Right-hander Lance Lynn (5-4, 4.39) will take the mound for the Cardinals.
Three of his last four starts have been quality and led to Cardinals wins. In the other, he was shelled for 10 earned runs in Washington.
The Pirates' Yasmani Grandal, who has caught Lynn more than any catcher with the exception of Yadier Molina, has hit Lynn well historically, recording a 1.089 OPS in eight plate appearances.
The Pirates will counter with right-handed rookie phenom Paul Skenes (6-0, 1.90).
The NL All-Star Game starter last week, Skenes went 6 1/3 innings and didn't allow a run last month at Busch in a 2-1 Pirates win.
His 99.1 mph average fastball velocity is No. 1 among starters with 60 or more innings pitched. His 34.9% strikeout rate trails only Garret Crochet.
Drafted just over a year ago with the No. 1 overall pick, Skenes will be making his 12th big-league start. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in a game, and he's struck out seven or more in all but one start.
Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson both had multi-hit games vs. Skenes in their previous meeting.
The Cardinals are 52-48, second in the NL Central and five games out of first. St. Louis is 4-6 in its last 10.
The Pirates are 51-49, third in the NL Central and a game behind the Cardinals. Pittsburgh has won seven of eight to push two games above .500 after spending most of the season with a losing mark.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Alec Burleson, DH
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Brendan Donovan, LF
5. Nolan Arenado, 3B
6. Lars Nootbaar, RF
7. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
8. Nolan Gorman, 2B
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Lance Lynn, RHP
PIRATES
1. Andrew McCutchen, DH
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Oneil Cruz, SS
4. Nick Gonzales, 2B
5. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
6. Joshua Palacios, RF
7. Jared Triolo, 3B
8. Jack Suwinski, CF
9. Yasmani Grandal, C
P: Paul Skenes, RHP
Injury report
Tommy Edman (wrist surgery):聽After reporting to Class AA Springfield on Tuesday to resume his rehab assignment, Edman will take groundballs, participate in batting practice, and test his sore ankle with running drills. If he responds well to that and the ankle soreness that has delayed his rehab games abates, he'll start at designated hitter for the S-Cardinals on Wednesday. Edman has not yet appeared in the majors this season due to offseason wrist surgery.聽Updated July 22
Riley O'Brien (flexor tendon):聽Reliever is set for his second rehab appearance with Class AAA Memphis on Tuesday. He made the first appearance Saturday with an inning of work. He allowed two walks and struck out two. His fastball traveled consistently between 95 mph and 97 mph, and he initially reported feeling good after his first game appearance since the first week of the regular season.聽Updated July 22
Steven Matz (lower back stiffness): Matz threw his second bullpen session Saturday after resuming his throwing program. He is doing his workouts at Busch Stadium. Matz is looking toward an August return, if possible.聽Updated July 19
Ten Hochman: An appreciation of Willson Contreras鈥 batted balls 鈥 and base on balls
BenFred: So, you're looking to trade with the Cardinals. Who are you (realistically) targeting?
The Cardinals are now one week away from the July 30 trade deadline. How they returned from the All-Star break sent their front office a message. This team deserves some help.
The rotation could use an above average boost. Bullpens always need refreshing. And if Jordan Walker is destined to play out the rest of his season at Class AAA Memphis, how about a right-handed rental to boost the offense?
Where the Cardinals could bulk up is clear. How aggressive they get in their pursuit, where they decide to add and how they compete in a market stocked with more buyers than sellers will be determined soon.
Today, let鈥檚 try on the hats of teams on the other side of the Cardinals鈥 potential trade-deadline discussions. If you were a team looking to make a trade with the Cardinals, who would you view as both potentially helpful and realistically attainable?
Remember, the Cardinals are trying to win, meaning performing parts of the major league team are unlikely to be moved. The Cardinals don鈥檛 tend to go crazy at the trade deadline, either, meaning swapping years of cost control on highly ranked prospects in order to add short-term major league rentals seems unrealistic. But the Cardinals do almost always help playoff-positioned teams, whether it鈥檚 buying from straight sellers, like the somewhat surprising addition of in-division Jose Quintana from Pittsburgh in 2022 or finding a mutually beneficial fit with a fellow buyer, like the unpredictable add of Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees that same trade deadline.
Got it? Good. Let鈥檚 look.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker sprints up the first-base line on his RBI double in the fourth inning against the Marlins on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
Jordan Walker: Hey, when MLB Network host and Cardinals supporter Greg Amsinger is among the voices describing an alleged industry perspective that claims Walker鈥檚 development has been dented by the Cardinals鈥 handling of him, there鈥檚 going to be check-ins on the star prospect who has spent most of his season stuck in Class AAA Memphis with unimpressive hitting numbers.
That doesn鈥檛 mean the Cardinals are willing to move him. But it never hurts to ask, especially if you鈥檙e willing to part with an impactful starting pitcher with years left of contract control.
Tommy Edman: The versatile infielder/outfielder was expected to be a key part of this team this season, but an offseason wrist operation the Cardinals downplayed in the winter turned out to be a lot bigger deal than they initially suggested. And now Edman鈥檚 return has been slowed down by an ankle scare.
A combination of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Michael Siani have combined to help cover Edman鈥檚 absence. The Cardinals have a healthy amount of versatile middle infield depth at or near the top of their system, and they just drafted another shortstop, JJ Wetherholt, with the seventh overall pick. Edman in January agreed to a $16.5 million extension that runs through the 2025 season, meaning a team that acquires him would have him at least for the rest of this season and next.
Winn has made it clear he鈥檚 the Cardinals鈥 shortstop. If the Cardinals have started to view Siani as too pivotal to the team鈥檚 defense to be a part-time player upon Edman鈥檚 return, Edman could be more expendable than he once seemed.
He offers sharp defense anywhere you put him and a switch-hitting bat with leadoff potential. Hesitation about his injuries could be a hindrance.
Dylan Carlson: The switch-hitting outfielder has once again lost ground in the outfield jostling, this season to hot-hitting Alec Burleson and slick-fielding Siani. Some of this has been injury related, but an undeniable trend has emerged. The Cardinals continue to ask less of Carlson.
His average number of games started per season continues to drop. He started 90% of the Cardinals鈥 games in 2021, 68% in 2022 and 36% in 2023. So far this season, he鈥檚 started in 26% of games.
From the outside, Carlson is a 25-year-old former first-round pick stalled on a team recently known for parting with outfielders who bloom elsewhere. There could be more trade value there than some think.
Thomas Saggese: Did I mention the Cardinals have a lot of versatile middle infield types? It鈥檚 not a bad problem to have, but there are limits to how many can be on the same major league team at once.
Saggese surged upon his arrival following the 2023 trade-deadline selloff. Now, the former Rangers prospect is averaging .286 and slugging .406 at Class AAA Memphis this season while playing second base, shortstop and third base. Did I mention the Cardinals just drafted another shortstop? Wetherholt is 21. Saggese is 22.
MLB Pipeline considers Saggese to be the Cardinals鈥 fourth-ranked prospect. He鈥檚 the second-highest-ranked position player, one spot behind seemingly untouchable Victor Scott II.
Catchers: With rookie catcher Pedro Pages being prioritized over Ivan Herrera as Willson Contreras鈥 backup, outside interest in Herrera could grow. If the Cardinals are determined to keep both young catchers, it鈥檚 worth noting catching prospects Leonardo Bernal (No. 8) and Jimmy Crooks (No. 12) are among MLB Pipeline鈥檚 top 15 Cardinals prospects.
While the bulk of baseball鈥檚 trade-deadline drama always has and always will focus on the blockbusters that could and sometimes actually do go down, there are always ways to get better despite a more reserved approach. The Cardinals have done it before and can do it again. This team鈥檚 earned some help.
Inside the lefty pitching choice Cardinals made to create an edge in another 1-run loss
PITTSBURGH 鈥 As they plotted and discussed different scenarios that might greet the Cardinals in the late innings Monday night at PNC Park, manager Oliver Marmol and his coaches considered what happened last time they played here and what鈥檚 happened so often they鈥檝e played anywhere at all this season.
Games decided by small margins can be shaped by small edges.
So to gain one they decided to go with a different look.
With the score tied 鈥 1-1, of course 鈥 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Pirates switch-hitter Bryan Reynolds led off. When game-planning for that exact spot, the Cardinals weighed which lefty to choose. JoJo Romero had allowed a single and a walk-off hit against the same spots in the Pirates鈥 lineup when last the Cardinals visited. John King has a penchant for getting groundballs. They went with King. He got groundballs. The game shifted on a wild pitch that ushered Reynolds into scoring position. He trotted home on a groundball single for the win, 2-1.
鈥淲e felt good about keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible,鈥 Marmol explained late Monday night. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to have to single us to death. They did. That鈥檚 what it came down to, right? As much as King is on the ground, as much as Reynolds and (Oneil) Cruz are on the ground, both of those guys are going to have to try to lift the ball. And more power to them if they can. They singled us to death.鈥
The Cardinals have started the second half a lot like they spent the first half.
Three of their four games have been decided by four or fewer runs, two by just a single run. They reached their 100th game of the season and, in their 52 victories, still average a margin of victory less than 3.0. Put another: Every win, on average, is a save situation. The Cardinals have played seven games against the Pirates so far this season and a grand total of four runs separated them, 24-20. Two runs, 37 to 35, separate the Cardinals and Cubs in nine games.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why every decision, every pitch, every at-bat seems extremely magnified, because there is no room for error,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淭he margins have been really thin all year. We鈥檝e played a lot of those games. Like the one we played tonight. One ball in the dirt leads to a runner moving up, and it just changes the game a little bit.鈥
Said starter Andre Pallante: 鈥淚n 1-1 game, you know someone has got to give.鈥
Pallante worked through some lengthy, early innings to gather momentum through six innings. He described himself as 鈥渇roggy鈥 in the first few innings because he had gone nearly a dozen days without pitching. The Pirated tagged him with a double-single combo in the third inning for a 1-0 lead on Oneil Cruz鈥檚 two-out, RBI single. When Nolan Gorman tied the game with his team-leading 19th home run, Pallante accelerated. He needed only eight pitches to complete the fifth inning and that righted his pitch count to press on into the sixth. Following Cruz鈥檚 RBI single, Pallante retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced.
Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller completed seven innings and allowed the one solo homer and five other hits, but no other runs.
When the Cardinals got to the bottom of the seventh in a 1-1 tie, the scenarios played out earlier by the coaches came into play. Chris Roycroft, the rookie right-hander getting increasingly more significant innings, pitched the seventh and sidestepped a couple of singles to keep the Pirates scoreless. That put the game where Marmol and his coaches expected it could land. Reynolds, the Pirates鈥 No. 2 hitter, was due up first in the eighth.
Cruz would be on deck.
On July 3 at PNC Park, that tandem ended the game against Romero. Reynolds laced a single to center field to score a run in the 10th inning. Cruz followed with a deep drive to right that scored the winning run in 鈥 wait for it 鈥 a one-run ballgame, 5-4.
In their discussions before the game, Marmol and his staff considered what a different look would present the Pirates. In the past month, Romero has appeared in eight games, pitched six innings, and struck out one batter. King invites contact and gets groundballs. Reynolds and Cruz tend to hit groundballs.
This season, as a right-handed batter against a lefty pitcher, the switch-hitting Reynolds has a 55.6% groundball rate, and his slugging percentage dips from .509 to .444. Cruz has a 56.4% groundball rate against left-handed pitchers this season, and he鈥檚 batting .161 with a .189 on-base percentage. The idea for the Cardinals was to meet those grounded numbers with a grounded pitcher and, strategically, maximize the chances of getting a groundball.
鈥淕ive them a different look there with King,鈥 Marmol said.
He got the grounders.
Reynolds skipped a single to left field to lead off the eighth. With Cruz at the plate and about to strikeout, King misplaced a slider, planting it in the dirt. He wanted it higher. Instead it kissed the soil and slipped away from catcher Pedro Pages enough for Reynolds to advance to second, into scoring position.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the gig sometimes,鈥 King said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a contact guy most of the time. I wish I got that slider a little more. Pages made a good play and it kicked out.鈥
And here is how slim the decisive moment can be in these games.
Reynolds being at second and not at first drew second baseman Nolan Gorman closer to second. King got a groundball from Nick Gonzalez, but it bounced right where Gorman would be playing the inning straight-up. The hopper leaked through to right field and Reynolds happened to be just the right runner to score from second. Another groundball single followed before King got a grounder spun into a double play. He faced five hitters. He got four groundballs. He missed on one wild pitch that turned one of those singles into an RBI.
One run set the final score.
What decided it was even slimmer.
Said King: 鈥淓very pitch matters.鈥
Photos: Cardinals muster just one run in falling to Pirates in opener in Pittsburgh
The Cardinals鈥 Nolan Gorman, right, is greeted by Pedro Pages after homering in the fifth inning of their team鈥檚 2-1 loss to the Pirates on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
Matt Freed, Associated Press
The Pirates' Nick Gonzales singles in the eighth inning to drive in a run that breaks a 1-1 tie and lifts his club to a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Pittsburgh.聽聽
Matt Freed, Associated Press
Pirates outfielders Joshua Palacios, left, Bryan Reynolds, center, and Jack Suwinsk celebrate their team beat the Cardinals 2-1 on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Pittsburgh.聽聽
Matt Freed, Associated Press
Hochman: 鈥楧isappears like a ghost.鈥 Cardinals to face Paul Skenes鈥 splinker Tuesday. Good luck.
This is one of my favorite things that happens in baseball 鈥 when someone or something (or, in this case, both) change the constructs of the game.
So Paul Skenes throws this splinker. It鈥檚 the spawn of a split-fingered fastball and a sinker. And as it happens, the Pittsburgh pitcher will face the Cardinals on Tuesday, which isn鈥檛 the best of news for them considering he throws a pitch that wasn鈥檛 in the brochure. Or the handbook. Or the blueprint.
The rookie phenom already is dominating like a young Jacob deGrom or Dwight Gooden 鈥 and he鈥檚 also doing so with a pitch from some other planet.
For his splinker, the right-hander Skenes (6-0, 1.90 ERA) grips the ball with a 鈥減eace sign,鈥 as his index finger and middle finger each go on top of a seam. And as he releases the pitch, he has the ball come off his index finger strongest, not his middle finger. He鈥檚 able to get more sink on the pitch without compromising too much speed.
鈥淚t comes in looking like a fastball,鈥 explained Rob Friedman, the celebrated social media pitching guru nicknamed the 鈥淧itching Ninja,鈥 by phone Monday. 鈥淎nd then, it disappears like a ghost. ... A hitter thinks he鈥檚 swinging at Paul Skenes鈥 fastball, and when he swings at it, it鈥檚 gone.鈥
Not that hitting a Paul Skenes fastball is a simple task 鈥 those things go 100 mph. But the splinker, this bedeviled baseball, still goes around 94 mph. Split-fingered fastballs 鈥 or even hybrids of them 鈥 aren鈥檛 supposed to go that fast. And this splinker thing bites, too.
In this year鈥檚 All-Star Game 鈥 Skenes was the first No. 1 draft pick to start the All-Star Game the next year 鈥 he fired a splinker to Juan Soto. That guy鈥檚 pretty good, too. But goodness, Soto鈥檚 swing looked awkward and helpless. He nodded to Skenes as if to say: 鈥淥K, now that was legit.鈥
The Cardinals first faced Skenes on June 11. It didn鈥檛 go great for them. The splinker was on display for those paying close enough attention to catch it (he throws it about 30% of the time). In the third inning, Skenes threw six pitches to a battling Matt Carpenter (a mix of fastballs, curveballs and sliders). But on the seventh pitch, he bested him. Skenes got 鈥淐arp鈥 to swing past a splinker of 95.4 mph for the third strike.
There is only one comparison for this pitch 鈥 again on this planet, anyway. It鈥檚 a fellow from Minnesota named Jhoan Duran. As a rookie in 2022, the righty reliever released this splitter-sinker hybrid that baffled batters. After one August affair, Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters of Duran鈥檚 splinker: 鈥淭hat pumps you up like very few things I鈥檝e ever seen from a pitcher. Ever. The end goal is to get three outs. There are a lot of different ways to do that. But my God, that is some insane stuff.鈥
The Angels鈥 Ben Joyce tinkers with a splinker. Friedman said the Athletics鈥 Mason Miller also is working on one. But those guys aren鈥檛 starters as is Skenes. Either way, most major league hurlers don鈥檛 throw it 鈥 yet.
Skenes is changing baseball by the way he throws a baseball.
And then consider that his story is as bonkers as his pitch. In 2022 鈥 just two seasons ago! 鈥 he wasn鈥檛 even a full-time pitcher. He was a catcher and pitcher in college ... for a school in the Mountain West Conference.
At Air Force that year, he thrived at both gigs. He transferred to Louisiana State. And in 2023, solely as a pitcher, he produced one of college baseball鈥檚 greatest seasons. He won the College World Series and, soon after, was drafted first overall. Here in 2024, he didn鈥檛 even start the season as a big leaguer. And now, in his 11 starts, he has 89 strikeouts in 66鈪 innings. And he鈥檚 allowed just 13 walks.
And he didn鈥檛 even discover his splinker until after his LSU season.
鈥淚t was a grip that how I was holding the ball did not change, but the way I was releasing it (did),鈥 Skenes said at an All-Star Game news conference. 鈥淎nd what I was feeling as I released it changed a little bit. And I just kind of discovered it on one random throw, and then I just kept doing it. Just playing around, just playing catch. ...
鈥淚 call it a sinker. Everybody else calls it a splinker. That鈥檚 how I view it, having a different fastball, different shape and forces hitters to choose between one or the other. And it鈥檚 fluid. I鈥檒l use it differently every single outing.鈥
Skenes only throws his fastball more often than his splinker 鈥 and opponents hit just .157 against the splinker. No batter has yet to homer off the pitch.
Friedman, the 鈥淧itching Ninja,鈥 has been featured regularly on ESPN and has a following of 516,000 on X, formerly Twitter. He鈥檚 a baseball junkie, like many of us, and infuses enthusiasm into his work. And talk about street cred. He gave the nickname 鈥淎irbender鈥 to the change-up of Devin Williams, the St. Louis native who pitches for the Brewers.
The Airbender helped Williams win National League Rookie of the Year in 2020. The splinker likely will lead Skenes to the same hardware in 2024.
鈥淗e鈥檚 the ultimate pitching machine as far as stuff,鈥 Friedman said of the 6-foot-6 Skenes. 鈥淗e is very, very thoughtful, in terms of wanting to not leave any of his talents on his table. He wants to unearth everything about pitching that he can. His work ethic is off the charts; his character is off the charts.鈥
And his splinker is one of those history-changing pitches that has arrived at the right time for the right right arm.
In today鈥檚 10 a.m. 鈥淭en Hochman鈥 sports video聽鈥斅燽rought to you by聽聽鈥斅燘en Hochman discusses the Cardinals鈥 Lars Nootbaar, who is 鈥楳r. Second Half.鈥 Also, a happy birthday shoutout to Keith Sweat! And as always, Hochman picks a random St. Louis Cards card!
Joe Buck is poised to return to Cardinals TV broadcast booth on Monday night
Editor's note: This story originally ran on July 4. It has been updated to reflect that Bally Sports Midwest on Monday night confirmed the information.
Let's try that again.
Joe Buck was supposed to have returned to the Cardinals' broadcast team for the first time since 2007 to help call a game on TV against the Cubs in late May, but the contest was rained out.
He would have worked with Bally Sports Midwest's lead Cardinals play-by-play announcer Chip Caray for a one-time appearance, rekindling the days of Caray's grandfather Harry working with Buck's dad Jack in the 1950s and 鈥60s.
Although Buck and Caray had an interesting conversation and shared stories while the game they were set to call was being delayed before it was postponed,聽BSM filled most of the stoppage time with canned programming instead of banter between the two.
"We gave it a shot,鈥 Caray told the Post-Dispatch at the time. "But a Buck-Caray palooza (for that long) could have gotten tiresome.鈥
Buck was grateful for the opportunity to return to his roots. He was a key member of the Cardinals' announcing crew while his career nationally was blossoming at Fox before relinquishing the local role to fully concentrate on his network duties. Those now center on being the play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football" on ESPN and ABC.
So while rain washed out the Cardinals game Buck was supposed to do, it didn't dampen his spirits that evening.
"What a fun night at the old ballpark anyway," he posted on social media at the time. "Thanks to Chip Caray and the crew at Ballys for the wonderful welcome back. Maybe we find another date. Either way it felt special.鈥
That date has been found. Buck has been rescheduled for July 29, next Monday, to work with Caray on a night home game against Texas. That's the team the Cards played in the 2011 World Series when Buck had his famous 鈥淲e will see you tomorrow night鈥 call when the Cardinals' David Freese's 11th-inning homer won the contest that was played almost 20 years to the day after Buck's father had a similar call in Game 6 of the 1991 Series.
The game Monday will be just before Buck's NFL schedule kicks in 鈥 ESPN/ABC has the exhibition season opener, Houston vs. Chicago in the Hall of Fame game, three nights later. That contest had aired on NBC in recent years but was on ABC from 1971-2005.
He鈥檚 nuts for the Blues. The Cardinals are in his DNA. Joe Buck talks about balancing broadcasting and fandom.
Can Masyn Winn take a run at challenging Paul Skenes for Rookie of the Year?: Cardinals Extra
PITTSBURGH 鈥 When presumptive National League Rookie of the Year favorite Paul Skenes faces the Cardinals on his turf for the first time Tuesday, that first pitch he delivers likely will be to one of the few players who even pose a challenge to him for that honor.
What鈥檚 made Masyn Winn the Cardinals鈥 everyday leadoff hitter are some of the same traits that make him one of the leading rookies in the majors.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a gritty at-bat,鈥 Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to punch him out very often. He鈥檚 going to put it in play. He鈥檚 going to use the whole field. He鈥檚 going to back it up with two strikes. He鈥檚 doing everything that a pitcher doesn鈥檛 want to have to face to start the game.鈥
Off to an unbeaten start to his career, Skenes has added all the ornaments of an obvious Rookie of the Year leader. Twelve months after being the No. 1 selection in the MLB draft, he was the fifth rookie to start an All-Star Game. He鈥檒l take a 6-0 record and 1.90 ERA into his start against the Cardinals on Tuesday at PNC Park, his first start sine the All-Star Game a week earlier. One of his five no-decisions came at Busch Stadium in June. Twice, he鈥檚 taken a no-hitter through six innings. Four times he鈥檚 struck out at least nine.
On the pitching side of NL rookies, Skenes is closing the gap on the Cubs鈥 Shota Imanaga and Dodgers鈥 Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two experienced pitchers who came to the majors for this season from Japan鈥檚 top league. His ERA is the lowest of any rookie with at least 50 innings, he trails only Imanaga (8) and LA鈥檚 Gavin Stone (9) in wins, and Skenes鈥 1.9 wins above replacement is speeding toward Imanaga (2.5) and Yamamoto (2.2).
Winn鈥檚 2.4 WAR through the weekend led all NL rookie position players and was tied for the best in the majors among rookie position players. He trailed only Imanaga overall. The Cardinals鈥 22-year-old shortstop was just ahead of San Diego鈥檚 All-Star rookie Jackson Merrill (2.0) and the Cubs鈥 12-homer rookie Michael Busch (2.2) 鈥 either of whom, like Winn, could take a charge at Skenes鈥 claim with a strong finish.
Heading into Monday鈥檚 games, Winn鈥檚 .287 average led all NL rookies who play regularly, and his .751 OPS ranked third among eligible rookies in the NL. While his role at leadoff and production there aids his candidacy, it鈥檚 on defense where he might become among the most decorated rookie.
Fewer than 100 games into his major league career, Winn vaulted into one of the most prominent pair of roles for the Cardinals 鈥 the centerpiece of their defense and the ignition switch for their lineup. His move to No. 1 corresponded with the Cardinals鈥 rise in the standings. Through the weekend he was hitting .294 in July with 20 hits. The Cardinals were 22-14 in his past 36 starts at leadoff.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 do that unless that player is very mentally strong,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淏ecause if it doesn鈥檛 work, and he鈥檚 not mentally strong, then you may lose him for the remaining part of that year by having to move him out of that spot. You remove him 鈥 we knew that was a possibility 鈥 and even if had to do it he鈥檚 mentally strong enough to handle it. ... I think his approach is allowing for that (success), yeah. He鈥檚 committed to not trying to do too much. Shortens the amount of time that you have bad games, bad weeks. His approach has allowed him to just be steady.鈥
The Cardinals鈥 second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Winn spent 37 games in the majors last season 鈥 just enough to get experience before becoming the starter and just enough to remain eligible for the Rookie of the Year award this year. (The Cardinals monitored to make sure.) Marmol and other Cardinals already have predicted future Gold Glove awards (plural) for Winn and an All-Star appearance. They鈥檝e put him in position to at least take a run at the one honor a player only gets one full season in his career to win.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 been extremely consistent for being up here in his first year,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 committed to not veering from it, and we鈥檙e seeing a very, very consistent Masyn Winn. We鈥檙e not surprised that he鈥檚 able to do what he鈥檚 done up to this point.鈥
Sox鈥檚 Crochet braced for trade rumors
One of the starting pitchers who already has drawn interest from teams looking to trade, White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet said he鈥檚 aware of what awaits him in the next few weeks.
鈥淚 hear it. I watch TV,鈥 the lefty said last week while representing the Sox at the All-Star Game. 鈥淚 have an iPhone. I definitely see that sort of thing.鈥
Crochet, a 25-year-old lefty, is 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA this season and 150 strikeouts in 107鈪 innings. The All-Star comes complete with two more years of contract control and gives the foundering White Sox their biggest talent to turn into future contributors. He might be the most coveted starter available in a market so few clear sellers. San Diego has reportedly already made an overture for the lefty.
As the July 30 trade deadline approaches, the Cardinals plan to explore the market for available starters and potential upgrades to their rotation. It鈥檚 unclear if they鈥檇 be willing to meet the cost of Crochet. But his teammate in the Sox rotation, right-hander Erick Fedde, offers another option the Cardinals have interest in discussing. Fedde is signed through 2025 and had a 2.99 ERA at the All-Star break with 99 strikeouts in 111鈪 innings.
Crochet said he and Fedde recently talked about what trade interest could mean 鈥 and how to view the speculation.
鈥淓ven when you鈥檙e taking the field in spring training you鈥檙e not necessarily a trade candidate then but you鈥檙e always kind of playing for the other 29 teams in the league,鈥 Crochet said. 鈥淓very time you take the field 鈥 or even when you don鈥檛 take it 鈥揺verybody is kind of watching. I just keep carrying on, business as usual. 鈥 It鈥檚 really flattering.鈥
Edman set to resume rehab
Switch-hitter Tommy Edman will return to Springfield, Missouri, on Tuesday to work out with the Cardinals鈥 Class AA affiliate and rejoin its lineup Wednesday. Edman missed nearly two weeks of his rehab assignment to rest and address soreness in his ankle. He鈥檒l run the bases, take ground balls and participate in batting practice with the S-Cardinals on Tuesday before starting at designated hitter Wednesday.
Edman has yet to play in a major-league game this season following offseason surgery to repair damage and remove loose bodies from the right wrist. He has yet to play the field in any of his rehab appearances. The Cardinals would like to get him innings in center field and shortstop at least before returning to the majors.
Draft signings, etc.
The Cardinals finalized deals with two more of their 19 draft picks: fifth-rounder Braden Davis, a lefty out of Oklahoma, and seventh-rounder Andrew Dutkanych IV, a right-hander from Vanderbilt. The Cardinals plan to finalize their $6.9-million deal with first-round pick JJ Wetherholt this week. They have 14 picks in the week since the draft.
Riley O鈥橞rien (flexor tendon) is scheduled to throw an inning Tuesday night for Class AAA Memphis as his rehab assignment continues.
The Cardinals entered Monday night鈥檚 game with a .285 batting average in July as a team. That is the highest for the month since the 2004 club, which is set to be honored this weekend, hit .296 in July of that season.
In today鈥檚 10 a.m. 鈥淭en Hochman鈥 sports video聽鈥斅燽rought to you by聽聽鈥斅燘en Hochman discusses the Cardinals鈥 Lars Nootbaar, who is 鈥楳r. Second Half.鈥 Also, a happy birthday shoutout to Keith Sweat! And as always, Hochman picks a random St. Louis Cards card!
Cardinals claim celebratory hand gestures reference music DJs, not Trump's fist pump
St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson (41) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Jason Allen
ATLANTA 鈥 With four solo homers in Sunday鈥檚 win, the Cardinals鈥 hand gestures to celebrate hits got plenty of screen time 鈥 and drew some questions and unchecked speculation from national media outlets, including those covering baseball or spouting politics.
With a hand to the ear or brushing at the ear and a fist raised, the gesture appeared similar to former President Donald Trump鈥檚 immediately after a bullet hit his right ear in an attempted assassination July 13. Without asking the Cardinals, several outlets speculated on the connection while social media already was abuzz with President Joe Biden withdrawing his candidacy on Sunday.
Carpenter said their celebration began earlier this month. During the Cardinals' nine-run first inning against the Cubs on the afternoon of July 13, before the political rally in Pennsylvania, several Cardinals in the dugout can be seen raising their arms and an open hand similar to Sunday's gesture as a nod to a two-run RBI by Masyn Winn.聽
The celebration was its most prominent this weekend in Atlanta.
鈥淒efinitely not a political statement,鈥 Carpenter said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 off-base here. It鈥檚 the furthest thing from a political statement and a little thing (for Burleson). I can understand why everyone is looking for something right now. The St. Louis Cardinals aren鈥檛 involved in any kind of political statement.鈥
After Sunday's game, Burleson said he did not initially participate in the gesture the first time he was urged to do so by teammates, but he did rounding third after his home run Sunday.
Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and outfielder Alec Burleson speak with the media on Sunday, July 14, 2024, before the All-Star break. (Video by Ethan Erickson, Post-Dispatch)
