Hochman: 鈥榃e don鈥檛 do damage.鈥 Cardinals' lack of home runs is surprising and brutal
Listen now and subscribe: |
If you鈥檝e noticed St. Louisans in slightly better shape of late, perhaps this is the explanation. So the grocery store Schnucks offers free donuts (via its app) on the day after a Cardinal hits a home run. But in all of Major League Baseball, the Cardinals rank 24th in homers.
Not going to sugarcoat this with sprinkles: This is a primary reason why the Cardinals鈥 final game this year will be in September and not October.
We鈥檝e written about the Cardinals鈥 sluggish slugging all season, but as the final homestand begins, we can take stock of all that鈥檚 gone on 鈥 fewer baseballs long gone.
Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt lead the Cardinals with 21 homers each. The last time the Cards had a year without a 25-homer hitter was a decade ago. Jhonny Peralta hit 21 in 2014 (but that St. Louis team could sure pitch 鈥 it had a 3.44 ERA, sixth-best in MLB).
The Cards entered this season with some things they could earmark or pencil in. One of those was that the club would club 鈥 this looked like a team that could hit 180-200 homers.
鈥淚 think you go into the season and you can have a decent guess as to what your corner guys are going to do,鈥 Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, in reference cornerstone corner players Goldschmidt at first base and Nolan Arenado at third. 鈥淵ou had (Nolan) Gorman, who has proven ability to hit homers. Then you add in kind of what you think the next step for Jordan Walker looks like, and you add some of those other guys to that, with Wilson (Contreras) behind the plate. Burly, he鈥檚 an all-fields hitter, but he can also jump ship and give you some power. So yeah, you have an idea of where you think that鈥檚 going to land 鈥 and we were off.鈥
St. Louis entered Monday with 153 home runs. Counting Monday, there are a baker鈥檚 dozen games left. Last year, the Cardinals hit 209 home runs. The year before, they flirted again with 200 (finishing with 197).
In 2024, only six teams have fewer homers than the Cards do 鈥 and they鈥檙e the teams you would expect: the Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates, who are visiting Busch Stadium this week.
Conversely, the top five teams in home runs are all in playoff spots. And 11 of the 12 playoff teams (if the season ended Monday) are in the top 14.
So what the heck happened in St. Louis? The coaches, to be fair, work tirelessly, but the reality is that under the watch of hitting coach Turner Ward, nearly every Cardinal has had a down year from a homer standpoint. It鈥檚 astonishing.
Take Arenado. Since 2015, the fewest homers Arenado hit in a non-pandemic year was 26. That was last year. Well, this year, Arenado has 16.
Goldschmidt, who turned 37 this month, had hit 30 or more homers every full year from 2017 to 2022. Last year, though, he hit 25. And this year, 21.
Quite simply, the Cardinals expected Arenado and Goldschmidt (or at least Arenado or Goldschmidt) to have big slugging seasons. Neither did. And the club is loitering around .500.
Of course, the Gorman fall has been stunning. He led the 2023 Cards with 27 homers in just 406 at-bats. I wrote that the guy would hit 35 this year. Alas, he didn鈥檛 even get to 20. Gorman hit 19 homers this year before his demotion to Class AAA Memphis. He just struck out too much.
And Walker, yeah, we know the story. Couldn鈥檛 get the ball off the ground often, so the 22-year-old spent the majority of his second Cardinals season not on the Cardinals.
Contreras鈥 home run rate of 4.2% is very similar to his past four seasons 鈥 but his two injuries sidelined him and he finished the year with 15 homers.
The Cardinals are particular abysmal with runners in scoring position. They have hit just 25 homers with RISP 鈥 tied for worst in MLB with the embarrassment that is the White Sox.
鈥(RISP) definitely plays a large part in where we are at the moment, so I don鈥檛 want to minimize that,鈥 said Marmol, whose team entered Monday at 74-75. 鈥淏ut when you look at our numbers as a whole, what鈥檚 missing with runners in scoring position is the same thing that鈥檚 missing with no runners 鈥 we don鈥檛 do damage. We don鈥檛 get extra-base hits. And then with runners in scoring position, when you looked at our overall extra base hits, it鈥檚 just it鈥檚 not there. So it does go hand in hand, but yeah, not being able to drive in a run has been (impactful).鈥
Counting this season, there have been 12 times since 1990 that the Cards were led in the category by a player with fewer with 30 home runs (2020 notwithstanding). Sure, Albert Pujols and Mark McGwire helped. In fact, the Cards had a 30-homer hitter every year from 1996-2012. This was mind-boggling. In 1992, Ray Lankford led the Cardinals with 20 home runs. And that as a huge upgrade. In 1991, Todd Zeile led the Cards with ... 11 home runs.
Back then, the home run wasn鈥檛 supposed to be part of the Cardinals鈥 game.
Here in 2024, the home run was supposed to win the Cardinals games.
鈥楢 totally different guy鈥: Andre Pallante forcing a rewrite on his role in Cardinals鈥 future
Listen now and subscribe: |
When Andre Pallante delivered the biggest pitch of his season and maybe his career, he was not on the mound 鈥 but on the phone.
Before he could make the call and make his case to turn a step back into the minors as a giant leap forward in his career, Pallante had to first accept why the Cardinals demoted him in late April, just a few weeks into his third year in the majors. He was a right-handed reliever with a 6.30 ERA, almost as many walks as strikeouts, and no discernible way to consistently suppress right-handed hitters.
鈥淚 got sent down because I wasn鈥檛 getting guys out,鈥 Pallante said, bluntly.
What he had was an idea, and in phone conversations with manager Oliver Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake he presented it. If he could develop a second fastball and refine other pitches 鈥 things to attack right-handed batters 鈥 he could help them as a pitcher, in any role. If he was going to do that they could help him by putting him in the Class AAA rotation. He wanted the five-day schedule and the innings to workshop pitches.
He was confident if they gave him that time, he鈥檇 improve as a pitcher.
What he became is a starter.
鈥淰ery few people bet on themselves that way,鈥 Marmol said.
鈥淲ho knows how that could have gone?鈥 Pallante said at his locker late Monday night. 鈥淚 had to reframe it. They could have just sent me down as a bullpen guy: 鈥榃e鈥檒l call you back up when we need an arm.鈥 But they told me they wanted me to get better. And they put me in a position to get better. That was really how I felt, like I knew somewhere I needed to improve. I was able to accomplish it. 鈥 Teams don鈥檛 have to do that. We work for them.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would have been without it.鈥
At a time when the Cardinals鈥 development of players is under intensifying scrutiny, a leading example of the system鈥檚 success as a group showcased his strides Monday night at Busch Stadium.
Opposite Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes, whose promotion from the minors was an MLB event this summer, Pallante 鈥 whose demotion was a footnote everywhere else but St. Louis 鈥 outdueled the Bucs phenom. Pallante pitched deeper into the game (seven innings) than Skenes, struck out more (nine), and allowed fewer runs (zero). Pallante鈥檚 seven shutout innings and career-best nine strikeouts led the Cardinals to a 4-0 victory and asserted (again) his place in the Cardinals鈥 rotation plans.
As conversations shift to the future, he鈥檚 made a statement about his role in it.
鈥淵ou talk about growth, and you look at Pallante last year and you look at where he is today and he鈥檚 done a really nice job of every outing just targeting something about his game that he can improve upon,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淭aking a small step forward, a small step forward. We talk about the running game or first-pitch strikes or sinker and landing that. You talk about process and seeing a ton of improvement and development in one of our starters?
鈥淧allante is the poster child for that.
鈥淗e鈥檚 done an incredible job,鈥 Marmol continued, 鈥渙f being a better version of himself every time out.鈥
Undone in recent starts by walks 鈥 10 in his previous 10 innings 鈥 Pallante had a fix for that. During his between-start bullpen he threw 30 pitches. Twenty-eight were fastballs.
He threw one slider.
He threw one curveball.
鈥淚 never would have done that in the past because I would have felt I need to throw six of them just to feel it,鈥 Pallante said. 鈥淢y other pitches felt good because of my fastball.鈥
He asserted it early.
Pallante allowed a leadoff single in the first inning, and then got ahead and struck out four of the next seven batters. By the end of the middle of the fifth inning, he had far more strikeouts (seven) than he permitted baserunners (two). That approach he took in his bullpen session he continued to start at-bats Monday 鈥 throwing the fastball over and over and over again. Five of his first seven strikeouts began with a four-seam fastball for a strike.
Skenes opened a way for the Cardinals to cobble together a run in the fourth by missing on a third attempt to pick off Alec Burleson and committing a new-rule balk that gave Burleson second base. That put him in position to advance on a groundout and score on Nolan Arenado鈥檚 two-out single to center. Immediately after the Cardinals had a 1-0 lead, Pallante was at his most assertive, following a perfect fourth inning he began the fifth with back-to-back strikeouts. He struck out three consecutive batters around the Cardinals鈥 rally and finished each strikeout with a different pitch: knuckle curve, fastball, and slider, respectively.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to be scared of a 2-2 count, a 3-2 count like, oh, I might walk a guy,鈥 Pallante said. 鈥淚 have confidence that I鈥檒l be able to throw it right when I need to. Really, the first-pitch strikes. Being able to go out there and be like, 鈥業f you don鈥檛 hit this first-pitch fastball, I鈥檝e got all my other pitches.鈥 So, it was being aggressive with that, establishing that.鈥
And that all started down in Triple-A Memphis.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado speaks with the media on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, after a series-opening win vs. the Pirates at Busch Stadium. (Video by Ethan Erickson, Post-Dispatch)
In separate phone calls with Marmol and Blake, Pallante talked through what he hoped to do with his demotion. Blake was part of the group that advocated for him to get the time as a starter, Pallante said. The manager helped fine-tune the plan, and several other baseball operations departments got involved, either offering him direction or presenting Pallante with analytics and data to show where improvements could be made. At Class AAA Memphis, he worked closely with pitching coach Darwin Marrero to develop a fastball for right-handers and how best to use it. He had time to do so between starts and Marrero gave that work direction, Pallante said.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 going to be able to do that in the bullpen,鈥 Pallante said. 鈥淚 was not going to be able to figure out how to throw a second fastball when I needed to be available every day.鈥
Yet, as a reliever he had been a big-leaguer.
As a starter, he had no promises.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a guarantee,鈥 Marmol recalled. 鈥淭hat conversation was easy. 鈥業n order for me to be here and stay here, I鈥檓 going to have to make some changes.鈥 It鈥檚 hard for guys once they get here to realize that. Guys just want to stay in the big leagues. It鈥檚 a different world up here. It鈥檚 a lot nicer. Once you get here, you never want to go back. He knew, 鈥業f I want to make a career out of this and want to be here for a long time there are certain things I have to do different, and there are certain things I have to be better at.鈥欌
Many of those things were on display Monday.
Pittsburgh overstuffed its lineup with right-handed batters, and those seven Pirates combined to go 4 for 20 with five strikeouts against Pallante. Two of those hits were by leadoff hitter Isiah Kiner-Falefa. When he singled to open the game or doubled in the third, the inning never revved up on Pallante. The walks didn鈥檛 follow. Outs did.
鈥淗e just seems like in such control of the game,鈥 Arenado said. 鈥淐ompared to last year, I mean, a totally different guy. It seems like he鈥檚 just in control of the game right when he steps on the mound.鈥
The Cardinals did not expand their lead from 1-0 to the eventual 4-0 until their final two at-bats. When Skenes left after completing six innings and allowing one run that was initially ruled unearned before the official scorer鈥檚 reconsideration, Pallante began the seventh with the one-run lead.
He quickly dealt with an infield single and error on the same play to put a runner in scoring position. He walked the next batter. There was also an uncontested stolen base. Five batters into the inning and the Pirates had the tying run at third, the go-ahead run at second, and a wild pitch would knot the game. A base hit would upend it. Oh, and a right-handed batter was at the plate. Marmol noted how a year ago 鈥渋f something didn鈥檛 go well the game would speed up and then it would snowball on him.鈥
It was about to get trickier.
An at-bat he began with the sinker that鈥檚 changed his season, Pallante thought he finished with a curveball to get the inning-ending, threat-erasing strikeout. He didn鈥檛 get the call. And the clock was ticking. He wasn鈥檛 ready to throw as the pitch timer reached 2 seconds. He left the pitching rubber, took a moment, returned and delivered a slider for a called strike 3 to end his seven superb innings.
鈥淪tepping off and resetting myself was important,鈥 Pallante said. 鈥淚n the past, I might have rushed through and just delivered the pitch. I want to be in the right headspace for it.鈥
Photos: Pallante dazzles through 7, as Cardinals shut out Pittsburgh 4-0
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol celebrates with starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Jared Triolo to end the seventh inning Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante celebrates striking out Pittsburgh Pirates Jared Triolo (19) with two runners on base to end the seventh inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages congratulates starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Pirates infielder Jared Triolo with two runners on base to end the seventh inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Using the multiple exposure setting, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante pitches goes to work in the sixth inning of a game against the Pittsburg Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages hits an RBI single in the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages heads toward first after hitting an RBI single off in the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates, give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Using the multiple exposure setting, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante goes to work in the fifth inning in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Brendan Donovan high-fives Cardinals Alec Burleson who scores on a RBI Nolan Arenado single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson scores on a RBI Nolan Arenado single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal throws to third base as St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado (28) scores on a sacrifice fly Lars Nootbaar (21) in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado hits a RBI single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes scoring Alec Burleson in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado hits a RBI single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés fields a ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates Bryan Reynolds in the third inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes goes to work in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn fields a ground by Pittsburgh Pirates Nick Yorke in the second inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp talks with St. Louis Cardinals second base Thomas Saggese in the dugout before the start of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante pitches to Pittsburgh Pirates Joe Connor in the first inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol waits for the start of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt looks back as Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds fields Cardinals Brendan Donovan RBI double in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Teammates high-five St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado (28) who scored on a sacrifice fly Lars Nootbaar (21) in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Lance Lynn, aiming to finish strong, starts for Cardinals vs. Pirates: First Pitch
The Cardinals, winners in Monday's opener, continue a four-game home series Tuesday against the Pirates. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.
Right-hander Lance Lynn (6-4, 3.96) will take the mound for the Cardinals.
In his last start, his first in more than a month due to knee swelling, he allowed one run in five innings. Afterwards, the 37-year-old stressed the importance of finishing strong.
The Pirates will counter with left-hander Bailey Falter (8-7, 4.20), who had a in the seventh vs. Miami in his last start. He hasn't suffered a loss in his last eight starts.
Despite all of that, he has a 5.23 ERA over his last six.
Falter has faced St. Louis three times since August 2023, and he has a 3.29 ERA in those games.
The Cardinals are 75-75, third in the NL Central and seven games out of the final wild-card spot.
The Pirates are 71-79, last in the NL Central. The Bucs are 8-7 in September.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Luken Baker, DH
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Brendan Donovan, LF
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Thomas Saggese, 2B
8. Pedro Pag茅s, C
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Lance Lynn, RHP
PIRATES
1. Nick Gonzales, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Joey Bart, C
4. Andrew McCutchen, DH
5. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
6. Bryan De La Cruz, RF
7. Jared Triolo, 3B
8. Nick Yorke, 2B
9. Michael A. Taylor, CF
P: Bailey Falter, LHP
Injury report
Willson Contreras (fractured finger):听罢丑别 catcher fractured the middle finger on his right hand when struck by a pitch Aug. 24, and his season is effectively over following an exam Monday with team medical officials. He was prescribed another two weeks of inactivity to continue the healing process, and that assures he will not be able to play during the regular season, which ends when September does. Updated Sept. 17
Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante completes seven innings as Cardinals shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, …
Andre Pallante鈥檚 7 shutout innings outduels Paul Skenes, lifts Cardinals over Pirates, 4-0
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages congratulates starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Pirates infielder Jared Triolo with two runners on base to end the seventh inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Listen now and subscribe: |
Back from across the border, where they could not lose their offensive baggage, the Cardinals found a way to make the most of a few hits with runners in scoring position.
They didn鈥檛 need many.
Opposite Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes, Andre Pallante pitched seven shutout innings and piloted the Cardinals toward a 4-0 victory Monday night at Busch Stadium. On the same evening they could officially be eliminated from the National League Central title race, the Cardinals found some footing after a misspent weekend in Toronto. They turned a series of ground balls into Nolan Arenado鈥檚 key RBI single against Skenes, and they sparked a genuine rally without a ball leaving the infield. Pedro Pages鈥 single in the seventh doubled their runs and added some cushion.
By the time Brendan Donovan added an RBI double in the eighth inning, the Cardinals had cobbled together more than enough offense to reward Pallante (7-8) for his superb start.
On 鈥淏ack to the Future鈥 Night at Busch Stadium 鈥 with its co-creator, writer, and University City native Bob Gale in attendance, complete with a No. 88 jersey 鈥 Pallante continued his bid to show how he fits into the Cardinals鈥 future.
He offers no hint of returning to his past.
Few members of the Cardinals roster have changed or advanced for the better their spot in the organization鈥檚 plans than Pallante. He turned a step back in time 鈥 a return to the minors after years with the big league bullpen 鈥 into a reinvention. Pallante worked on new ways to challenge right-handed batters, tightened his breaking pitch and resurfaced in the majors as a starter 鈥 arguably the Cardinals鈥 most consistent over the second half.
As injured starters returned, he earned a chance to remain in the rotation 鈥 and rewarded the Cardinals鈥 choice Monday. Pallante outdueled Skenes for total strikeouts by setting a new career high with nine, and an inning after Skenes departed his start, Pallante slipped free of trouble in a way that underscored the hold he has on his current (and future?) role.
The Blue Jays swept the Cardinals this past weekend by aggravating a season-long issue: the Cardinals鈥 performance with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals went 2 for 27 (.074) in the series and plunged to 7 for 64 (.109) in their previous three series.
Lacking from their offense all season has been 鈥渄amage鈥 with those opportunities. It was again Monday, and with the bases loaded in the seventh, no outs and a chance to turn the game into a laugher, the Cardinals failed to get a ball out of the infield.
But Arenado鈥檚 single found a seam for a lead earlier in the game, Pages鈥 hotshot ground ball found a line for another run, and when Donovan doubled, the Cardinals had a hold on the game.
Pallante tightened it.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol celebrates with starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Jared Triolo to end the seventh inning Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Pallante鈥檚 deft escape
A career-high strikeout that got him out of the seventh inning punctuated a start where Pallante outlasted a young phenom whose career so far has been defined by strikeouts.
Masyn Winn鈥檚 double-clutch and misplay on a running throw put the Pirates鈥 threat in motion. Bryan De La Cruz reached on an infield single, but he advanced when Winn鈥檚 throw went past first base and the ball lodged between the rolled-up tarp and the wall. Pallante walked the next batter, and the Cardinals allowed an uncontested stolen base. Pittsburgh eventually had two runners in scoring position with two outs.
Pallante sank any chance they had.
The Cardinals right-hander bent an 85.5 mph slider toward the outside of the strike zone. Jared Triolo could only stare as catcher Pages framed the pitch by going with its break right to the edge of the strike zone. That strikeout ended the inning, stranded the two runners and gave Pallante his new career high for strikeouts in an appearance.
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages heads toward first after hitting an RBI single off in the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates, give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Big blast (foul); small ball (fair)
The loudest, longest contact of the inning produced nothing more than a souvenir in the distant upper-deck reaches beyond left field at Busch Stadium.
But what happened during that at-bat turned into a run.
Early in what became a nine-pitch at-bat for Paul Goldschmidt, the Cardinals first baseman turned on a breaking ball that hovered over the plate 鈥 and put it well over the wall. Goldschmidt鈥檚 launch on Skenes鈥 85.8 mph sweeping slider carried it near the foul pole and into the third deck of seats that loom over left field. Ruled a foul ball in real time, a crew chief review confirmed the ball traveled quite high and quite far but was just enough left of the poll to be quite foul.
Yet, throughout his exchange with Goldschmidt, Skenes kept showing attention to Alec Burleson 鈥 and that would prove costly.
A reconsideration by the official scorer several innings later turned the error on which Burleson reached into a base hit that glanced off the shortstop鈥檚 glove. That meant, in hindsight, Skenes retired 10 consecutive batters to begin his evening before Burleson鈥檚 single ended the no-hit bid before it gathered steam. Skenes made two attempts during Goldschmidt鈥檚 at-bat to pick Burleson off first base.
Neither were successful.
Because of Major League Baseball鈥檚 relatively new rules, if Skenes tried a third time, he better get Burleson out or he鈥檇 give Burleson a base. After the eighth pitch to Goldschmidt, Skenes spun and fired to first again 鈥 unsuccessfully. Considered a new-rule balk, Skenes gave Burleson the base he was trying to keep him from taking.
Skenes鈥 next pitch, his ninth of the at-bat, was a 100 mph fastball to Goldschmidt that the Cardinals鈥 No. 3 hitter scalded up the middle for a groundout.
Instead of a double play and the end of an inning, Burleson stood safe at third.
He came home easily on Arenado鈥檚 two-out single up the middle. Arenado鈥檚 67th RBI of the season came when he swung at a 3-0 pitch from Skenes for a base hit.
The change by the official scorer that awarded Burleson a single meant the inning would ding Skenes with an earned run. It was already a deserved run.
NL Central鈥檚 future presences
There likely isn鈥檛 enough room for voters to fit both of them on their National League Rookie of the Year ballots in the coming weeks, but they will take up space in the division for years.
Cardinals shortstop Winn is one of the league leaders among rookies when it comes to wins above replacement (WAR) for position players, and Skenes is both the leader for rookie pitchers in WAR 鈥 and fistfuls of other statistics 鈥 as well as a leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year Award. Late charges by outfielders Jackson Merrill of San Diego and Jackson Chourio of Milwaukee have provided challengers for Skenes and leapfrogged Winn for his hold on the WAR lead. In the NL, Winn (3.2 WAR) is behind Merrill (4.5), Chourio (3.8), and San Francisco shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (3.5) for the rookie lead among position players.
Skenes, the NL鈥檚 starter for the All-Star Game, has a 3.6 WAR.
There are 30 voters 鈥 two per NL city 鈥 for the annual Jackie Robinson NL Rookie of the Year Award, and ballots are only three lines long. Winn鈥檚 claim is rooted in defense, though his oncoming years of duels with Skenes will be about offense.
In three at-bats against the right-hander Monday night, Winn grounded out in his first at-bat, lasered a liner to the shortstop in his second at-bat and singled in his third. His one-out single in the sixth inning started a threat that Skenes squelched with a strikeout of Goldschmidt. That was Skenes鈥 seventh and final strikeout.
He turned a one-run game over to the bullpen after the sixth.
Photos: Pallante dazzles through 7, as Cardinals shut out Pittsburgh 4-0
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol celebrates with starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Jared Triolo to end the seventh inning Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante celebrates striking out Pittsburgh Pirates Jared Triolo (19) with two runners on base to end the seventh inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages congratulates starting pitcher Andre Pallante after Pallante struck out Pirates infielder Jared Triolo with two runners on base to end the seventh inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Using the multiple exposure setting, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante pitches goes to work in the sixth inning of a game against the Pittsburg Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages hits an RBI single in the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages heads toward first after hitting an RBI single off in the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates, give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Using the multiple exposure setting, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante goes to work in the fifth inning in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Brendan Donovan high-fives Cardinals Alec Burleson who scores on a RBI Nolan Arenado single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson scores on a RBI Nolan Arenado single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal throws to third base as St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado (28) scores on a sacrifice fly Lars Nootbaar (21) in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado hits a RBI single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes scoring Alec Burleson in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado hits a RBI single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the fourth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés fields a ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates Bryan Reynolds in the third inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes goes to work in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn fields a ground by Pittsburgh Pirates Nick Yorke in the second inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp talks with St. Louis Cardinals second base Thomas Saggese in the dugout before the start of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante pitches to Pittsburgh Pirates Joe Connor in the first inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol waits for the start of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt looks back as Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds fields Cardinals Brendan Donovan RBI double in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Teammates high-five St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado (28) who scored on a sacrifice fly Lars Nootbaar (21) in the eighth inning on Monday, Sept, 16, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Willson Contreras to miss final regular season stretch as finger heals: Cardinals Extra
St. Louis Cardinals Willson Contreras runs after hitting a line drive in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on Friday, July 12, 2024. Contreras was thrown out at second base as he tried to extend the play.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
Listen now and subscribe: |
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras will go through a period of no impact for two more weeks as his fractured right middle finger continues to heal, manager Oliver Marmol said on Monday following an X-ray of Contreras鈥 finger. The two weeks without impact will rule Contreras out for the remainder of the regular season.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 fair. We鈥檙e two weeks away from him (having) real impact on it,鈥 Marmol said when asked if the update will keep Contreras out of the Cardinals鈥 final 13 regular-season games of 2024.
Before Monday鈥檚 update, Contreras went through three weeks of no impact after he suffered the broken middle finger when a pitch hit him on Aug. 24 in Minnesota.
鈥淚t鈥檚 healing well, but still a couple of weeks out before they want him having any type of real impact on it,鈥 Marmol said.
Contreras, 32, could return to game action this year if the Cardinals catch fire and ride the surge into a playoff spot.
The Cardinals entered Monday鈥檚 series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium seven games back in the standings for the final wild-card spot in the National League. The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets began Monday tied for the lead for that third spot. The Chicago Cubs trailed both the Braves and the Mets by five games.
The fractured right middle finger marked Contreras鈥 second extended stay on the injured list this year. Contreras missed just over six weeks from early May to the middle of June with a left forearm fracture he suffered when he hit by a bat swung by Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
Contreras batted .262 with 15 home runs and an .848 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) across 84 regular-season games this year. Before the left arm fracture, Contreras batted .280 with six homers, 11 doubles and posted a .950 OPS on 31 games to begin the year.
Contreras returned ahead of schedule from that fracture and hit nine home runs to go with a .253 batting average and a .792 OPS in 53 games before a 95 mph fastball from Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez hit Contreas on his right middle finger, breaking it.
鈥淚 mean, you look at his (Contreras鈥) overall production, and it was top-end production offensively,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淲e lost him for a decent amount of the season, but when you look at when he was in there, man, he did really nice job of creating real offense and damage and power and all the things that we talked about this needed in order to kind of get to where we wanted to get to.鈥
Defensively, Contreras showed improvements in game planning with pitching coach Dusty Blake, members of the starting rotation and with the Cardinals bullpen.
鈥淭here is a lot more comfort in how that communication was taking place, and that also goes with just a second year of it, but I do feel like we were headed in a good direction as far as the game planning side of things,鈥 Marmol said.
Since inking a five-year, $87.5 million deal ahead of the 2023 season, Contreras has produced a .263 batting average and an .835 OPS in 209 regular-season games as a Cardinals. Contreras鈥 batting average and OPS in two seasons as a Cardinal are both better than his average (.256) and OPS (.808) in seven seasons with the Cubs.
鈥淚t was unfortunate,鈥 Marmol said of the injuries. 鈥淚 know this is a guy who works extremely hard and wants to be in there more than anybody, but some random injuries kept him from doing that. Nothing you can do about it.鈥
Minor notes
A home game Tuesday marks the first of Class AAA Memphis鈥 final six games of its regular season. As Memphis heads into its final week, here鈥檚 a look at how some young Cardinals have fared:
Nolan Gorman, who was optioned on Aug. 21, heads into the final week for Memphis having homered six times, struck out 14 times and produced a .217 batting average in 69 at-bats.
Zack Thompson, who opened the year in St. Louis鈥 starting rotation, owns a 4.71 ERA with104 strikeouts in 84 innings.
Michael McGreevy has maintained a 2.88 ERA in seven starts since making his MLB debut on July 31.
Gordon Graceffo is 2-3 with a 6.13 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 47 innings following his most recent MLB appearance on July 10.
Victor Scott II has played in two games for Memphis since getting optioned a week ago.
Class Low-A Palm Beach lost Game 1 of the Florida State League Championship Series 7-6 on Sunday to Lakeland, the Detroit Tigers鈥 Class Low-A affiliate, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. Palm Beach will host Game 2 on Tuesday at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Palm Beach must win on Tuesday to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday in Jupiter.
Class AA Springfield (Missouri) will begin its postseason on Tuesday with Game 1 of the Texas League Division Series against Arkansas, the Seattle Mariners鈥 Class AA affiliate, at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Brandon Komar (8-3, 3.10 ERA) is listed as Springfield鈥檚 probable starter. Springfield will host Game 2 and Game 3 (the latter being if necessary) at Hammons Field in Springfield.
Big league debut at Busch
The Pirates on Monday selected the contract of 22-year-old infield prospect Nick Yorke. Yorke, whom the Pirates acquired from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in exchange for right-hander and former top prospect Quinn Priester, started at second base and batted seventh against the Cardinals in his MLB debut Monday at Busch Stadium.
Yorke, who was selected 17th overall by the Red Sox in the 2020 MLB draft, had been hitting .355 with a .938 OPS with Indianapolis, the Pirates鈥 Class AAA affiliate, since the July trade. The 22-year-old has a career .284 average across four seasons in the minors, where he also hit 50 home runs.
Read the full transcript of baseball writer Lynn Worthy's Cardinals chat
Bring your Cardinals questions and comments to Monday鈥檚 2 p.m. live chat.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Hochman: Cardinals鈥 last homestand 鈥 is it goodbye to Paul Goldschmidt, others?
Listen now and subscribe: |
Starting Monday, the Cardinals play their final seven home games, so ...
Come for the mediocrity! Stay for the anguish!
It鈥檚 been an infuriating and, for many fans, demoralizing season (well, two seasons). After getting swept this past weekend in Toronto, the Cardinals fell to 74-75. This final homestand will likely be one of goodbyes聽鈥 some spoken, others quietly acknowledged as inevitable.
Here are five that should聽鈥 or could聽鈥 happen:
1. Paul Goldschmidt: The 2022 National League MVP devoted himself to this franchise. Lauded for his work ethic, the possible Hall of Fame first baseman played six seasons for St. Louis with a .846 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). But as colleague Ben Frederickson has also written, this should be Goldschmidt鈥檚 last year with the Cardinals.
Sure, yes, some people are making a big deal about Goldschmidt鈥檚 recent stretch聽鈥 in the past 20 games, he鈥檚 hitting .383 with an OPS over 1.000. But in the 122 games prior, he hit .226 with an OPS of .669. The strikeout rate is extremely high; the walk rate is extremely low. The hard-hit rate, to be fair, is extremely high. But the overall results aren鈥檛 there聽鈥 and this is a guy who bats in the middle of the order.
At 37, he's a free agent this offseason. We can talk about Goldy possibly signing a one-year deal with the Cards in hopes of bouncing back. But it鈥檚 time to move on at first, whether it鈥檚 Alec Burleson, a trade acquisition, a free agent or a combination.
And so, here鈥檚 thinking in the final three games against Cleveland, the St. Louis fans will start giving Goldy extended ovations. Again, the dude devoted himself to this franchise.
2. Matt Carpenter: As for the other late-30s Texan who鈥檚 a former St. Louis All-Star, Carpenter hasn鈥檛 announced his retirement yet. But he turns 39 around Thanksgiving and has 127 at-bats this year. This year, his OPS is .695, and he鈥檚 right around a league-average player, which is serviceable for a guy off the bench.
Carp is a baseball player鈥檚 baseball player. So I could see this going a couple of ways. I could envision him signing with a contender for 2025 to provide a lefty bench bat and immense, immeasurable knowledge to the new clubhouse. And I could see him retiring. But man, I just can鈥檛 see him returning to the Cards yet again.
He鈥檚 a legendary Cardinal聽鈥 deserves a red jacket聽鈥 and was a marquee player on those 2012-15 teams that did well in the regular season and the postseason. So yeah, here鈥檚 thinking the ovations in the final home games will reverberate around downtown. It鈥檒l be reminiscent of, well, the end of the 2021 season, back when we for sure thought he鈥檇 never be a Cardinal again.
3. Hitting coach Turner Ward: You got trouble, folks. Right here in River City聽鈥 trouble with a capital "RISP."
The Cards are inefficient with runners in scoring position. They鈥檙e not great with runners not in scoring position (or even on base), either. But the RISP-y business is brutal. Did you see what happened Friday? The Cards went 2 for 19 with runners in scoring position.
Two. For. Nineteen.
That鈥檚 obscene. And they followed it up with days of 0 for 3 and 0 for 5. In the past nine games, St. Louis is 7 for 64 with RISP.
For the year, the Cardinals鈥 .225 average with RISP is the worst in the National League.
For the year, the Cardinals鈥 .635 OPS with RISP is the worst in the National League.
Ward needs to be replaced. What鈥檚 happened under his watch is unacceptable. Stars have fallen. Young studs have fallen to Class AAA. And even 2024 breakouts such as Burleson and Masyn Winn are regressing in the final weeks of this season.
4. Miles Mikolas: It鈥檚 fair to point out that Mikolas is one of my favorite personalities St. Louis has had in years. He鈥檚 honest and thoughtful and funny. And as we saw as recently as Saturday, the former Cardinals All-Star still has some good starts in him. But he sure has some startling starts in him.
Quite simply, he has the worst ERA in Major League Baseball. Yep, Mikolas jumped 鈥渁head鈥 of Washington鈥檚 Patrick Corbin (5.45) with a 5.49 ERA. As we know, there are some games in which Mikolas gets burned by some soft contact. But there must be a way for St. Louis to trade him in the offseason聽鈥 he鈥檚 set to make about $18 million next year, the final one of his contract.
There are many different ways the 2025 rotation could look. We鈥檒l likely learn about the club鈥檚 direction in early October. But if this team is serious about making the playoffs, you move on from baseball鈥檚 worst ERA. And if this team is serious about a reboot, you don鈥檛 eat up a rotation spot with baseball鈥檚 worst ERA ... who is in the final year of a contract.
