St. Louis Cardinals 2022

pruman91 · Aug 2, 2022

Cardinals win 6-0 over the cubbies...........Dylan Carlson with a 2 run homer and several good catches in CF.........Goldie and Arenado with bombs....
Stratton finished up the game in the 9th with a K and a double play grounder hit back to him......................Nice Cardinals debut for him..............

That's a Winner !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IlliniFan85 · Aug 2, 2022

Not Cards related, but Vin Scully passed away.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Aug 2, 2022

IlliniFan85 said:
Not Cards related, but Vin Scully passed away.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1554674494068985856

dgcrow · Aug 3, 2022

IlliniFan85 said:
Not Cards related, but Vin Scully passed away.

He was a great one. One of those announcers who assumed his audience had some intelligence and treated it with repsect.

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

Cardinals steady rotation with two starters at deadline, instead of reaching for a star

Shortly before Tuesday's deadline, Cardinals sent center fielder Harrison Bader to Yankees for lefty Jordan Montgomery, their second trade for a lefty in 24 hours.

www.stltoday.com

Derrick Goold
As the Cardinals plunged into talks that challenged their time-tested conservative approach at the trade deadline before reaffirming it, the range of deals discussed was as wide as their imagination allowed. They could make headlines or bottom lines, a big splash or a small fix.
The Cardinals explored a variety of deals that stretched from a franchise-altering move for budding superstar Juan Soto to the ones they made for steady starting pitchers who can fill innings potholes, at least. Within 30 minutes of Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Cardinals sent center fielder Harrison Bader to the New York Yankees for lefty Jordan Montgomery. He joins Jose Quintana as the two lefty starters the Cardinals acquired in 24 hours and will debut in the rotation during this homestand.

At the deadline, the Cardinals got better than they were.
They didn’t guarantee they’re as good as they need to be.
John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, agreed that the spectrum of outcomes given the deals attempted was “obviously large.”
“You saw what we did vs. what was rumored we would have to do,” Mozeliak said. “It would have been a very different look. For us, trying to understand the calculus and how to think through that, I think we were prepared for that. But ultimately, it’s not the direction we went.”

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

Quick hits: Adam Wainwright-Yadier Molina battery is recharged as Cardinals stomp Cubs

Goldschmidt, Carlson, Arenado all homer as Wainwright wins No. 192 in his 317th start with his favorite catcher.

www.stltoday.com

Rick Hummel
Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright had had a 3.94 earned run average over his previous eight starts. Not great. Not bad. But not Molina.
The Cardinals’ soon-to-be record-setting battery made its first appearance together on Tuesday night since June 11, when catcher Yadier Molina, just off the injured list, walked in from the bullpen with Wainwright for the 317th time, pushing them into second place on the career charts, seven behind Detroit’s tandem of Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.
Though it had been 52 days, Wainwright and Molina showed they hadn’t missed many beats. Scoring the 192nd victory of his career, Wainwright blanked the Chicago Cubs on six hits over seven innings, and Paul Goldschmidt and Dylan Carlson both homered and drove in a collective five runs in a 6-0 thumping before a paid crowd of 44,344 at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals got to seven games over the break-even mark (55-48) for the first time since July 3, and the win enabled them to close the gap between themselves and the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers to two games.
Wainwright (8-8) fanned four while throwing 106 pitches, with the 106th a 72 mph curveball at which Zach McKinstry could only stare as the seventh inning concluded. He didn’t issue a walk for the fourth time this season.

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

Dylan Carlson is at the center of the Cardinals' new-look outfield

Injuries, trade of Bader have changed everything. But Carlson, Nootbaar are thriving. Wainwright-Molina battery is connected in shutout of Cubs.

www.stltoday.com

Rick Hummel
The Cardinals, after several years of searching, found a starting outfield in 2021 that they figured would be together for several years. From left to right, Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader and Dylan Carlson smacked 68 home runs and played Gold Glove defense, with the first two named actually winning the hardware.
But in 2022, that group lasted just more than two months. In a 6-4 loss at Boston on June 19, O’Neill had three hits before hurting his hamstring. Bader and Carlson had lined up next to him for the final time.
On June 27, Bader went out with plantar fasciitis, never again to play for the Cardinals this season. And now he is on his way to the New York Yankees in a deal for left-hander Jordan Montgomery.

Your St. Louis Cardinals outfield, from left to right on Tuesday night, was Corey Dickerson, Carlson and Lars Nootbaar.
Dickerson is holding that left-field position until O’Neill comes back from still another injury. But Carlson is going to be the club’s center fielder, presumably, for years to come. And Nootbaar has a chance to seize a large portion of right-field duty.
Carlson, as you may have seen, has been big on social media lately. He was deemed the player the Cardinals would not give up to acquire Juan Soto from Washington. Whether Carlson was “the one,” or not, isn’t truly known but president of baseball operations John Mozeliak made sure over the weekend in Washington that Carlson knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

Tipsheet: While Padres made huge splash, Cardinals found good pitching fits

The Cardinals didn't make big headlines at the trade deadline, but they made two smart trades that netted two starters and a reliever to reconfigure their pitching staff.

www.stltoday.com

Jeff Gordon
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak wouldn't specify what the Washington Nationals demanded of the Cardinals during the Juan Soto auction.
He referred reporters to the price San Diego Padres executive A.J. Preller paid for Soto and first baseman Josh Bell: Shortstop C.J. Abrams, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, first baseman Luke Voit, outfield prospects Robert Hassell III and James Wood and pitching prospect Jarlin Susana.
Some experts are terming that the greatest haul a team has ever collected in a bailout trade. The Cardinals were not interested in setting that sort of record.
Mozeliak did meet his goal of upgrading the Cardinals pitching staff by adding starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana along with reliever Chris Bratton, who closed out Tuesday night’s victory.

Writing for FanGraphs, Dan Szymborski commented on that strategy:
The front office had little time to bemoan falling short in the Soto sweepstakes with the deadline approaching and the very real possibility that neither Steven Matz nor Jack Flaherty would return to contribute this season, and though St. Louis closed a deal with the Pirates for Jose Quintana and his fancy new changeup on Monday, more was needed. Montgomery suddenly found himself expendable in New York thanks in part to the Frankie Montas trade, and his profile makes him a good fit for the Cardinals. A lefty sinkerballer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them strongly encourage him to keep the ball on the ground even more; they have had the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball this year, playing to his strength as a pitcher.

jrichisamazing · Aug 3, 2022

the juiceman cometh said:
Quintana and Montgomery are good additions no doubt. What's frustrating is that 1. They make the team better and improve our chances of making the playoffs but clearly don't move the needle on competing with the Dodgers/Braves/Mets etc. and 2. We could have had both Quintana and Rodon (who is significantly better than Montgomery) during the offseason and not had to give up any players or prospects for them.

We'll see about that. On paper you're right but the playoffs are always a crapshoot. The most important thing is getting there consistently to always give yourself a chance. Although it's very frustrating at times, I think the Cardinals model is ultimately the right way.

The Dodgers only have 1 ring to show for all their moves and spending. The Yankees haven't won since 09, despite all their spending. The goal is to just keep getting there, and every now and then the stars will align.

And speaking of stars aligning, I think this team has a decent chance. This defense, plus Yadi behind the plate, could elevate the starters just enough. And a lineup like this could be really dangerous from top to bottom if they can get hot at the right time.

Edman
Carlson
Goldy
Arenado
Oneil
Gorman
DeJong
Yadi
Donovan

Unlike lots of the famous Cardinals team, this lineup has pop from top to bottom. I could see us stealing some 4 hit games in the postseason, because 2 or 3 of those hits are homers.

the juiceman cometh · Aug 3, 2022

jrichisamazing said:
We'll see about that. On paper you're right but the playoffs are always a crapshoot. The most important thing is getting there consistently to always give yourself a chance. Although it's very frustrating at times, I think the Cardinals model is ultimately the right way.

In an expanded playoff just limping into the playoffs has lower odds of yielding results than it used to. Yes, sometimes wild card teams get hot and win it. That is outside everyone's control. Building a good team is within the team's control and increses your odds of getting hot at the right time. Why not do it?

jrichisamazing said:
The Dodgers only have 1 ring to show for all their moves and spending. The Yankees haven't won since 09, despite all their spending. The goal is to just keep getting there, and every now and then the stars will align.

Dodgers have made 3 world series in the last 5 years and one additional NLCS. When you think about putting yourself in a position to get there and win, this is the team I think about.

jrichisamazing said:
And speaking of stars aligning, I think this team has a decent chance. This defense, plus Yadi behind the plate, could elevate the starters just enough. And a lineup like this could be really dangerous from top to bottom if they can get hot at the right time.

Edman
Carlson
Goldy
Arenado
Oneil
Gorman
DeJong
Yadi
Donovan

Unlike lots of the famous Cardinals team, this lineup has pop from top to bottom. I could see us stealing some 4 hit games in the postseason, because 2 or 3 of those hits are homers.

Sorry, just disagree here. Edman is back to being a leadoff guy who can't get on base. Gorman isn't even in this lineup against lefties. Yadi is an automatic out. Donovan is hitting very well but has no power. O'Neill is one of my favorites when he's right, but he hasn't been right in a while. This lineup has massive holes compared to the league's best. Heres an OPS+ comparison of the dangerous lineup you proposed vs what the Braves can trot out there.

Edman - 99 / Acuna - 108
Carlson - 109 / Swanson - 128
Goldy - 190 / Olson - 128
Arenado - 153 / Riley - 160
Oneil - 87 / Ozuna - 94
Gorman - 116 / Contreras - 140
DeJong - 36 / d'Arnaud - 100
Yadi - 44 / Arcia - 94
Donovan - 124 / Harris - 118

Anyone can get hot but when you have the more dangerous lineup, you have much better odds of getting hot.

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

First Pitch: Cardinals postponed due to rain, set for double-header Thursday as make up

The Cardinals go for a series win against the Chicago Cubs in their first series back in St. Louis post All-Star break.

www.stltoday.com

The Cardinals Wednesday evening game against the Chicago Cubs has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up Thursday at 12:15pm as part of a double-header with the originally scheduled game still taking place at 6:45PM.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Aug 3, 2022

Related to the Vin Scully topic that got brought up in here earlier.

I was listening to a couple old interviews with Scully on the way home tonight. One of the more interesting things I learned was that Walter O'Malley didn't actually want to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to L.A. and basically did so kicking and screaming. He wanted to keep the team in Brooklyn and was wanting to build a stadium with a geodesic dome over it on a site that is where the Barclays Center is now located in Brooklyn.

pruman91 · Aug 3, 2022

Addition of two starters means Andre Pallante is going to Cardinals' bullpen

He will be there Thursday as Cardinals play split doubleheader with Cubs after rainout Wednesday night.

www.stltoday.com

Rick Hummel
Six into five means rookie Andre Pallante, who pitched shutout ball for eight innings in his previous start, is going to the Cardinals’ bullpen.
Since Pallante beat Washington 5-0 on Sunday, the Cardinals have added left-handers Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery to the rotation, giving them six starters when only five generally are needed.
Quintana is slated to pitch Thursday night in one of the games of a split doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs and Miles Mikolas, the scheduled starter for Wednesday’s rainout, will have the first game at 12:15 p.m.
Montgomery, who is to arrive Thursday morning, will work against his former team, the New York Yankees, on Saturday night.

The reassignment of Pallante has nothing to do with how Pallante, whose earned-run average is 3.18, is pitching. Manager Oliver Marmol, mindful that Pallante’s professional career high in innings was 99⅓ last year and his total is at 82 innings now, says he wants to make sure the impressive right-hander is ready for postseason action. So, the 23-year-old will be ready for bullpen activity as early as Thursday.
“I think he’ll be better as a reliever than ‘Dak' (Dakota Hudson) in how we can use him against both righty (and) lefty pinch-hitters," Marmol said. "And, also we talk about overall innings — having them for the last run and for the playoffs.

“But it’s definitely not because he didn’t do the job as a starter. He took to that role well.”

pruman91 · Aug 4, 2022

BenFred: Assessing how the trade deadline affected certain current and former Cardinals

Better spot? Tougher spot? Cardinals and ex-Cards wound up on both sides.

www.stltoday.com

Ben Frederickson
The trade deadline has come and gone and the annual tradition of grading each team’s moves or lack thereof is complete.
The championship-desperate Padres are “winners” for selling off nearly their entire farm system for a series of moves headlined by Juan Soto.
The retooling Cubs are “losers” for not moving Willson Contreras and Ian Happ when they could have maximized returns before free agency.
The Cardinals are, not surprisingly, somewhere in the upper middle.
Soto didn’t come walking through that door, but the Cardinals pitching – their biggest weakness – was improved through swaps for starters Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery. The bullpen could be improved by the addition of Chris Stratton, if the Cardinals are correct about the tweaks to his pitch mix they think will help. The bullpen will certainly be improved by Andre Pallante shifting back into it now that the Cardinals have added two starters.

The costs for the additions, once the surprise of seeing fan-favorite (and injured) center field Harrison Bader depart for the Big Apple, seem unremarkable at the moment. The Cardinals' prized prospects are still protected. I'd give it a B-plus grade. The Cardinals fell into the upper middle of trade-deadline grades, right about where they often find themselves, caught somewhere between liking where they are but wanting to get better, but also fretting over the difference in cost between hoping they get better and guaranteeing they will.

pruman91 · Aug 4, 2022

Hochman: The change that made Jose Quintana worthy of trade to the Cardinals

Quintana now throws his changeup almost a quarter of the time — a 23.5% usage.

www.stltoday.com

Benjamin Hochman
Entering this season, a decade since his debut, Jose Quintana had thrown his changeup around 9% of the time.
But in this season, Quintana has thrown his changeup almost a quarter of the time — a 23.5% usage.
His changeup change-up led to a change in production and, soon, in scenery.
Pitching for Pittsburgh, he became quintessential Quintana, the guy whose success once took him to an All-Star Game. His ERA in 2022 is 3.50, the first time it has been in the “threes” since 2016, when he finished with a 3.20 ERA and made the Midsummer Classic.
And so, his success catapulted him into a playoff race. Quintana was traded to the Cardinals. On Tuesday, there was a weird sight in the red-clad clubhouse — a black-and-gold Pirates bag, in which Quintana surely used to bring his cherished changeup.

“I agree, I think the changeup has put me in better position to get quick outs,” the lefty starter said. “And in different situations, get weak contact. It’s a pitch I never used a lot in the past. So I think what I tried to change has helped me a lot. The best part is when I keep the changeup in the zone. That’s when I am most successful.”
But this success doesn’t come with the changeup in a vacuum. Quintana has thrived by playing off of it, making his four-seamer and curveball more effective, even though he’s throwing them less often than in previous seasons.

pruman91 · Aug 4, 2022

Cards come from down 3-0 late in the game , to win 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th in the first game of the doubleheader......

Lars Nootbaar drives in Nolan Arenado from second base with a single to right field.....great game......

Also , the Brewers lost 4-3 ( I think that was the score ) on a wild pitch by one of their new relief pitchers......Pirates swept the Brewers in their 3 game series so the Cardinals are now only down 1/2 a game and can tie for 1st place with a win tonight in the second game starting at 6:45...........What a way to spend a day......
Tramadol and 420 with a splash every so often of NL # 3 for measure .....It's great to be alive ........IT REALLY REALLY IS............................

pruman91 · Aug 4, 2022

Cardinals win the nightcap 7-2 and complete the 3 game series SWEEP over the hapless cubbies.........................

Quintana with a great debut only allowing 1 hit and Stratton finished the game in the 9th.......he walked the first 2 batters in the 9th then got a K and a double play grounder just like his first Cardinal game.....................

Cardinals now in a tie for first place with the Brewers......Maybe the Hader trade took some life and confidence away from the Brewers...I sure hope so......
I really really do................................

That's a Winner x 2..............................................................

pruman91 · Aug 5, 2022

Media Views: McLaughlin being groomed to be part of Cardinals' postseason radio crew

Dan McLaughlin has joined the radio crew for a handful of games this season when local TV productions are bumped in favor of national coverage.

www.stltoday.com

Dan Caesar
The seed that was planted in 2019 is sprouting now.
The Blues made their epic run to the Stanley Cup championship then, and in the process their lead radio announcer made a noble, selfless gesture. Chris Kerber relinquished the play-by-play duties for the second period of the contests in the Finals, the biggest games he ever has called. Why? So his television counterpart, John Kelly, could experience the thrill of broadcasting the team’s first appearance in the NHL’s title round since his dad — legendary Blues announcer Dan Kelly — called the 1970 Finals.
The local hockey TV broadcasters are done working after the first round of the playoffs, as national networks have exclusive rights the rest of the way. In Major League Baseball, there are no local postseason telecasts. All are national productions. Therefore longtime Cardinals television voice Dan McLaughlin has been shut out of the team’s October runs in this century.

But it looks as if that won’t be the case this year if the Cards make the postseason. McLaughlin has joined the radio crew for a handful of games this season when Bally Sports Midwest’s productions are bumped in favor of national coverage, and is set to do so again Saturday when Fox has the club’s game at home against the Yankees (6:15 p.m., KTVI, Channel 2 locally).
“This is all John Rooney and the radio side,” McLaughlin said, adding that the team was in Kansas City early in the season when Rooney presented the idea. “He never had to do that. Ever. I was floored. I had no idea. I was emotional. All I ever wanted to do is call Cardinals postseason baseball.”

-------------------------------------------------

Danny Mac is the best at broadcasting TV Cardinals BB............................................Glad to see him getting his chance to do radio post season playoff work if the Cardinals make it.......

pruman91 · Aug 5, 2022

As mighty Yankees arrive, Cardinals revitalized by adding 'right guys' for a playoff run

Quintana, the first of two lefty starters added at the deadline, pitches six superb innings and helps lift Cardinals to doubleheader sweep of Cubs.

www.stltoday.com

Derrick Goold
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol had reviewed video, mined scouting reports, and explored the universe of data available, mapping the constellations of spin rate and velocity, but there was one thing he could not glimpse about Jose Quintana until right before the lefty’s debut.
As Quintana walked from his warmup in the bullpen to the Cardinals’ dugout, about to make his first start for his new team, Marmol positioned himself to look into Quintana’s eyes.
“The human side,” Marmol said later. “Through the eyes you see what’s inside.”
The manager had a word for what he saw.
Determination.

“You look into the eyes of the Quintanas of the world, before that game starts, and it will give you goosebumps how bad he wants it,” Marmol said. “You look at anybody on the club right now, there’s a really good feeling going around. The guys are determined. It will be a fun little run.”
Two days after the Cardinals retooled the rotation at the trade deadline and recharged the clubhouse with both relief and reinforcements, Quintana became the first of the two new starters to debut. That look in his eyes quickly translated to what the Cardinals have been waiting to see on the field. With a steady hand, Quintana pitched six innings, allowed one run, and struck out seven to send the Cardinals toward a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs.

pruman91 · Aug 5, 2022

Tipsheet: Stumbling Brewers welcome Cardinals back into NL Central race

The Brewers failed to run away from the Cardinals the NL Central this season, so now we could see an exciting division race during the last two weeks of the

www.stltoday.com

Jeff Gordon
The Milwaukee Brewers had multiple opportunities to put the Cardinals in their rear view mirror this season.
At various points in this campaign they could have pulled away in the National League Central race and accelerated toward another division title.
But they didn’t. And now the Cardinals have pulled into a first-place tie with the Brewers heading into the weekend’s games.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado proclaimed that he wasn’t content to bid for a wild card slot this season. And now here his team is, playing for the division title instead.
The Brewers helped out by losing four straight games. They suffered a three-game sweep from the tanking Pittsburgh Pirates after trading away long-dominant closer Josh Hader to save money and add a few prospects.

“You’d be lying if you said it didn’t have an effect, but at the same time it’s like, we’re pros,” Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said told MLB.com. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to perform at your best and get the job done. We weren’t able to do that those last three days. That didn’t really have anything to do with not having Josh.
“I know that’s probably going to be a storyline and the thing that’s talked about, especially because of the timing. But we just didn’t play good enough. We just have to regroup, get back out there, get back on track and stack a few in a row and see if we can get back headed in the right direction.”

Our Town’s Devin Williams failed in Hader’s absence Wednesday and newcomer Matt Bush faltered Thursday.

pruman91 · Aug 5, 2022

Quick hits: Tyler O'Neill's homer shatters tie, hoists Cardinals to sweep of Cubs

O'Neill's three-run homer sends team to 7-2 win in Game 2 of doubleheader, following Nootbaar's walk-off in Game 1. Quintana solid in Cardinals debut.

www.stltoday.com

Derrick Goold
Before the first of the Cardinals’ new lefty starters spun a pitch, manager Oliver Marmol was pragmatic about what he was eager to see first from Jose Quintana.
The swings and misses and zeroes could come later.
“It’s going to be fun to watch him in our uniform,” Marmol said.
In his feathered debut after arriving near the trade deadline from Pittsburgh, Quintana gave the Cardinals what they saw enough times playing against him. With six strong innings and one run allowed, the veteran lefty put the Cardinals in position for a doubleheader sweep of the rival Cubs on Thursday at Busch Stadium. A brief detour by the bullpen lost a lead and only invited someone else to share in the evening’s spotlight.

Tyler O’Neill, out from the shadows of injuries and frustration, emerged with his first home run at Busch Stadium since opening day.
The Cardinals’ left fielder, most recently hounded by leg soreness, drilled a three-run homer to shatter a tie and send the Cardinals’ to a 7-2 victory in the night game. His homer landed in the Cubs bullpen, and after carrying the bat like a magic wand, O’Neill cast it aside near first base coach Stubby Clapp.

jrichisamazing · Aug 5, 2022

That was a fun sweep!

This Yankees series is a big one for the momentum IMO. The team needs some success against an elite team. I believe they have 4 series left against those teams a tier or 2 above us...

Yankees, Braves, Padres, Dodgers

wpr · Aug 5, 2022

"Now that's funny right there I don't care who you are. That there is funny." Larry The Cable Guy.

IlliniFan85 · Aug 5, 2022

Not the result I expected

pruman91 · Aug 5, 2022

Cardinals with another come from behind win and beat the Yankees 4-3..........Paul DeJong with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 8th was the game winner and Ryan Helsley closed out the top of the 9th for the save...........Cardinals stay in 1st place with the win...........

The Brewers are at home and lead the Reds 5-1 in the top of the 9th so it looks like the Cardinals are still tied for 1st in the Central division........

THAT'S A WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!