Ok…the week wasn’t the worst they’ve had this year, but it started a stretch of games against contenders. They handled the Marlins taking the series 2-1; even with the 2 losses, they were 6-4 in their last 10 and headed in a better direction. The Cardinals outscored the Fish 17-7 in the series, thanks to a 9-0 opener.
They followed it up by losing 2 out of 3 to the Phillies, another team who has been hot. The Phillies outscored the Cardinals 15 to 10 over the 3 games. The series continued a trend of uneven baseball; a high scoring game followed by a low score, a good start then a bad start, etc.
Up Next
They’ve already started a 4-game series with the Braves this week, which they follow up with 3 games at home against the Phillies. The Cardinals are 0-1 against the Braves in last night’s game. They are 1-2 against the Phillies, being outscored 10 to 15.
NL Central Standings
| W | L | Pct | GB | Last 10 | Streak | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 47 | 35 | .625 | — | 7-3 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3.0 | 4-6 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 32 | 47 | .405 | 13.5 | 3-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 32 | 48 | .400 | 14.0 | 6-4 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 27 | 52 | .342 | 18.5 | 4-6 | L1 |
The Cards dropped 2 games in the standing, but it’s more notable that the Brewers’ run differential is getting better; they outscored their opponents 47 to 25 since last Monday, giving them a run differential of +40 for the season. That’s still 22 runs behind the Cardinals, but it shows that the Brewers are closing in on justifying their record.
As of right now, the Cardinals are on pace for a 87-75 record and a second place finish.
Run Differential
The Cardinals have scored 386 runs and allowed 324, good for a run differential of +62; that should put them at a 48-34 record, or 4 games worse then they are. +62 is second in the NL and 5th in all of baseball.
Cardinal News
The time line on Jack Flaherty‘s shoulder is starting to take shape; he’s being shut down for 2-3 weeks before being reevaluated. The team revealed there is no structural damage in the shoulder, but the pain is still there. The club needs to be a little more firm with a rehab plan this time; the team has said it was Flaherty’s idea to come back when he did when they were planning another minor league start.
Flaherty’s roster spot went to rookie James Naile, a localish kid making his MLB debut; Naile was a minor league free agent signing in the off-season and pitched well in the Memphis bullpen. Joining him from Memphis was Conner Capel, who took the spot of Harrison Bader; Bader is down with plantar fascitis. No 40-man move was needed for Naile or Capel since Genesis Cabrera and T.J. McFarland are on the Covid IL.
The off-season bullpen signings continue to dwindle; the Cardinals designated Nick Wittgren for assignment as part of a flurry of roster moves before the weekend. They also reinstated Jordan Hicks from the IL, promoted Matthew Liberatore, and optioned Jake Woodford. Wittgren struggled out of the bullpen, although his 5.90 ERA wasn’t supported by his 3.84 FIP; he did struggle with strikeouts (5.3 K/9) and baserunners (10.9 H/9, 3.1 BB/9 for a 1.55 WHIP), all worse then his career norms.
Austin Romine joined the active roster, taking the place of Ivan Herrera and Wittgren’s 40-man spot. Romine will give the catcher with a little MLB experience, although his track record isn’t much better then what Herrera and Andrew Knizner has been providing. I would much rather see what the 2 young guys could do then bringing in Romine; the Cardinals need to know if either of these guys could be the main option next season.
The catch question will be staying around for a while; Yadier Molina is still in Puerto Rico rehabbing his knee. There is no timetable for his return; he’s “working hard and feeling better” according to manager Oliver Marmol, but he’s not ready for baseball activities yet.
Cardinal Rumors
Frankie Montas continues to be tied many teams, including the Cardinals. He’s probably the top guy on the market, which means the Cardinals will pass for multiple reasons. First off, they have historically passed on big time pitcher acquisitions at the trade deadline (see below for the Cardinals and trading for pitchers at the deadline). Secondly, the Cardinals are reluctant to trade top prospects, especially guys like Libertore, Jordan Walker, or Masyn Winn; these guys are pretty much off limits. They should jump at a deal that doesn’t include those 3; we’re looking guys more like Alec Burleson, Malcom Nunez, and Angel Rondon…guys just a tier below the big boys.
Minor Leagues
Rehab Notes
Former Cardinals
Pitching and the Trade Deadline
As mentioned above, the Cardinals don’t have a history of making a big pitching splash at the trade deadline; they’ve picked up over the hill, innings eaters and middle relievers for the most part. Here are all of the pitcher acquisitions at the trade deadline under John Mozeliak:
There are some decent names on the list, but a majority of the names are middle relievers because Mozeliak has struggled to build them over the years. Lackey is probably the best pitcher on the list, but remember that he was struggling pretty bad in Boston before the trade; his entire career in Boston was considered a bust. Gallegos broke out once he joined the Cardinals; I believe they were expecting more out Shreve in that Luke Voit trade.
There are basically 3 categories here: innings eaters, middle relievers, minor leaguers.
I’m expecting more of the same; we’ll acquire an innings eating starter that slots in at the back of the rotation and maybe 2 low level relievers. The team will send out guys like Lars Nootbaar and Capel, guys who have shown some flashes and are expendable because they won’t be worth 40-man spots after the season is over.
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