38-42)
  • Hayes Heinecke (RHP) to IL
  • Angel Cuenca (RHP) off IL
  • Lizandro Espinoza (IF) promoted from FCL Cardinals
  • Thomas Francisco (1B), Jack Ralston (RHP) demoted from Peoria
• Other Notes
  • Trejyn Fletcher (OF), Brandon Hernandez (IF) demoted to FCL Cardinals from Palm Beach

Rehab Notes

• Steven Matz (Memphis): 3 G, 8.1 IP, 10 K, 3.24 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
  • He should be activated soon
• Tyler O’Neill (Memphis): 7 AB, 3 H, 1 RBI, 2 K, .429/.500/.571
  • He was expected to be back already, but was hit by a pitch in his last rehab appearance (7/06)
• Drew VerHagen (Peoria): 3 G, 4.0 IP, 3 K, 0.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

Former Cardinals

• Chasen Shreve (LHP, Mets) was designated for assignment after 26.1 innings with a 6.49 ERA; the Mets granted him his released after he cleared waivers.
• Max Schrock (IF, Reds) was optioned to Triple A