The 2017 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 136th for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB), a

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. It was the 126th season for the Cardinals in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL), and their 12th at

Busch Stadium III Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

. The Cardinals missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, having last done that between the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

seasons.

Off-season

Overview

and the Players' Association reached a new, tentative CBA contract to reduce the 15-day

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

timetable to 10-days. This change will allow teams to make quicker decisions on whether to bring up a roster replacement rather than wait to see if the injured player would be ready to return to action in less than two weeks. In addition, the home field advantage in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

for the league winning the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

is repealed starting this year. Home field advantage in the World Series will be awarded to the league champion team with the better regular season win–loss record. The details of the new five-years contract (expiring Nov. 30, 2021) liste
here
Commissioner

Rob Manfred Robert Dean Manfred Jr. (born September 28, 1958) is an American lawyer and business executive who is serving as the tenth Commissioner of Baseball, commissioner of Major League Baseball. He previously served as MLB's chief operating officer. Man ...

levied a severe penalty, Jan. 30, 2017, on the Cardinals organization from former scouting director

Chris Correa Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

's hacking of the Houston Astros database in 2013 and 2014, who was fired by early-July 2015, and is now serving out a 46-month sentence (for unlawfully accessing another company's information) that began in July 2016, and ordered to pay a $279,038 fine. The Cardinals must give the Astros their No. 56 overall selection, part of the Draft's second round, and the No. 75 overall selection, part of Compensation Round B. St. Louis does not possess a first-round pick in this year's Draft. Additionally, the team must pay the Astros $2 million. No other person was responsible for hacking into the Astros' database. Correa has been placed on baseball's permanently ineligible list.

Personnel moves

Injuries

Acquisitions, departures, and roster moves

Players

Former Cubs' center fielder and

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Dexter Fowler William Dexter Fowler (born March 22, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals ...

signed with the Cardinals on December 9, 2016, for $82.5 mil. over 5 years. The contract includes a full no-trade clause.

Yadier Molina Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the great ...

reached an agreement for a 3-year contract extension on April 2, for a reported $60 million, making him the highest-paid catcher in baseball. He wasn't interested in exercising his 2018 mutual option, which would have been worth $15 million. The average annual value of

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

' catcher

Buster Posey Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement at ...

's contract is $18.5 million. The extension assures Molina of remaining in St. Louis through 2020, and increases the chances that he will finish his career having played for just one organization that drafted him (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

), and he has been in the majors since

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. This distinction of having Molina retire as a Cardinal is something that carried weight for both parties throughout the negotiations. In the 12 seasons Molina has been the No. 1 catcher, the Cards have won more regular-season games than any other National League team (1,075). Their 48 postseason victories are the most in baseball in that time. There have been three NL pennants and World Series wins in 2006 and 2011. Molina? Seven-time All-Star. Eight-time Gold Glove winner. Throwing arm one of the best ever. The Cards have a 3.79 ERA over the past 12 years, the second lowest in the Majors. The Cards had two other factors to weigh. One is that one of their top prospects,

Carson Kelly Carson Franklin Kelly (born July 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Chicago, Kelly was raised ...

, is a catcher and widely considered Major League ready. Another is that Molina's 1,582 games are the 24th most in history at his position, and he's likely to become just the sixth to break the 2,000-game mark. No position takes its toll on a body more than catcher. Still, at 34, Molina is coming off a season in which he started a career-high 142 games and batted .307. He batted .333 in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

(

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

), and looked as good as ever behind the plate. April 3 brought yet another contract extension.

Stephen Piscotty Stephen Edward Piscotty (born January 14, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics. Piscotty played college baseball for Stanfor ...

, 26, signed a six-year extension for a reported $33.75 million ($5.625 mil. average), with a $15 million option for 2023 on April 3. Piscotty was not yet arbitration-eligible, and his first year of free-agent eligibility was to be 2022. Five years ago, the Cardinals plucked Piscotty out of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

with one of the two picks they netted as compensation for

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", ...

' departure. Since making his big league debut, Piscotty has posted a .282/.349/.467 slash line and an .816 OPS. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, Piscotty led the Cards in games played (153), runs scored (86), RBIs (85) and game-winning RBIs (10).

Spring training

The Cardinals had 66 players in camp before 11 were sent to minor league camp on March 13, including three on the 40-man roster, and eight non-roster invitees. Among those sent down was left-handed pitcher

Marco Gonzales Marco Elias Gonzales (born February 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Gonzaga University, whe ...

(40-man), who still is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he had about 11 months ago. Gonzales has been working behind the scenes with a few bullpen sessions during Spring Training, and it's possible he could wrap up his recovery by the end of May. "Once Marco gets healthy, it's just a matter of how well he's able to execute his pitches," Matheny said of the left-hander's potential return to the Cardinals. The other players reassigned were RHP Sandy Alcantara, INF Eliezer Alvarez (40-man), RHP

Jack Flaherty Jack Rafe Flaherty (born October 15, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft, he made his MLB debut in 2017 ...

, LHP

Austin Gomber Austin Zachary Gomber (born November 23, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals' fourth round select ...

, C Andrew Knizner, C Jeremy Martinez, C Dennis Ortega, RHP Daniel Poncedeleon, RHP Robby Rowland and INF Edmundo Sosa (40-man). Matheny praised all of them, and said he was especially impressed with Ortega's work in camp. "Dennis really showed a lot of moxie behind the plate," Matheny said of the 19-year-old prospect. "He catches older than 19, and I think you're going to see a high ceiling with him. ... All of them have had a good spring. The development staff has done such a great job. It just seems every one of these kids, they're coming in and they just look a little more refined. They've been really on top of their game, and you can tell they have a lot of things to look forward to." On March 16, RHP Corey Baker and Trey Nielsen were sent to Min. Lg. camp. NRI (LHP)

Jordan Schafer Jordan James Schafer (born September 4, 1986) is a former American professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins as a center fielder. Baseball career Atl ...

had arm surgery on March 17. The Cardinals optioned RHP Luke Weaver to AAA-Memphis, and reassigned RH reliever

Mitch Harris Mitch Harris (born October 31, 1969) is an American guitarist. He started his career in the grindcore band Righteous Pigs. He did a side project with Mick Harris – then the drummer of grindcore band Napalm Death – called Defecation. Shortly ...

to minor league camp on March 18. The moves left 35 active players and 16 non-roster invitees in big league Spring Training. 2 NRIs, (RHP) Josh Lucas and (LHP)

Zach Phillips Zachary David Phillips (born September 21, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional baseball pitcher for the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican Baseball League. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers in the 23rd ro ...

, were reassigned on March 19, to Min. Lg. camp. Right-hander

Rowan Wick Rowan D. Wick (born November 9, 1992) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the San Diego Padres. Career Amateur Wick attended Carson Graham Secondary School in ...

and outfielder

Anthony Garcia Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

were optioned to AAA-Memphis. On March 20, 2 more NRIs, (C) Gabriel Lino and (OF) Todd Cunningham were also reassigned to Min. Lg. camp. (2b/SS)

Breyvic Valera Breyvic José Valera Henríquez (born January 8, 1992) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, ...

was optioned to AAA-Memphis. (RHP)

Sam Tuivailala Samuel Johnathan Tuivailala (born October 19, 1992) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He previosuly played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners. Career Tuivailala attended Aragon High ...

was optioned to AAA-Memphis on March 22, leaving 31 on the active roster and 42 in big league camp.

Matt Adams Matthew James Adams (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Washington Nationals organization. Nicknamed "Big City" for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the St. Louis Cardina ...

played the outfield for the first time since Little League. The Cardinals are introducing a new mobile ticket subscription idea called "Ballpark Pass" that gives fans all the home games they want to attend, $29.99/month (with auto-renewal) for each of the six months of the season, by using their

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

, with no printed tickets. But there are no seats with this new attendance feature, only standing-room. The pass covers all 80 home games, except for Opening Day/Night. More information a
Ballpark Pass
(OF)

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston R ...

was optioned to AAA on March 25, leaving 30 on the active roster and 41 in big league camp. The Opening Day (Night) roster has now been finalized, at the earliest date since Matheny became manager, with (OF) Jose Martinez, 28, having the most poignant story. After 10 years of toiling in the minors, the

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n made his debut last September when he was called up by the Cardinals. But as for making the Opening Day roster, he didn't think that would ever happen. He leads the Cardinals with 17 hits, four homers and 13 RBIs this spring. He also enhanced his credentials by showing that he could play first base, in addition to both corner outfield spots. (RHP)

Miguel Socolovich Miguel Ángel Socolovich (born July 24, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves, and in Nippon Professio ...

, (RHP)

Matt Bowman Matthew Chou Bowman (born May 31, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. High school and co ...

, (SS/2B) Greg Garcia, and (C) Eric Fryer were also assured spots on the active roster.

Tyler Lyons Tyler William Lyons (born February 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He attended Oklahoma State University (OSU) at Stillwater and played college baseball for the Cowboys. The New York ...

Zach Duke Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, St. Lo ...

, and

Alex Reyes Alexander Reyes (born August 29, 1994) is a Dominican–American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in December 2012, and made his MLB debut for the club o ...

will start the season on the disabled list. Four more cuts on March 27, sent (C)

Cardinals' #2 prospect
) to get more at-bats, and (RHP)

Mike Mayers Michael Christopher Mayers (born December 6, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization. He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels. Amateur career Mayers attended Grove ...

optioned to AAA. (OF)

Adolis García José Adolis García Arrieta, nicknamed "El Bombi", (born March 2, 1993) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the St. Louis C ...

and (3B)

Patrick Wisdom Patrick Ian Wisdom (born August 27, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Saint Mary's Gaels. He was drafted by the St. L ...

gone to Min. Lg. camp. These changes gave the team 28 active players, and 9 NRIs remaining. On the last day at

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

on March 29, the Cardinals purchased (C) Eric Fryer's contract from AAA-Memphis, and added him to the 40-man roster. He will be

's backup. To make room on the 40-man roster, the injured (P)

is transferred to the 60-day DL. Five NRIs: (3B) Paul DeJong, (RHP) Arturo Reyes, (LHP)

Ryan Sherriff Ryan Sebastian Sherriff (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2011 as a sophomore at Glendale Community College, he was ...

, (OF)

Harrison Bader Harrison Joseph Bader (born June 3, 1994), nicknamed "Tots," is an American professional baseball center fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. Born and raise ...

, and (OF)

Chad Huffman Chad Daniel Huffman (born April 29, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NP ...

were assigned to Min. Lg. camp. These changes bring the NRIs to 3, with 28 active. The last spring training game for 2017 got the team 20 wins (beating the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Box Score
, first time since

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, vs. 8 losses.

Michael Wacha Michael Joseph Wacha (; born July 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. He played co ...

pitched four innings in 64 pitches, giving up five hits in a 6–2 win. Cardinals outfielder/first baseman José Martínez capped a terrific spring with a two-run double off reliever Phillips Valdez to extend the lead in the sixth. Martinez finished with a team-most 19 hits, 14 runs, 15 RBIs, .508 OBP, .740 Slg% and 1.248

OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

(50 AB), in th
Grapefruit League season batting
The Cardinals will play an exhibition game "Battle of the Birds" against their Triple-A affiliate in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

on Thu. March 30. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT on

KMOX KMOX (1120 AM) is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it is a 50,000 watt Class A clear-channel station with a non-directional signal. The KMOX studios and offices are on Olive Street at Tucker Bouleva ...

(1120AM), and Gameday Audio. The Cardinals will use several relievers to cover the game, beginning with right-hander

Jonathan Broxton Jonathan Roy Broxton (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardin ...

, who will be making his first career start. The Cardinals beat the Redbirds
9–3
in slugging four home runs, with Broxton getting the win, pitching only the first inning.

Randal Grichuk Randal Alexander Grichuk (born August 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. Grichuk ...

, who took a pitch off his hand in Wednesday's (March 29) Grapefruit finale, was not in the lineup. He hopes to return soon. The sellout attendance was 10,220 at

AutoZone Park AutoZone Park is a Minor League Baseball stadium located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to the Memphis Redbirds of the International League and Memphis 901 FC of the USL Championship. The Redbirds are the Triple-A affiliate of Major ...

. The Cardinals will close out their exhibition schedule Friday (March 31) with a 5:05 p.m. CT game with the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

Hammons Field Hammons Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Springfield, Missouri, with a capacity of 7,986 plus approximately 2,500 general admission seating. The facility, funded entirely by local businessman, hotel mogul and benefactor John Q. ...

Springfield, Mo Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

Mike Leake Michael Raymond Leake (born November 12, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamon ...

, 3–1 in Grapefruit League play, will get his final tuneup. On March 31, Leake threw 89 pitches in a 5–2 win over the team's AA-level Springfield affiliate. Leake called this spring, "the best spring I've had in my career."

returned to the lineup after missing the AAA-Memphis game with his sore right hand, after getting a HBP to it. He singled on the first pitch he saw. Since Springfield became a Cardinals affiliate in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, 104 of its players have reached the big leagues.

Injuries

After an

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

, 22 (RHP), was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his elbow on February 14, and will have

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

, losing him for the entire 2017 season. General manager

John Mozeliak John Mozeliak (born January 18, 1969) is an American baseball executive who is the president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Never a professional baseball player, Mozeliak came to the Cardinals a ...

said an MRI taken of Reyes' elbow in 2013 showed a strain. He didn't begin his minor league season until June that season. He made his major league debut Aug. 9, 2016, and was 4–1 with a 1.57 ERA in five starts and seven relief appearances, with 52 strikeouts in 46 innings
MLBPipeline.com
ranks him the #3 pitching prospect in baseball, and #14 overall. ESPN's Keith Law has Reyes ranked as the #2 pitching prospect in baseball. Reyes had successful surgery in Florida on February 16. Head team physician Dr. George Paletta performed the procedure. NRI (LHP)

went under the knife on March 17. Instead of replacing Schafer's

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in his elbow, Cardinals team doctor George Paletta performed a repair of the ligament. By avoiding

, Schafer has an estimated recovery time of seven months. If the ligament had been replaced, recovery would have taken at least a year. The injury-bug hit the Cardinals once again on March 30, with (RHP)

Trevor Rosenthal Trevor Jordan Rosenthal (born May 29, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and S ...

going on the 10-day disabled list with a right lat strain. The move gives (RHP)

an active roster spot. The Cardinals have three off-days over their first 10-game stretch, giving them more leeway for the starters' rotation and relievers needed. Others who start the season on the 10-day DL are: (LHP)

(right knee), and (RHP)

John Gant John Michael Gant (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardi ...

(right groin), and (RHP)

(Tommy John surgery).

Season standings

National League playoff standings

National League head-to-head records

Regular season summary

Manager

Mike Matheny Michael Scott Matheny (born September 22, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 13 seasons as a catcher ...

made the speculation official on March 19:

would join Carlos Martinez,

Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in the ...

Lance Lynn Michael Lance Lynn (born May 12, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. ...

, and

in an all-righty rotation. Wacha entered Spring Training without a confirmed rotation spot. He had posted a 2.65 ERA and 1.24

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

over five starts. Wacha had struck out 15 and walked four over 17 innings. He had two spring starts remaining. The Cards had yet to reveal how they will order the five to begin the season, or who would start the team's season opener in two weeks. On March 22, manager Matheny decided the Opening Night starter would be Carlos Martinez, his first opening day start. At 25, he was the youngest pitcher to draw an Opening Day start for the Cards since

Joe Magrane Joseph David Magrane (born July 2, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, and Chicago White Sox between 1987 and 1996, and is currently a color commentary broadcas ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. Martinez was opposed by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals. ...

in the nationally televised game from Busch Stadium. He signed a five-year, $51 million contract with the team in January. He was St. Louis' top starter in

, going 16–9, with a 3.04 ERA and 174 strikeouts in a career-high 195.1 innings.

started the second game on April 4. It was announced that the Cardinals and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

would be the latest MLB teams to play a game in historic

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...

, site of the annual

Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationBB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, home of the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were a ...

, a

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

affiliate in the

short-season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

(

New York-Penn League New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

). The stadium has an official seating capacity of 2,366. They would play on Sunday, August 20, with Pittsburgh as the home team. It would be televised by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

as its weekly

Sunday Night Baseball ''Sunday Night Baseball'' is an exclusive weekly telecast of a Major League Baseball game that airs Sunday nights at 7:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN during the regular season. The games are preceded most weeks by the studio show ''Baseball Tonight: ...

game. Outfielder

played (and pitched) for the Lamar Little League team that reached the World Series in 2003 and 2004.

April

Opening Night win over Cubs at Busch Stadium

Opening Night (7:35 pm) was on Sunday April 2, with a nationwide audience on

saw

drive in three runs, including the game-winning single, a 390-foot blast to left field in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Cubs, 4–3 for the first win of the 2017 season. It was his second career walk-off hit and both were against the Cubs. Grichuk batted a lowly eighth in the lineup after a sub-par spring. Jose Martinez, 28, but a rookie this year and on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, crushed a one-out, pinch-hit double in the ninth that landed 397 feet away in right-center, to ignite the Cardinals' game-winning rally. Closer

Seung-Hwan Oh Seung-hwan Oh (Hangul: ; ; ; born July 15, 1982) is a South Korean professional baseball relief pitcher for the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. He previously played for the Lions in South Korea, the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Bas ...

had given up a three-run home run in the top of the ninth to

Willson Contreras Willson Eduardo Contreras (born May 13, 1992) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs. Contreras made his MLB debut in 2016 ...

to tie the game 3–3. The homer left a no-decision, after an outstanding 7.1 innings from ace Carlos Martinez, enjoying his first Opening Day start of his career. Martinez carved up the Cubs' lineup, struck out 10 (including reigning National League MVP

Kris Bryant Kristopher Lee Bryant (born January 4, 1992), nicknamed "KB", is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and San ...

three times), walking none, scattering six hits (one double), and never allowed a runner to advance past second. Martinez became the first starting pitcher in the

Statcast Statcast is a high-speed, high-accuracy, automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB). Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015, a year now considered the beginning ...

Era (since

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

) to record three swinging strikeouts on pitches faster than 99 mph. Martinez fanned Bryant with a 99.7-mph fastball in the first and a 99.1-mph fastball in the sixth.

Addison Russell Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Baseb ...

struck out on a 99.6-mph fastball in the second inning. The Cubs' manager

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. Maddon began his coaching career in ML ...

said, "He's got as good a right-handed arm as anybody in the league."

legged-out an infield hit in the third inning, his first since defecting from the Cubs to the Cardinals over the off-season, giving the Cards their first run of the game and season after Matt Carpenter's sacrifice fly.

had the distinction of becoming the first player in baseball history to receive a no-pitch

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

, that loaded the bases for Grichuk, who, having smashed a critical two-run homer an inning earlier making it 3–0, launched a 1–1 pitch off the wall in left-center to set off a celebration. MLB columnist Phil Rogers opined about this most-intense rivalry in baseball: "You better believe the Cardinals have their hopes of winning it all. They might be at their most dangerous when you don't see them coming, and this could be that kind of year. The march to October has begun, and don't be surprised if it includes teams on both ends of this rivalry." Commissioner

was among those in attendance. The three hour 33 minute game featured the third-largest attendance (47,566) in Busch Stadium history.

Rosenthal activated, Tuivailala optioned

On April 10, injured reliever

was activated from the 10-day DL and

was optioned to AAA Memphis. The organization liked the idea of using Rosenthal as a flex reliever who could pitch multiple innings mid-game or meaningful ones late in games. One week into the season, the Cards' bullpen had allowed 13 runs and six home runs over 17.1 innings.

Lyons activated, Peralta on DL

On April 20, injured LH Reliever

was activated from the DL.

Jhonny Peralta Jhonny Antonio Peralta (born May 28, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cleveland Indians signed him as an amateur free agent in his native D ...

was placed on the DL due to an

upper respiratory The respiratory tract is the subdivision of the respiratory system involved with the process of respiration in mammals. The respiratory tract is lined with respiratory epithelium as respiratory mucosa. Air is breathed in through the nose to t ...

illness.

Carpenter serves one-game suspension

Matt Carpenter served a one-game suspension on April 25, for bumping umpire

John Tumpane John Francis Tumpane (born May 4, 1983) is an American Major League Baseball umpire wearing number 74. Umpiring career He made his major league umpiring debut on August 2, 2010. He umpired in six major league games in 2010, and returned in 201 ...

on April 23. Carpenter was ejected by Tumpane after arguing a pair of called strikes in the seventh inning. As the argument turned heated, the top of Carpenter's helmet scraped the bottom of Tumpane's hat. Any contact with an umpire automatically triggers a suspension. Carpenter also paid a fine. The Cardinals on April 25 out-righted outfielder

and did not immediately fill the roster spot

Chris Coghlan does aerial flip to score

Blue Jays pinch-hitter

Chris Coghlan Christopher B. Coghlan (pronounced KAHG-lihn; born June 18, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida / Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue ...

performed an acrobatic aerial flip and somersault over

to score the go-ahead run in the seventh inning in the April 25, 6–5 loss in 11 innings. The run snapped reliever

's 19.2 inning scoreless streak. The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the seventh with outfielder José Martínez hitting his first career home run, a two-run blast to tie the game at four. The Blue Jays blew two saves in a game for the first time since 2014, but it avoided its worst 20-game start in franchise history by improving to 6–14, while the Cardinals missed a chance to get to .500 and fell to 9–11.

Carpenter hits grand slam in 11th to beat Blue Jays

Matt Carpenter hit a walk-off grand slam, and first

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

of his career, in the 11th inning of an 8–4 victory versus the Blue Jays in the first game of a split double-header on April 27.

May

Lyons back on DL, Tuivailala recalled

LHP

was placed back on the DL on May 2 with a right

intercostal muscle Intercostal muscles are many different groups of muscles that run between the ribs, and help form and move the chest wall. The intercostal muscles are mainly involved in the mechanical aspect of breathing by helping expand and shrink the size ...

strain. RHP

was recalled.

Piscotty on DL for first time, Pham recalled

On May 5, RF

was placed on the DL for the first time in his career with a right

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

strain.

was recalled. CF

, on the other hand, avoided the DL altogether from a sore right shoulder, and, after undergoing an MRI exam in St. Louis, was cleared to pinch-hit on Friday (May 5).

Magneuris Sierra makes debut, Jose Martinez on DL

Twenty-one year old (advanced) A-level outfielder

Magneuris Sierra Magneuris Sierra (born April 7, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. ...

made his major league debut on May 7, after José Martínez was put on the DL with a left groin strain. Sierra was the youngest position player to appear with the Cardinals since Miguel Mejia did it 10 days after his 21st birthday in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

. Sierra, who was hitting .272/.337/.407 with seven extra-base hits and three stolen bases in 20 games for the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

(

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

) in the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, was just the third 21-year-old position player to reach the Majors with the Cardinals in the last 22 years;

(

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) was the most recent. Sierra's speed had a big impact on the Cardinals since his first three days from May 7. The Cardinals
#7 prospect
in the 6–5 win on May 9, singled and scored in a four-run eighth inning that tied the game at 5, and then singled and scored what proved to be the winning run in the top of the ninth. He dashed home with the game-deciding run on

's pinch-hit single in the ninth, sliding in ahead of the tag in blazing fashion. His sprint, which was clocked by

™ at 7.24 seconds despite a modest 14.2-foot secondary lead. The dash was St. Louis' second-fastest second-to-home time this year on a play with a secondary lead of less than 15 feet. On his ninth-inning single he went from home to first base in 3.88 seconds, helping force an error that got him into scoring position at second. Only seven players this season have recorded a faster home-to-first time on a non-bunt. It tied Sierra's own record (set Monday night, May 8) for the Cardinals' fastest non-bunt, home-to-first time in the Statcast™ Era (since 2015).

Series win vs. Cubs, consecutive attendance records set

The Cardinals beat the Cubs two best aces in the last two games of the three-set after losing the Friday (May 12, attendance 47,601) game, setting consecutive attendance records at the newest

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

in the process. On May 13, the Birds beat

5–3, setting a new stadium record with 47,882 paid, with Carlos Martinez the victor. The next (day) game, May 14, saw

return to his usual superb form over seven innings, shutting out the Cubs and ace

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

, 5–0, thanks in part to Matt Carpenter's first hit in the regular season off good buddy and former teammate at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

, and groomsman at his wedding, Arrieta. Prior to that home run, Carpenter was 0-for-28 in the regular season against him. The attendance of 47,925 broke the previous day's record. The three-game total of 143,408 set the all-time series record. The Cardinals retained first place in the NL Central (21–15, .583; 1 game ahead of the surprising

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, 21–17), while the Cubs, who fell below .500 (18–19, .486) with their seventh loss in nine games, sit 3 1/2 games back.

Gant activated, optioned to Memphis

RH reliever

was activated from the DL on May 16, and sent to AAA Memphis.

Peralta activated, Sierra optioned

May 19 brought 3B-man

back to active status since April 17, while speedy OF'er

was optioned (played in May 17 game, no game May 18), with a promotion to the ( AA Level)

. Peralta batted only .120 (3-for-25) in eight games, while Sierra made his major league debut on May 7, hitting safely in each of his seven games played, batting .367 (11-for-30) with eight runs scored.

Cardinals lose, committing 35th error

The

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

won on May 19, 6–5, thanks to the Cardinals' NL-leading 35th error of the season helping the Giants to their three-run seventh.

brought the Cardinals to a 5–3 lead with a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning after a 46-min rain delay, before the Giants answered with a run in the eighth, and two more in the ninth for the win. Prior to the loss, the Cardinals had not lost a game this season when taking a lead into the ninth. The Giants are now 2–21 this season when trailing after eight innings, and they entered 6–15 on the road.

Mark Melancon Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pi ...

, making his first appearance since May 3, converted his 17th career save against the Cardinals, most against any opponent.

Matt Adams traded, Piscotty activated from DL

Before the game on May 20, the Cardinals announced a trade: 1B

to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

and cash considerations for a minor league infielder

Juan Yepez Juan David Yepez (born February 19, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Career Atlanta Braves organization Yepez sign ...

was activated from the DL after finishing a rehab assignment since his May 4 injured right hamstring strain.Cardinals Trade Matt Adams to Atlanta
Twitter.com, May 20, 2017 1B/3B Yepez is 19, from

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, who signed with the Braves in July 2014, as a non-drafted free agent, who was playing at

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

with the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

Tuivailala optioned to Memphis Redbirds, Lyons activated

On May 22, RH reliever

was optioned to the AAA

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, leaving 24 on the active roster and 38 on the 40-man roster. The next day, LH reliever

was activated, joining the team in time for the series in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

against the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Piscotty on personal leave

took personal leave before the Friday, May 26 game. He remained on the roster after he left Friday, and Matheny said he didn't know when to expect him to return to the club. The Cardinals did not appear to have a player available to add to the roster in time for Friday's game, but they could add a player during the weekend to take Piscotty's place. He left a couple hours before the first pitch. He was not in the lineup, but that was unrelated to his personal matter.

Socolovich DFA, John Brebbia purchased (AAA)

RH reliever

was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

(removed from the 40-man roster temporarily) on May 27. He was 0–1 with one save in 15 appearances, striking out 14 in 18 innings. RH reliever

John Brebbia John Fulboam Brebbia (born May 30, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for Elon University. The New York Yankees selected Brebbia in the 30th r ...

was purchased from the AAA

. Brebbia has made nine straight scoreless appearances for Memphis. He has a 1.69 ERA, 29 strikeouts and five walks over 26 innings.

Wong on DL, Paul DeJong purchased

Kolten Wong Kolten Kaha Wong (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. He made his ...

was placed on the DL, retroactive to May 27, from a left elbow strain before the game on May 28. 3B/SS Paul DeJong, 23, was purchased from AAA.

Martinez activated, Grichuk optioned to A-level

RF José Martinez was activated before the May 29 game. LF

was optioned to A-level Palm Beach. The team decided to send Grichuk to Palm Beach rather than the Triple-A affiliate in

. GM

said this was to put Grichuk in a lower-stress environment where he could play consistently and work on things like his

strike zone In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's kn ...

management. Mozeliak added that Grichuk will have a different voice to learn from, working with

George Greer George W. Greer (born 1942) is a retired Florida circuit judge who served in Florida's Sixth Circuit Court ( Pinellas- Pasco counties), family law division, in Clearwater, Florida. He received national attention in 2005 when he presided over t ...

as he tries to get back to the Majors.

DeJong homers in first at-bat

Newly promoted 2B/3B/SS Paul DeJong hit a home run in his first at-bat in the majors. It came as a pinch-hitter at

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The sta ...

in the ninth inning off veteran closer

Greg Holland Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington N ...

, who was before the game, 19-for-19 in saves and boasting a 0.96 ERA. The home run was the fourth for the Cardinals, but it did them no good as they fell 4–8 to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. The ball sailed 388 feet into the left field stands. DeJong hit .294 with a team-high 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 46 games with the

this spring, but he has little experience as a pinch-hitter, so he made frequent trips from the dugout to the indoor batting cage. With his parents in the stands, DeJong unwound on a 92 mph fastball and circled the bases into the history books. "It was just a dream come true," DeJong said. "I've been playing baseball since I was four years old, and to do that in my first at bat was something I'll remember forever." DeJong was the ninth Cardinals' player to accomplish the feat: the last time was by

Mark Worrell Mark Robert Worrell (born March 8, 1983) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore Orioles between 2008 and 2011. Amateur career A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Worrell ...

in the second game of a June 5, 2008 doubleheader. He followed up the next day (May 29) with a single and a double against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. DeJong is th
Cardinals #11 Prospect
.

Gyorko on personal leave, Piscotty on the way back

Jedd Gyorko Jedd Lindon Gyorko ( ; born September 23, 1988) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. He is curr ...

took personal leave in a hurry before the May 30 game to be with his wife who is expecting.

is on his way back to St. Louis after leaving the team Friday (May 26) afternoon to deal with a personal matter at his home in

Pleasanton, California Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 200 ...

. His mother was diagnosed with

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

. He returned to the team in time for the May 31 game after missing five games. Because of the two personal leaves, the Cardinals played with a two-man bench on May 30.

Broxton released, John Gant recalled

RH reliever

was recalled before the game on May 31, after

was released. Should Broxton sign elsewhere, the Cardinals will be responsible for the remainder of his $3.75 million salary in 2017, minus the pro-rated minimum. Broxton, 32, threw 15 innings for the Cardinals this year with an awful 6.89 ERA. Gant, 24, was acquired by the Cardinals last December as part of the package that sent Jaime Garcia to the

. He had begun 2017 on the disabled list with a right groin strain, but returned on May 16, and had been working as a starter in Memphis. In three starts for the

, Gant was 0–1 with a 2.19 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 total innings. He will be available for Wednesday night's (May 31) game against the

out of the bullpen as the long reliever.

June

Pujols hits his 600th home run with Angels

Former Cardinals' superstar

hit his 600th career home run on June 3 for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, becoming only the ninth player to achieve that feat. He was the first to hit a

for his 600th. He hit his 500th on April 22, 2014. Pujols at 37 and 139 days, is the fourth-youngest player (behind Alex Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron) to hit 600 homers. He joined

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

(762),

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

(755),

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

(714),

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

(696),

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

(660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630),

Jim Thome James Howard Thome (; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball corner infielder and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). He played for six different teams during th ...

(612), and

Sammy Sosa Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and C ...

(609), as the only other players to have 600. Thome was the last to do it on August 15, 2011. Pujols hit .328 with a 1.037

averaging 40 Doubles (455 with the Cardinals), 40 home runs (445 with the Cardinals), and 121 RBIs per season when with the Cardinals in the 11 years, 2001–2011. He signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 campaign, though age and a spate of lower-body injuries have stunted his production in recent years. He hit .328/.420/.617 in those 11 years (21–32), but only .265/.323/.469 (.793 OPS) with the Angels (2012 – June 3, 2017; 32–37) from injuries.

Gyorko returns from paternity leave, Sierra optioned

was reinstated from paternity leave in the birth of his third child, before the finale on June 4; after missing the first two games against the Cubs. OF'er

was optioned to AA-level

. Gyorko leads the team with a .321 average.

Ballpark Village a finalist for ULI's Global Award for Excellence

Ballpark Village is one of 25 finalists for the

Urban Land Institute The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a nonprofit research and education organization with regional offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London. ULI advocates progressive development, conducting research, and education in topics such as s ...

's Global Award for Excellence
founded in 1979
The award recognizes "outstanding development projects on an international platform in the private, public and nonprofit sectors." The Cardinals and

The Cordish Companies The Cordish Companies (previously The Cordish Company) is a U.S.-based real estate development and entertainment operating company with its headquarters on the 6th floor of the Pratt Street Power Plant in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded ...

collaborated on the planning and construction of Ballpark Village, which opened in 2014. It marked the first time that a professional sports venue was master planned and fully integrated into a broader mixed-use development. Ballpark Village has attracted more than 10 million guests since opening, and it will soon be expanding. Over the offseason, the Cardinals and The Cordish Companies announced plans for a second phase that will include a residential towner, office space and additional retail restaurant and entertainment space. Construction on that $220 million phase is expected to begin later this year. ULI will select a winner among these finalists during its October meeting in Los Angeles. The Cordish Companies have been awarded seven ULI Awards for Excellence, more than any other developer in the world.

Scooter Gennett hits 4 home runs

On June 6, the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

' utility infielder,

Scooter Gennett Ryan Joseph "Scooter" Gennett (born May 1, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. On June 6, 2017, he became the 17th player in ...

, 27, had the night of his career with a 4-home run game (#4, 5, 6, and 7) including a

, going 5-for-5 (a single), and driving in 10 runs, in a 13–1 thrashing of the plummeting Cardinals with their fifth-straight loss. He became the 17th player, and it was the first time against any Cardinals' team, to accomplish the 4-homer game feat, with his fourth in the bottom of the eighth inning with a man on-base, for his 9th and 10th RBIs. His slash line jumped from .270/.308/.450 with a .758

to .302/.336/.578 and .914 OPS with a 135

OPS+ OPS may refer to: Organizations *Obscene Publications Squad, a former unit of the Metropolitan Police in London, England *Oceanic Preservation Society *Office of Public Safety, a former US government agency *Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg * ...

, and his RBIs from 20 to 30.

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

was the last player to have a 4-home run game on May 8, 2012.

Chad Huffman promoted, Gant optioned

, a longtime friend of Matt Carpenter, was promoted from AAA. RHP

was optioned The Cardinals had an open spot for Huffman on the 40-man roster, and made space for him on the active roster by optioning RHP

. The move reduced the pitching staff to 12 for the first time since April 20.

Peralta DFA, Wong activated; coaching changes

The Cardinals held a press conference before the game on June 9, with GM

announcing a number of personnel changes after a disastrous 0–7 road trip. 3B

was DFA, and 2B

was activated. In addition, there were a number of coaching changes. Assistant hitting coach

Bill Mueller William Richard Mueller ( ; born March 17, 1971) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Mueller's MLB playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants (1996–2000, 2002), Chic ...

was given a leave of absence, replaced by Mark Budaska (hitting coach at AAA-Memphis). 3B coach

Chris Maloney James Christopher Maloney (born September 6, 1961) is the manager for the Mississippi Braves of Minor League Baseball. A former minor league first baseman and outfielder, he spent five seasons as manager of the Cardinals' Triple-A farm club befo ...

was reassigned within the organization, replaced by

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...

coach

Mike Shildt Michael Timothy Shildt (born August 9, 1968) is an American baseball coach for the San Diego Padres, where he is the team's interim third base coach. After serving as a scout and manager in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, he served ...

. Ron "Pop" Warner was added to the coaching staff. This is the first time Mozeliak had to make a mid-season coaching staff change. The drop to 26–32, was the lowest below .500 that Mgr.

has seen since his hire after the 2011 season. It is also the first time since the end of the 2007 season that they have had a record this poor this late in the season. During the road trip, there wasn't a facet of the game that could support the Cardinals. The starting pitching faltered and frayed with an ERA greater than 7.00 and not one quality start. The manager twice removed a starter early in order to goose the substandard offense with a pinch-hitter, and still the Cardinals scored a total of 20 runs in the seven-day trip. They allowed more than 40. The bullpen ruptured in the final three games of the series in Cincinnati with a close game Wednesday coming apart on lefty

Brett Cecil Brett Aarion Cecil (born July 2, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. Cecil was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2007 MLB dra ...

Cards end seven-game losing streak

The Cardinals ended their worst losing streak (7 games) since

on June 9 at home against the weak

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citizen ...

, from strong pitching by

, a key home run by Aledmys Diaz, and a four-star catch by

to end the threat in the ninth inning.

Martinez throws first complete game and shutout

Carlos Martinez threw his first career complete game and shutout on June 10 (afternoon game), at home against the Phillies, 7–0. He scattered four hits, striking out 11. It was his first shutout in 80 starts. Eric Fryer was the catcher, with

out with a strained back. Martinez had been oh-so-close to checking the accomplishment off his list a month ago when he twirled nine scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants. He had to settle for a no-decision, however, since his offense couldn't muster a run of support. In becoming the first Cardinals' pitcher to notch a complete game this year, Martinez highlighted why the Cardinals believe he's a budding ace in this rotation. The Phillies did not advance a runner as far as third, and with 11 strikeouts, Martinez became the first Cards' pitcher since

(2010) with four straight starts of at least eight strikeouts. He finished with a pitch count of 107. His 2.84 runs support was third-lowest in the

, but a day after general manager

called out the offense's timid production, it came through with its biggest inning output (four runs) of the season.

Cardinals sweep Phillies, Wainwright leads pitchers

pitched five strong innings on June 11, in his team-leading 7th win (against 4 losses), giving up 2 runs, leading the team to a 6–5 win, in its first sweep of an opponent since May 8–10.

hit a monster-length 3-run home run, giving the Cards a 3–2 lead after five innings, which they kept, although surviving a 2-run scare (after leading 6–3) in the ninth.

missed his third consecutive game. The team enjoys an off-day on Monday, June 12. The bats showed life, but it was against a Phillies' pitching staff that ranks last in ERA (5.02), versus the Cardinals that had been mostly listless at the plate during a winless seven-game road trip. The Cardinals arrived home on Friday (June 9) having been outscored, 42–20, while slashing .212/.285/.332 over the previous week. Little had looked right, and that led Cardinals GM

to put the group on notice. Production over the next four to six weeks, Mozeliak said, would likely determine the Cardinals' position at the non-waiver Trade Deadline at the end of July. "It's hard to win games when you're scoring 2.5 runs per game," Mozeliak said. "Certainly when you look at how we were thinking this offense would work, it hasn't done so. We can start at the top." That would be with Matt Carpenter and

, neither of whom has played up to expectation. Matheny sought to jostle things by flipping their spots in the lineup, and, for at least one weekend, it worked. Fowler's three-run homer out of the second spot in the lineup put the Cardinals ahead for good on Sunday (June 11), and it capped a three-game series in which he and Carpenter, hitting from in his familiar spot at leadoff, went 8-for-22 with five extra-base hits, four runs and five RBIs. All eight starting position players reached base at least once on Sunday. In both Friday and Saturday's (June 10) win, seven of the eight did so. The offense tallied 27 hits and 16 runs in all. Its 13 combined runs scored in the final two games represented the most the Cardinals have scored in consecutive games in more than a month.

DeJong optioned to AAA, M Gonzalez and Tuivailala recalled for DH, Peralta released

2B Paul DeJong was optioned to AAA on June 12. LHP

was recalled, as was RHP

for the June 13 split double-header, which temporarily gives the team 26 on the active roster. 3B

was given his release after the Cardinals could not find another team interested in him after his

. The club will pay the remainder of his $10 million salary. Gonzalez will be making his first start since

, from injury and returned after

in May.

Cards-Brewers split DH

The Cardinals and

split their split-DH on June 13, and no change in their standings. In the first game (1:15pm), Jose Martinez had his first multi-HR game in slugging two homers, driving in three runs. It meant more than usual for him, because his mom was there to see it.

pitched five strong innings, in a 6–0 shutout of the first-place Brewers. Lynn got his first win (5–3) since May 5, allowing only three hits, striking out eight, but walking four. He had 95 pitches on a 95-degree day at Busch.

, pinch-hitting for Lynn, got his first major-league hit since 2010, with his first career triple. LHP

recorded his first major-league save, pitching the last three innings. The Cardinals' bullpen blew another lead and lost the nightcap, 8–5, giving them no advance on the Brewers for the day, with two more games to play against them in the next two days.

started for the first time since 2015, but could only go 3.1 innings, giving up six hits, five runs on three HRs, walking none, striking out two.

Wong back on DL, DeJong recalled

was back on the DL, before the June 15 game with a right

triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsibl ...

strain. Paul DeJong was recalled. Wong was taken out of the June 15 game prior to the sixth inning. He came off the DL on June 9, recovering from a left elbow injury, missing 13 games from May 27 – June 8.

Another flurry of roster moves to right a sinking ship

Before the June 25

game on

, the Cardinals announced another flurry of moves designed to right a sinking ship after losing three straight to a season-low, seven-below-.500 mark of 33–40 (). The Cardinals recalled OF

and RHP-reliever

from AAA, purchased the contract of 1B

Luke Voit Louis Linwood Voit III (born February 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. Voi ...

,26,–a St. Louis native ( Lafayette High School) making his major-league debut, optioned 1B

, and DL'ed OF

(right

heel spur A calcaneal spur (also known as a heel spur) is a bony outgrowth from the calcaneal tuberosity (heel bone). Calcaneal spurs are typically detected by x-ray examination. It is a form of exostosis. When a foot is exposed to constant stress, calcium ...

), and LH-reliever Kevin Siegrist (

cervical spine In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sau ...

sprain). In 70 games with AAA-Memphis, Voit hit .322/.406/.561 (.967 OPS), with 23 doubles, 12 home runs, and 45 RBIs, before his debut. He serves as a backup to first baseman Matt Carpenter, and as a pinch-hitter off the bench.

DeJong switched to SS

After his 20th game playing 2B, Paul DeJong was switched to SS. He played SS for four games prior to his switch on June 27 (June 6, 17, 21, and 24).

Diaz optioned, Mejia recalled, A. Reyes trans. to 60-day DL

Before the June 28 game in the desert against the resurgent

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

(50–28, , 2nd in NL West), the Cardinals optioned the struggling hitting-and-fielding SS Aledmys Diaz to AAA, purchased the contract of utility infielder

Alex Mejia Alejandro DeJesus Mejia (born January 18, 1991) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats, winning the 2012 College World Series. He ...

, and cleared the 40-man spot for Mejia by transferring starter RHP

to the 60-day DL. Diaz' OPS+ of 80 is 54 points lower than it was a year ago, and his slugging percentage has dropped from .510 to .396. He has struck out more frequently, walked less often, and not shown the same discipline that made him so successful last year. Diaz has swung and missed at 14% of the pitches outside the strike zone. That's five percentage points higher than last year. Diaz's .260 batting average would be much lower if not for his ability to beat out 21 infield hits. His minus-9 Defensive Runs Saved ranked second worst in the Majors among players with at least 250 innings played at short. Matheny said the Cardinals will prioritize work for Diaz at short in Memphis, though getting him exposure at other infield spots hasn't been ruled out. With Diaz gone, the Cardinals are likely to give rookie Paul DeJong a heavy dose of work at short. Greg Garcia and Mejia, who is considered an above-average defensive shortstop, will also be options. Mejia, a fourth-round Draft pick in 2012, has fluctuated between AA

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

and AAA

for the last three seasons. The 26-year-old hit .251/.305/.366 in 63 AA games this year before earning a promotion to AAA, where he batted .263/.333/.289 in 11 games. He made his major league debut on June 29, playing 2B.

Cardinals promote GM Mozeliak to Pres of BB Ops; Mike Girsch new GM

On June 30, the Cardinals promoted GM

to the new position of President of Baseball Operations, and Assistant GM Mike Girsch to be the new GM. Mozeliak was hired as GM on October 31, 2007. Mozeliak's promotion continues a trend across baseball of how personnel departments are now structured, giving one person the power of overseeing baseball operations while also retaining a GM position. Other teams who use such a structure include the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

and the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. Mozeliak is still expected to oversee the club's baseball operations decisions and remain heavily involved in the department. Girsch joined the Cardinals in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, when they also won the World Series, as coordinator of amateur scouting, and he later spent three years in the baseball development department before being promoted. Both will receive contract extensions through 2020.

Cardinals played more high-leverage moments than any other team

Through games of June 30, the Cardinals have played in more high-leverage moments than any other major-league team. The first time the team scored five runs in one inning did not occur until its 69th game of the season. The second time came on June 30 with a five-run fourth inning against the

, in a 10–4 win. According to Fangraphs' leverage index, no team has played under more stress this season than St. Louis. The Cardinals also entered Friday (June 30) tied with the

for the highest percentage of plate appearances (20.7%) in high-leverage spots. Forty-three of the Cardinals' games have been decided by two runs or fewer, whereas Friday marked the 22nd time this year that the margin was at least five. All those close games highlight why the team's defense and baserunning continue to come under scrutiny. Little mistakes have big consequences when there's no wiggle room. After the July 1 win (2–1) over the

, the Cardinals now have 44 games of their 80 played decided by two runs or fewer.

July

Alex Mejia gets first hit, HR in Wacha birthday win

Starting off July in a game broadcast by

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, the Cardinals won the three-game series (after besting them 8–1 on June 30) against the #1 team in the NL East, the

(47–33, ), with a 2–1 win. SS, but playing 2B

, recorded his first major-league hit, and later added his first HR, to support

's win on Wacha'a 26th birthday. Holding the Nationals to four hits, Wacha struck out a season-high nine over a 94-pitch, six-inning outing. The Nationals weren't able to advance a runner to third against him. Washington starter

Gio González Giovany Aramis González (born September 19, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. A two-ti ...

was just as stingy, as he limited the Cardinals to two hits over seven innings. But he was clipped for a two-out run, driven in by Mejia, in the second inning. Mejia padded the 1–0 lead by blasting a first-pitch home run to open the eighth. The insurance proved to be necessary, too.

, who was being given another look as a closer, allowed Washington's first run and loaded the bases with a two-out walk. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny then turned to

, who notched his first career save by freezing Adrian Sanchez on a full-count fastball in Sanchez's first Major League at-bat. After Paul DeJong extended the second inning by drawing only his second walk in 104 plate appearances, Mejia smacked a single up the middle to drive home

, who had earlier beaten out a potential inning-ending double play. Mejia, who was making his second career start, had been hitless in his first three Major League at-bats. In addition to Bowman earning his first save and Mejia tallying his first hits, several other Cardinals reached notable numbers on Saturday: With a fourth-inning single,

extended his hitting streak to 16 games, tying a career high; only

Ted Simmons Ted Lyle Simmons (born August 9, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), the Milwau ...

has a longer streak by a Cardinals' catcher with 19 games, Wacha tied

Steve Carlton Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelphi ...

as the second-fastest Cardinals' pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts by getting there in his 106th game, (

, 101 G). Mgr. Matheny earned managerial win No. 500, making him the second-quickest manager in franchise history to reach that mark, achieving the milestone in his 890th game, for a win percentage. He started the 2017 season with a 461–349 () managerial record.

Billy Southworth William Harold Southworth (March 9, 1893 – November 15, 1969) was an American outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player in and and from to for five big-league teams, Southworth took part in almost 1,200 games, fell j ...

hit 500 wins in 766 games, ().

Carlos Martinez and Yadier Molina named to All-Star Game roster

Carlos Martinez and

were named to the

reserves (on a July 2

televised report), in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on July 11. Molina made the All-Star team for seven consecutive seasons before having that streak broken last year. Molina leads all NL catchers with 66 starts and 580 innings caught. He also ranks among the top four in total hits (69), home runs (nine) and RBIs (35). He is slashing .273/.308/.409 on the season, entered Sunday riding a 16-game hitting streak. It's his second hitting streak of that length this year. Martinez is a second-time All-Star, though he'll be looking for his first appearance when he travels to Miami. Martinez did not pitch in the

two summers ago (2015) after winning a spot on the roster through the Final Vote competition. Martinez entered Sunday's (July 2) showdown against

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...

(

) ranked fourth in the NL in ERA (2.88), second in opponents' batting average (.199), fourth in WHIP (1.07) and sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.24). This marks the second consecutive season that the Cardinals have placed two players on the All-Star team.All-Star Game rosters list

Carlos Martinez vs. Max Scherzer

On the night (July 2) he was named to the All-Star team, Carlos Martinez (6–6, 2.88 ERA, 1 Shutout, 121 strikeouts, 10.2 per 9 IP; 1.072 WHIP; .199/.275/.325 opp. slash and .600 opp OPS) pitched against St. Louis native, and

Parkway Central High School Parkway Central High School is a public high school in Chesterfield, Missouri that is part of the Parkway School District. History Five elementary school districts merged to form the Parkway Consolidated School District. The name for the distric ...

graduate

(

, in a nationally televised

Game of the Week. Scherzer is the best pitcher in the NL in terms of ERA (2.06; 212 ERA+), strikeouts (151; 12.0 per 9 IP) and WHIP (0.783). His opp. slash is .164/.227/.292 and .520 opp OPS. Scherzer also has two complete games this year. Looking for his 10th win (9–5), the

Chesterfield, MO Chesterfield is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is a western suburb of St. Louis. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,999, . The broader valley of Chesterfield was originally referred to as "Gumbo Flats", derive ...

native and

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

alum has been fantastic of late. He's allowed more than one earned run just once in his last seven starts and reached double-digit strikeouts in six of those games. Scherzer ranks first in right-handed-hitters' batting average against, but Martinez is right behind him in second place (Scherzer, .125; Martinez, .171). Scherzer was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 43rd round (1,291st overall) in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign, and instead attended the University of Missouri. He was then drafted again in

by the

, this time in the 1st round as the 11th overall pick. He was Mizzou's first-ever 1st round MLB pick. On January 9, 2012, it was announced that Scherzer would be one of six new inductees to the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. While at Mizzou, he won Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2005. ikipedia entry for Max Scherzer Scherzer and the Nationals beat the Cardinals in an easy 7–2 win. Scherzer (10–5) pitched 7 innings, giving up only 3 hits and no runs, lowering his ERA to an NL-leading 1.94. He opened the evening by striking out seven his first time through the Cardinals' order. He finished the night with 12, marking the 10th time this season—and 59th of his career—that Scherzer reached the double-digit strikeout mark in a game. Scherzer was supported early by Harper, who spoiled the night of Cardinals All-Star starter Carlos Martinez (6–7). Fellow All-Star OF

Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Harper played for the Wash ...

crushed a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

over the right-field wall to give the Nationals a two-run lead in the first inning, before golfing a third-inning pitch for another two-run homer, hie 13th career multi-homer game, to punctuate a three-run third. Martinez allowed as many runs on Sunday (five) as he had in his previous five starts combined, with his ERA ballooning to 3.15.

hit a two-run home run (10th), in the eighth inning (

Enny Romero Enny Manuel Romero Hernandez (born January 24, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Washingto ...

) for the only Cardinals runs.

Halfway through season record

At the half-way point through 2017 after the July 2 game, the Cardinals are 39–42 (), in third place in the NL Central, 3.5 G behind the

(44–40, ), and 1.5 G behind the

(41–41, .500).

Luke Weaver recalled, Mike Mayers optioned

The #3 prospect in the Cardinals' organization
, RHP Luke Weaver was recalled before the game on July 3.

was optioned. Arguably the most dominant pitcher in the organization's Minor League system this year, Weaver made eight starts in

. He will not be held back as a long reliever, but will instead be considered a relief option for any situation. He was due to start for Triple-A Memphis today, is rested and ready to pitch as soon as he's needed. At Memphis, he was 7–1 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 starts. He's walked 13, struck out 60, and allowed three home runs in 56 innings. Most recently, he posted a 1.59 ERA in four June starts. Weaver made his Major League debut last August, and finished 1–4 with a 5.70 ERA and 1.596 WHIP. He opened his big league career by allowing three or fewer runs in each of his first six starts, but was pulled from the rotation after two abbreviated mid-September performances. The #1 and 32 prospects are RHP

, and C

Cardinals offense erupts for 14 runs

The offense had their biggest game this season on July 3, with a 14–6 rout
BOX SCORE
of the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

, at

. With more hits in the first three innings than they had in their last two games combined, the Cardinals pummeled starter Jeff Locke and held on for the win. The Cardinals had their most productive first inning (four runs) of the season, and sent 12 batters to the plate during a seven-run third inning that chased Locke. By the end of that inning, everyone in the Cardinals' lineup had reached base at least once and eight different batters had scored a run.

, crushed his first Major League home run (two-runs in the 8th inning) and his first four RBIs.

(batting second) was a perfect 3-for-3 including a

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

, 2 RBIs, plus two walks reaching base safely every time at-bat.

also went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs. The offense has scored 61 runs over the team's last nine games, of which the Cardinals have won seven.

had a rocky fifth inning but finished it before being pulled, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs (all earned) for his ninth win, and a 6–1 record at home. He also contributed at-bat with a two-run single. He is now batting .226 with a .678 OPS.

July 4 record

The Cardinals were 103–100–2 () on July 4 games in their history before today's loss. They played a double header every year between 1927 and 1950. The July 3 game started a stretch of 14 consecutive games against sub-.500 teams (FL, NYM, PIT, NYM). After the July 4 loss, they are 23–16 () against teams below .500.

Fowler activated, Jose Martinez optioned

The Cardinals activated CF

before the game on July 7, optioning OF José_Martínez. Fowler missed 12 games due to a right heel spur from June 25 – July 6. He ranks 2nd among St. Louis players with 40 runs scored, and his 35 RBI rank 4th. Fowler is batting .245 with 10 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs (2nd among StL hitters). Martinez opened the season on the Major League roster for the first time in his career. The right-handed hitter batted .280 with five home runs and 17 RBI this season, and has appeared in 50 games. Martinez has made 26 starts and has two outfield assists, coming in back-to-back games April 17 and 18 vs.

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Martinez missed 17 games (May 7–28) earlier this season with a left groin injury.

Four Home Runs not enough to win

The July 7 game saw four Cardinals hit Home Runs, but they were all solo shots, and it wasn't enough for Carlos Martinez (6–8) as he gave up five runs in five innings for the second consecutive games, allowing seven hits, losing 6–5 to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Paul DeJong,

, and

all homered, but the team lost for the fourth time in six games. Winner

Jacob deGrom Jacob Anthony deGrom (born June 19, 1988), is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets. Prior to playing professionally, deGrom attend ...

is the first pitcher to allow four home runs against the Cardinals and win since Robin Roberts in 1955.

Preacher Roe A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

also accomplished that feat in 1953. The Cardinals hit back-to-back home runs for the third game this season, and hit two sets of back-to-back homers in the same game for the ninth time in club history. The last time that happened was on May 2, 2016, against the

. The last time the Cardinals hit four home runs in a game on two sets of back-to-back home runs that were all solo homers was May 7, 2012, at

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

DeJong, Pham, Voit get hot at the break

The Cardinals are heading into the All-Star break (43–45, ) having won or tied their past four series. They are tied with the Cubs for 2nd place, 5.5 games behind the

(50–41, ). After 88 games, the team ha
scored 402 runs, while giving up 389
I
2016
they scored 779, giving up 712. The players who have helped lead them to their recent success, however, could not have been predicted 88 games ago. In the Cardinals' 6–0 victory over the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

on Sunday (July 9) at Busch Stadium,

and rookies Paul DeJong and

accounted for the club's three home runs and four of its six runs. Paul DeJong, the starting shortstop, stepped up against the Mets, breaking records across the three games. In the series, he went 9-for-12 (.750) with three home runs, five doubles and four RBIs. He is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak, and his eight extra-base hits in the series are the most by a Cardinals' player in a three-game series in the modern era (post-1900). He has 10 Doubles, nine homers, 20 RBIs, and is hitting .313/.331/.602 (.932 OPS, 139 OPS+) at the break. Tommy Pham, who hit his 11th home run Sunday, has 11 stolen bases. He became the first Cardinal since

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

to have at least 10 homers and 10 stolen bases before the break. He is hitting .299/.386/.510 (.895 OPS, 134 OPS+) with 8 Doubles and a Triple, with 34 RBIs. Luke Voit, a St. Louis native, has also posted impressive numbers, hitting .316/.366/.684 (1.050 OPS, 168 OPS+) in 38 at-bats in 14 games. He has five Doubles and eight RBIs in July, including his four-RBI day July 3 against the

Marlins The marlin is a large billfish sometimes also known as the ''spearfish.'' Marlin may also refer to: Places *Marlín, Castile-Leon, a village in Spain *Marlin, Texas, city in Falls County, Texas, United States Sports *Cincinnati Marlins, a swim t ...

Yadier Molina hits HR in All-Star Game

got the NL its only run in the

on July 11, when he hit a home run in the sixth inning off

Ervin Santana Ervin Ramon Santana (born Johan Ramon Santana; December 12, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals (twice), Atlanta Braves ...

(Minn. Twins) to tie the game at 1. But the NL lost 1–2 in 10 inn.

Reggie Smith Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...

was the last Cardinal to hit an All-Star Game home run in the 1974 game. He became the oldest catcher to hit a home run in an All-Star Game, two days before his 35th birthday (July 13), passing

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball ...

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

The famous baseball song,

Take Me Out to the Ball Game "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...

was first performed in a baseball park:

Sportsman's Park Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the ...

before Game 4 of the

1934 World Series The 1934 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1934 season. The 31st edition of the World Series, it matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" won in seven gam ...

by the famous

Gashouse Gang The Gashouse Gang was the nickname of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team of the early 1930s. Owing to their success that started in 1926, the Cardinals would win a total of five National League pennants from 1926 to 1934 (nine seasons) while win ...

players

Pepper Martin Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive baserunning ab ...

and his Marvelous Musical Mississippi Mudcats Band. The song was written in

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

, with words by

Jack Norworth John Godfrey Knauff (January 5, 1879 – September 1, 1959), known professionally as Jack Norworth, was an American songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer. Biography Norworth is credited as writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wr ...

and music from Albert Von Tilzer. Ironically, neither had attended a baseball game. It was the #1 song for 1908, selling over 6 million sheet copies. Major League Baseball realized that Ladies Days, when women were admitted to the ballpark for free, were no longer necessary. In

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

, the National League banned the practice, assuming women would now attend on a regular basis. "Katie Casey was baseball mad; Had the fever and had it bad; Just to root for the home town crew … On a Saturday, her young beau called to see if she'd like to go, To see a show but Miss Kate said "No, I'll tell you what you can do." That leads into the iconic chorus that everyone sings throughout the summer.

Wong and Siegrist activated, Mejia and Weaver optioned

At the break on Thu. July 13, the Cardinals activated 2B

and LHP Kevin Siegrist, optioning SS

and RHP Luke Weaver.

Grichuck on DL, Jose Martinez recalled

Before the game on July 14, LF

was placed on the DL from a lower back strain. OF José Martínez was recalled.

Piscotty on DL, Sierra recalled

Before the game on July 15, RF

was placed on the DL from a right groin strain. OF

was recalled from AA

Wacha throws first complete game, shutout

threw his first complete game and a 5–0 shutout win against the

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

on July 18. He gave up only three hits, one walk, and allowing just one runner to reach third base, in the ninth inning with two outs. He pitched after an 11-day layoff to give his troublesome right shoulder additional rest. He threw a career-high 119 pitches. He started the ninth inning at 97 pitches. The shutout was the first by a Cardinals' pitcher on the road since

Shelby Miller Shelby Charles Miller (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondba ...

on June 7, 2014. Since posting an 8.17 ERA over a six-game stretch that had some calling for his removal from the rotation, Wacha is 4–0 with a 1.01 ERA in four starts. His strikeout rate has jumped, and he's found the cutter to be a put-away pitch. After notching five strikeouts on it over his first 14 appearances, Wacha has logged eight in his last three. Wacha garnered 12 outs on his fastball, eight with his cutter, four via the changeup and three with the curve.

Carson Kelly promoted, Zach Duke and Randal Grichuk activated

The top catching prospect
in baseball and th
#2 Cardinals prospect
,

, 23, was promoted to the majors before the game on July 21. He hit .283/.375/.459 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in 68 games for Triple-A Memphis this season. He made his Major League debut last season, and went 2-for-13 with a double in 10 games for St. Louis. LF

was activated from the disabled list, as was LHP

from the 60-day DL. Grichuk is batting .215 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 61 games for the Cardinals this season. Duke is a 12-year MLB veteran, making nine Minor League rehab appearances before being activated, throwing nine scoreless innings. RHP

was optioned to AAA-Memphis, as was OF

to AA-Springfield. To make room, C Eric Fryer was designated for assignment, with Duke taking Fryer's spot on the 40-man roster.

Cardinals trade LHP Marco Gonzales for OF prospect Tyler O'Neill

Before the game on July 21, the Cardinals traded LHP

for a power-hitting #75 prospect in baseball
#4 Cardinals
) Tyler O'Neill, 22, of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. Both players were products of the 2013 MLB Draft, with Gonzales taken in the first round, and O'Neill by Seattle in the third. O'Neill had 14 homers in his past 19 games at Triple-A Tacoma and was batting .244/.328/.479 with 19 homers, 21 doubles and 56 RBIs in 93 games this season. His 19 home runs ranked eighth in the Pacific Coast League. He was the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year last season when he batted .293 with 24 home runs and 102 RBIs at the Double-A level. GM

said, "It adds to our offensive depth. t'snot that we're not proud of our outfield depth, but we do think this offensive profile is unique.

e has E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plura ...

middle-of-the-order potential." O'Neill will report to Triple-A Memphis, where he'll play alongside another Cardinals outfield prospect,

. Gonzales' status as an out-of-options player next year left the Cardinals uncertain of how they'd find a fit for him on the Major League roster.

Fowler on DL, Harrison Bader promoted

On July 25,

was placed on the DL from a left wrist strain, and promoted thei
No. 6 prospect
OF

, 23, from AAA-Memphis. He is in the lineup, and will make his major league debut. He hit .297/.354 with 19 home runs and slugging .517 with 48 RBIs, stealing 9 bases in 350 at-bats. He was their third-round pick in 2015. Fowler is hitting .241/.333/.452, with 29 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs in 333 plate appearances over 81 games this season. Memphis outfielder

was outrighted and subsequently granted his unconditional release.

Wainwright on DL, retroactive to July 23

Before the July 25 game, starting pitcher

, 35, was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to July 23, due to mid-back tightness. The team will announce a corresponding roster move tomorrow. Wainwright is leading the Cardinals with 11 wins and has posted a 4.89 ERA in his 20 games started, striking out 95 batters in 110.1 innings pitched. This marks just the fourth time in his career that Wainwright has been disabled:

for right middle finger sprain,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

for right elbow

, and

for a ruptured right Achilles. The three-time All-Star owns a career mark of 145–81 with a 3.27 ERA in 340 games pitched, ranking 5th on the Cardinals all-time wins list. He has 1,582 strikeouts as a Cardinals' pitcher, ranking second behind

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...

(3,117). RHP

was recalled on July 26, as the temporary help from Wainwright's DL.

Bader gets first hit, run

, scarcely 12 hours after his call-up, recorded his first major league hit, a double to open the ninth inning that turned into a run that decided the 3–2 win over

(now 58–44 .569), who hold a 4 game lead over the Cubs for one of the two Wild Card spots. Paul DeJong gave the Cards the lead with a two-run home run in the first, his seventh for the month that matched the most by a Cardinals' rookie in July, and is tied for second place among NL home run leaders in the month. Starter

has now given up one run in his last 25 innings, lowering his ERA to 3.21 (with the Cardinals overall at 3.83, third-best in NL L.A. Dodgers 3.15 and

3.52 in NL West); and opposing batters hitting a team-lowest .210 against him (min. 25 IP). Reliever

blew a save (giving up a solo home run to tie it at 2–2 in the eighth inning), which is the 15th for the team, fourth-most in the NL. DeJong is one of only two players to ever hit double-digit home runs for both the Cardinals, and Triple-A Memphis in the same season. He joins

Rick Ankiel Richard Alexander Ankiel (; born July 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Ho ...

, who did so in

. DeJong has 13 with each team, while Ankiel spent the majority of 2007 with Memphis, hitting 32 home runs there, and 11 with St. Louis. The win kept the Cardinals after 100 games (49–51 .490) four games back of the

(54–48 .529) in the wild NL Central, playing leap-frog over the Cubs (52–47 .525), who are one-half game behind.

Lance Lynn on trading block?

With the non-waiver trade deadline looming in five days (July 31), and as an upcoming

at the end of the season,

could be an intriguing trade option for the struggling Cardinals, still trying to hit the .500 level (49–51). Since his dreadful back-to-back outings in June, he has been superb with a 2–0, 0.75 ERA record over his last four starts totaling 25.1 IP. For the season, he is 8–6, 3.21 ERA, with a team-leading 21 starts. It has not been determined if he will make another start after his outstanding July 25 start against a heavy-hitting Colorado Rockies lineup, that was a near-win because of yet another (15th) blown bullpen save opportunity this team has suffered in 2017. Lynn gave up only one run on three hits in six innings, striking out six.

Luke Weaver recalled, Mike Mayers optioned

RHP Luke Weaver was recalled on July 27, and recalled from yesterday RHP

was optioned. Weaver is the No. 64 overall prospect in the Majors, and the Cardinals' fourth-best prospect. Weaver will make his first start in 2017. In two relief appearances with St. Louis this season, Weaver has allowed three hits and no runs over three innings. As a starter in AAA

, he has excelled this year, going 9–1 in 13 starts with a 1.91 ERA. He made eight starts in nine appearances in

(1–4, 5.70 ERA).

Cardinals set single-game attendance record at Busch Stadium III

The Cardinals set a

attendance record on July 29, with an announced crowd of 48,052. That figure surpassed all previous attendance marks—even those from the postseason and

—at the 12-year-old ballpark. The previous record was 47,925 on May 14, 2017.

Cardinals hold at non-waiver trade deadline

The Cardinals decided to make no changes by the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, 3pm CDT. That means that the Cardinals will enter the final two months of the season with

still a member of their rotation, and an overcrowded outfield. The latter is expected to be addressed during the off-season. As for Lynn, he'll play out the rest of this year as a pending

. The Cardinals have not initiated extension talks with the 30-year-old right-hander, and GM

confirmed the organization will "table all of that until the year end." Mozeliak added that momentum never picked up among the teams that had inquired about Lynn's availability. The Cardinals can still net a compensatory Draft pick—which would come after Compensation Round B in 2018—if they make Lynn a

qualifying offer A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

and he declines. The value of the qualifying offer is expected to be around $18 million for one year. The club entered the day (off-day) at 52–53, sitting in third-place in the NL Central, 4 games behind the Cubs, and 2 games behind the Brewers.
Teams can stil
make trades in August, but with restrictions.
Reporter

Jayson Stark Jayson Stark (born July 19, 1951) is an American sportswriter and author who covers baseball for ''The Athletic''. He is most known for his time with ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and ESPN. Biography Stark grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and ...

outlines the waiver rules.

August

Piscotty activated, Bader optioned

On August 1, before a crucial series against the second-place

, the Cardinals activated OF

from the DL, and optioned OF

to AAA. Piscotty missed 16 games after hitting .236/.348/.371 with a 90 OPS+ in 69 games. Bader got his first hit and scored the game-winning run in his first game, hitting .286/.348/.381 (6 for 21) .729 OPS and a 92 OPS+ with 2 doubles, two walks, and nine strikeouts in his six games.

Paul DeJong wins NL Rookie of the Month Award for July

After batting .298/.347/.638 (.985 OPS) with 6 home runs and 16 RBI's in the month of July, Paul DeJong was named the

NL Rookie of the Month Major League Baseball (MLB) honors its best rookies with a Rookie of the Month Award for one player in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL) during each month of the regular season. These awards have been issued since 2001, ...

on his 24th birthday (August 2). He was the first Cardinals' player to win the award since

in May 2014. Through the game on August 1, DeJong was hitting .281/.308/.558 (.865 OPS, 121 OPS+), with 14 home runs and 32 RBIs in 54 games and 208 plate appearances. Among rookies with at least 50 games played, only the Yankees'

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017, and finishe ...

and the Dodgers'

Cody Bellinger Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball center fielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected ...

have a higher slugging percentage than DeJong.

August injuries/transactions

On August 4, starting pitcher Luke Weaver was optioned to AAA, and for the fifth time this season, reliever

was recalled.

was activated before the August 6 game he pitched, missing two starts. LHP Kevin Siegrist was placed on the DL with left forearm

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elb ...

. Before the August 7 game, OF

was activated from the DL after missing 12 games. OF

was optioned to AAA Memphis. After the showing problems with decreased velocity and command in the ninth inning of the August 16 game, reliever

was placed on the 10-day DL from a right posterior elbow irritation. RHP Luke Weaver was recalled from AAA. Rosenthal was 11 for 13 in save opportunities, with a 3.40 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. Pitching only three innings with 55 pitches but decreased velocity on August 18, starter

was placed on the DL from right elbow impingement. He was 12–5 with a 5.12 ERA. Opponent batters were hitting .283 against him. RHP

was recalled from AAA Memphis. Before the August 19 game, the Cardinals promoted reliever

Josh Lucas Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer (born June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including '' American Psycho'' (2000), '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' The Deep End'' (2001), '' A Beautiful Mind'' (20 ...

, 26, from AAA Memphis, to make his major league debut. To make room for him, RHP

was optioned to the

. Lucas had been in the organization since the Cardinals took him in the 21st round of the

2010 MLB Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. He had a 3.34 ERA, 1.165 WHIP and 14 saves in 43 appearances at AAA, striking out 65, walking only nine in 56.2 innings. Sixteen of Lucas' appearances have been for one-plus innings. In his debut, Lucas gave up four hits, including a home run for his lone run allowed, walking none, striking out two in his two innings pitched. On August 21, OF

remained with the team after his 26th-man callup for the 2017 MLB Little League Classic on August 20. 1B

was optioned to make the active roster down to the usual 25. Before the August 23 game, the Cardinals announced that RH reliever

will have

to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the procedure next week. The surgery not only ends Rosenthal's season, but it will cost him much—and possibly all—of 2018 as well. He led the Majors with 93 saves from 2014 to 2015. The timing also complicates his move toward free agency, and it leaves the Cardinals without an obvious answer as to who will fill the ninth-inning void in his absence. He was to be arbitration-eligible for a third time this winter and due for a salary increase from the $6.4 million he's earning in 2017. It's a financial commitment the Cardinals won't want to make for a pitcher who may need the full season to recover from surgery. The club could choose to not tender Rosenthal a contract and try to re-sign him for a lesser amount, or under a Minor League contract, to retain control of him. The Cardinals transferred Rosenthal to the 60-day DL ending his season, while calling-up LH reliever

, 27, for his major-league debut later. He is 5–1, 3.19 ERA converting six-out-of-seven save opportunities at AAA-Memphis. Reliever

was optioned. Rosenthal was 3–4 with a 3.40 ERA, with 11 saves. In the eighth inning of a 4–4 game, about to score the lead run from third base of the August 26 game against the

, 3B

suffered a right hamstring strain. He was placed on the 10-day DL the next day. Gyorko was the team-leader with 64 RBIs, hitting .272 with 18 HRs in 114 games.

was recalled from AAA.

Second consecutive game with go-ahead grand slam

For the first time in the Cardinals' long history, the team won consecutive games, on August 9–10, featuring a go-ahead

. The 59th win of the season (against 56 losses, .513) for their sixth consecutive win, tied their longest win streak (May 5–10), and pushed the Cardinals to within one game of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central, passing the Brewers for second place, with 47 games remaining.

slammed the Royals in the seventh inning on August 10 (8–6 win), when tied at 3–3, while

hit a grand slam in the sixth inning the previous night (8–5 win), after trailing 5–4. The game on August 9 featured Molina's slam coming one pitch after a cat, subsequently known as the "Rally Cat", ran into center field. The cat was picked up by a groundskeeper, who got scratched and clawed for his trouble. Molina's 387-foot homer was the fifth grand slam of his career, tying him with

Tim McCarver James Timothy McCarver (born October 16, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently as a member of the St. Louis Cardinal ...

for second all-time among Cardinals' catchers for grand slams. He needs two more to tie

. Because of Molina's key hit, the Cardinals moved closer in the chase for the NL Central. Fowler's slam (fifth in his career) was the Cardinals' third in their last five games, and his five RBIs in a game was his highest. He had scored a run in his last five games. The Rally Cat went missing after the game and the Cardinals released a statement: "We are hopeful someone will find the cat and contact us so we can properly care for it. Our grounds crew is working on developing a stray animal protocol to ensure the safety of both crew and animal should this happen again. In the meantime, the Cardinals are looking to scratch and claw their way back to the top of the division standings." The Rally Cat was found early on August 11, and transported to a veterinarian to be checked out, and eventually available for adoption. It was not a

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

cat as initially thought. It is a medium haired tabby. It's still unknown if anyone in the Cardinals' organization will open their doors to the cat. Custody of the cat remains in dispute.

Cards in a virtual tie for first in NL Central

After the 6–5 win on August 12 (61–56, .521) and the Cubs' loss later that night (60–55, .522), the teams were in a virtual tie for first place in the NL Central. The August 12 win was the team's season-high eighth consecutive win. Carlos Martinez won his ninth game, and Paul DeJong hit his team-leading 17th home run for the deciding run in the seventh inning. The Cardinals' eight-game winning streak was their most since April 28 to May 5, 2015, and the longest of Matheny's managerial career. The Cards were five and one-half games back less than two weeks ago. DeJong's team-leading 17th home run came in his 64th game and 244th at-bat. He tied five other Cardinals for the seventh-most home runs by a rookie in Cardinals' history, with six of them coming in the seventh inning or later. He was slashing .291/.320/.566. Before the game on August 12, his 16 home runs in his first 63 games were second only to future Hall of Famer

' 20 in the same number of games in

. During the team's eight-game winning streak, DeJong 's ability and consistency played a pivotal role. He had at least one hit in all but one of those games, with three home runs and nine RBIs over that stretch. Combined with the 13 homers he hit in 48 games with the AAA

, DeJong has 30 home runs this season.

's hit in the August 11 game drove in his 11th RBI, which led all MLB pitchers. Compared to the team's previous game on August 11 for their seventh consecutive win (8–5), the six runs scored on August 12 were the lowest from the previous six games, when eight runs or more were scored. That streak was the first time since April 11–16, 2011, tying the franchise record. The club also achieved the feat Sept. 9–15, 1922. However, following the win, the Cardinals would lose three straight and five of their next seven games. The Cubs, in the same span, won six of eight games to extend the lead over the Cardinals to 3.5 games as of August 21.

Paul DeJong becomes fourth Cards' rookie to hit 20 HRs

Paul DeJong became only the fourth Cardinals' rookie to hit 20 home runs, doing so in only his 70th game on August 19. Albert Pujols (37 in 2001),

Chris Duncan Christopher Edwin Duncan (May 5, 1981 – September 6, 2019) was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 through 2009. He was the younges ...

(22 in '06), and

Ray Jablonski Raymond Leo Jablonski (December 17, 1926 – November 25, 1985) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for all or parts of eight MLB seasons between 1953 and 1960. A National League All-Star, Jablonski appeared in 812 ...

(21 in 1953) previously accomplished the feat. He also has 17 doubles, 48 RBIs in 269 AB, hitting .305/.336/.591 with a .927 OPS.

Ryan Sherriff makes debut

LH reliever

made his major-league debut against the

on August 25. He pitched three scoreless innings, registering four strikeouts, while scattering two hits. But the Cards fell 3–7 to the Rays, with their eighth loss in 11 games, remaining 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the National League Central and five back of the Rockies for the NL's second Wild Card spot.

Matt Carpenter donates to Hurricane Harvey relief

On August 29,

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

native and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

-area resident, Matt Carpenter, announced a personal donation of $10,000 for each home run he hits until the end of the season, to the relief efforts in the tragedy of

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...

, which smashed into

Rockport, Texas Rockport is a city in Aransas County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. Rockport is adjacent to the town of Fulton, and many refer to the combined communities as "Rockport-Fulton"; howeve ...

(just south of Houston) as a Category 4 hurricane, on August 25, with wind gusts up to .

and the Cardinals' owner William DeWitt, Jr., also pledged the same $10,000 per Carpenter home run, totaling $30,000 for each one Carpenter hits. Carpenter has hit 17 this year through the 130 games played.

said he has remained in constant contact with his parents, who still live in his hometown of

Rosenberg, Texas Rosenberg is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County. The population was 38,282 at the 2020 census, up from 30,61 ...

, a suburb southwest of downtown Houston. In the first game after his pledge, that same evening Carpenter hit a home run, his 18th (a 10–2 win), which gave $30,000 to the relief efforts.

Leake traded to Seattle

Starting RH pitcher

was traded to the

on August 30, on the eve of the waiver trade deadline (August 31), $750,000 in international cap space as well as cash considerations, for a minor league shortstop Rayder Ascanio, 21. Prior to this deadline, a player is eligible to play in post-season games, as Leake now is, should Seattle earn a Wild Card spot. Leake, 29, signed a five-year contract with the Cards in December

, and he has three years and $48 million remaining on his deal after 2017, with a mutual $18 million option, or a $5 million buyout in 2021. The contract, which included a full no-trade clause, was no problem as Leake waived it to help facilitate the trade, according to reports. The Cardinals are picking up $17 million of the remaining $53 million money on Leake's contract. Leake began the year red-hot, going 3–1 with a 1.35 ERA in five April outings, before seeing his ERA increase in each month of the season. The right-hander is 0–3 with an 8.88 ERA and a .375 opponents batting average in five starts in August. He is 7–12 with a 4.21 ERA in 26 starts for the Cards this season, after going 9–12 with a 4.69 ERA in 30 starts in

. Leake is 80–76 with a 4.02 ERA in 223 career appearances (228 starts). The shortstop received by the Cardinals is a switch-hitter, signed out of

with the Mariners' organization since 2012. Ascanio hit .217/.295/.355 with a .649 OPS in 111 Minor League games this season, and he will be added to the Cardinals' Class A Advanced

roster for the remainder of this year. Th
#3 prospect in the Cardinals' organization
, RHP

, 21, will take Leake's place in the rotation, starting on September 1, making his major league debut. He is three years removed after high school, now with the AAA

Siegrist DFA, John Gant recalled

LH reliever Kevin Siegrist was DFA on August 31, after activating him from the DL, making room for RH reliever

, recalled from AAA, who will take the roster spot that

vacated after his trade. Gant, 25, has a 3.83 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 103 innings over 18 starts for the

this season. He was acquired last December from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in the Jaime Garcia trade. His lone appearance with the big league club this year came on June 6, when he allowed the

two runs on three hits over 3 innings. Siegrist was in the midst of a tough season with a 4.98 ERA over 34 innings and a 13.3% walk rate that ranked 192nd among 203 relievers with at least 30 innings. He had been battling left forearm tendinitis as well. Siegrist, who was under team control for two more seasons, had fallen out of favor as a top left-hander in the Cardinals' bullpen, with Left-handers slugging a career-best .420 against him this year. He was claimed off waivers by the

on September 2.

September

Apr–Aug 1,2-run games record

At the end of August, the team is 67–66 (), and had an 18–25 () record in one-run games. They are 9–12 () record in 2-run games. For 1- or 2-run games, the team is 27–37 (). The Cardinals have 7 players with 15+ HR's, tops among NL teams and T2nd in the majors, with

and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, trailing only the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

(9 players). The Cardinals had a franchise record 8 players hit 15+ HR's last year, as they paced the NL with 225 home runs. They have scored 245 runs via the home run, giving up 231 that way. In total, the Cardinals have scored 631 runs, giving up 581.

Jack Flaherty makes ML debut

Starting RHP

made his major league debut on September 1, at

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

against the

. He pitched a perfect first inning, striking out the first and third batters, and got the second on a fly ball. But, he gave up a two-run home run among five hits, in the second inning. Overall, he allowed five runs on eight hits over four innings with six strikeouts and one intentional walk.

also had a memorable night when he clubbed his first Major League home run in the third inning, a two-run blast that got the Cardinals on the scoreboard.

Rosters expand

The rosters expanded on September 1, and the Cardinals brought up from AAA-Memphis: OF

, 2B/SS

, C

Alberto Rosario Alberto Rosario (born January 10, 1987) is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball catcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals. Career St. Louis Cardinals Rosario began his ...

, plus RHP Sandy Alcantara from AA-

. Bader is th
#5 prospect in the Cardinals' organization
. Alcantara is particularly intriguing for the Cardinals, with his power arm, and is th
#9 prospect in the Cardinals' organization
. He will initially be used in relief. At AA-Springfield, he was 7–5 with a 4.31 ERA in 25 games (22 starts), and had 106 strikeouts with 54 walks in 125 innings. Alcantara held opponents to a .262 average this season, while relying primarily on a fastball that routinely clocked between 94 and 96 mph. That velocity, coupled with a hard curve and solid changeup, have the Cardinals salivating about Alcantara's prospects. He stands 6' 4", a lean

Alcantara makes ML debut

RH reliever Sandy Alcantara made his major-league debut on September 3, in a 7–3 win over the lowly

(54–85). He pitched 0.2 innings, giving up two hits, a run (home run), one walk, and one strikeout.

Carlos Martinez throws second shutout

Carlos Martinez threw his second shutout of the season on September 4 against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

. He joins

(3,

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

), and

Corey Kluber Corey Scott Kluber (born April 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. He made his M ...

(2,

), as the only other MLB pitchers to record at least two shutouts. Martinez struck out 10, walked three, giving up only three singles, with no runners reaching second base. He threw 109 pitches, 76 for strikes. His 183 innings pitched in 2017, ranks second among all NL starters. Opponent batters are hitting .228 against him, third-best of the Cardinals' starters.

is first at .211 and Luke Weaver second at .220.

Cardinals acquire reliever Juan Nicasio

The Cardinals made a rare September trade when they acquired

RH reliever and setup man

Juan Nicasio Juan Ramón Nicasio (born August 31, 1986) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Ph ...

, 31, for minor league infielder Eliezer Alvarez on September 5. He won't be eligible for a postseason roster should the Cards advance to the playoffs. He has made a NL-high 67 appearances this year, 65 with the

, who put him on waivers. He posted a 2.79 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 61 innings this season. He's struck out 16, walked 18, and held opponents to a .218 batting average. Nicasio's 21 Holds rank as the fifth most in the NL.

Attendance passes 3 million

The year's attendance passed 3 million (3,026,081) for the 14th consecutive year at the September 10 game, the 71st home game (39–32; Road 35–37). An average per game of 42,621. Their highest attendance year was in

, when they received 3,552,180 for an average of 43,854.

NL Central race going down to the wire

With 19 games to play over the next 20 days including the September 12 game, the Cardinals (75–68, ) are only two games behind the Cubs (77–66) for the division lead, and the Brewers (75–69) a shade behind in third place. The Cubs have lost six of their last eight, while the Cardinals have won seven of their last eight, cutting five games off the Cubs' lead. They are 8–2 in September, with only the

better, with an amazing 19 consecutive games won, now 88–56 (.611; 40–29 Home, 48–27 Road), 13 ahead in the AL Central. No team has gotten better starting pitching in this stretch than the Cardinals: 1.91 ERA (Cleveland starters have a 1.97 ERA over the same time period). The Cardinals were 33–40 after the June 24 game. Since then, they are 42–28 (.600). The Brewers play 11 of their final 18 games against teams with a losing record, and the other seven are against the Cubs and Cardinals. The two NL Wild Card berths may not provide a safety net. The Arizona D-backs (83–61) are cruising toward one, and the

(79–65) lead the Cardinals by 3 games in the race for the other. The Cubs have seven games remaining against the Cardinals, and four against the Brewers. The Cardinals finish the season with three home games against the Brewers, but they also play the Reds and Pirates nine times.

Gyorko activated

activated before the September 13 game, can pinch-hit, but will take it slow with base-running after he suffered a right hamstring strain during the August 26 game. He lost his team-leading categories of 64 RBIs and 18 HRs, while hitting .272. He missed 15 games.

Swept in Chicago

A crucial visit to

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

for the September 15–17 series against the Cubs, going into it, led the Cardinals by only three games. The three games there turned into a sweep by the home team pushing the Cardinals behind by six games to win the NL Central, with only 13 remaining. In this series, the Cardinals finished 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and cost themselves runs at least four times with poor defensive plays. The losses also dropped the team to third place in the NL Central, two games behind the Brewers. They are also 4 games behind the

for the second Wild Card spot. The Cardinals have only four more (home) games against the Cubs, with six road games against the Reds and Pirates prior, and ending the season at home after the Cubs, against the Brewers.

Wainwright to return, as a reliever

is poised to return from the DL in time for the September 19 game, but he will as a reliever. He was placed on the DL with a right elbow impingement on August 28. The Cardinals plan to continue starting rookie

, who has made three appearances since being called up at the start of the month. Flaherty, whose next start will be on September 19, is in line to make three starts over the team's final 13 games. None of those would be against the Cubs. Wainwright was activated from the DL before the September 19 game, missing 28 games and five starts. 3B-man

returned to the field, making his first start there since August 26.

Molina starts a GoFundMe page for Puerto Rico

and his wife Wanda, started
GoFundMe page
for victims of

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

on September 21, with a goal of $1 million. It has raised $20,000 in seven hours. More than 3 million people there are without power, and over 95% of cell service is down. Molina is a native of Bayamon and reportedly owns a home in Vega Alta. Drone video on

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...

described Bayamon as looking "like a war zone."

Cardinals eliminated from NL Central title

The team was eliminated from the NL Central race with the loss to the Cubs in the first game of their final head-to-head four-game series on September 25. The club is 4–12 against the Cubs, with three games remaining between them. They are seven games behind the Cubs with six to play. Cardinals' pitching has served up 19 home runs in 16 games to the Cubs this season. The Cardinals (81–75) trail the

by 2 games in the NL Wild Card chase. The Cardinals also trail the second-place

by one game in the Wild Card hunt.

Molina on concussion protocol

was placed on baseball's

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

after consecutive foul tip pitches off his catcher's mask on September 25. Protocol requires that a player be evaluated 48 hours (2 days) after sustaining the head trauma before a diagnosis is determined. Molina noted that his headaches and nausea had subsided since Monday (September 25), though he has not been cleared to drive a car. It was the first time Molina said he could remember being hit by foul balls on consecutive pitches. He missed three games following the incident. He hopes to play again before the final regular season game on (Sunday) October 1. After the team was eliminated from post-season play with the loss on September 28, he and three other players were shut down on September 29, for the remaining three games in the season, to prevent further damage from their injuries.

, Matt Carpenter, and LH-reliever

were given rest for the last three games. Lyons did not miss any time this season due to injury, but had started to recently show signs of weakness in his surgically repaired left knee. The Cardinals don't want to risk any additional stress over this final weekend. On August 28, Carpenter announced that he would make a $10,000 donation, to relief efforts from

in his hometown of

, for every home run he hit for the rest of the season. Wainwright and the Cardinals quickly matched that pledge. Though he played with a shoulder injury, Carpenter went on to hit six homers over the final 24 games to bring the donation total to $180,000. Carpenter said he has already given his $60,000 portion to the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

Lance Lynn's final start, Cardinals knocked out of playoffs

made what is probably his last start as a Cardinals' pitcher, since his rookie year in

. He pitched five strong innings, giving up just one run (1st inn. HR), three hits, walking four, striking out five, on September 28. He led the pitching staff with 33 starts, (and 3.43 ERA for the starters), while giving up a team-high 27 home runs. He is expected to become a free agent after the season end, with the team not interested in conducting contract extension talks with him. He is tied with

for the most post-season appearances with 24. He is third in franchise history with five post-season wins. His career numbers are 72–47 (.605), 3.38 ERA in 183 G with 161 starts, 369 walks, 919 strikeouts, 1.29 WHIP, and 114 ERA+. The club was knocked out of the playoffs as a possible Wild Card entry with the extra-inning loss to the Cubs, where Paul DeJong was robbed of a would-be game-tying home run by center fielder Leonys Martin in the 11th inning to end the game. The Cubs had a 14–5 record against their division rivals, and won seven of eight one-run games against them. With the loss on September 28, that game was the last since the start of the 2011 season that the Cards took the field for a regular-season game knowing they had post-season aspirations. That covered 1,131 consecutive games, which was the longest active streak in major league baseball.

October

Final game

The final game on October 1, was a loss to the second-place

(86–76), scoring only one run. The Cardinals ended 2017 with an 83–79 (.512) record, in third place in the NL Central, nine games behind the division-winning Cubs (92–70), and four games behind the second Wild Card

(87–75).

Attendance

The attendance for their 81 home games (44–37 ), was 3,448,337 up 0.1% from the 3,444,490 in

. Their attendance is second in the 15-team NL only to the

that has over four times the St. Louis metro population and a stadium that has a capacity of 56,000, over 13,000 more than Busch Stadium. Away, the club was 39–42 (). The team had a 24–29 () record in one-run games. They are 11–13 () record in 2-run games. For 1- or 2-run games, the team is 35–42 (). Scored 761 runs, giving up 705, +56. In 2016, scored 779, allowed 712, +67.

Schedule and results

Regular Season Schedule (calendar style)

Regular Season Schedule (sortable text)

National Broadcast Schedule (all teams), EDT
Most games are broadcast on

Fox Sports Midwest Bally Sports Midwest is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts regional e ...

, unless noted on the game dates. Games broadcast on the

MLB Network The MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Com ...

not noted.
Small notation ( TBS /

) game broadcasts are for out-of-metro area only.

Game log

''Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Cardinals player'' , - bgcolor=ccffcc , 1 , , April 2 , , Cubs (

) , , 4–3 , , Oh (1–0) , , Montgomery (0–1) , , , , 47,566 , , 1–0 ,
1–0
, -bgcolor=ffbbbb , 2 , , April 4 , , Cubs (

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

) , , 1–2 , ,

Arrieta Arrieta (both in Basque and Spanish) is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Arrieta is part of the ''comarca'' of Mungialdea. It had a population of 552 inhabitants as of 2007, and a populatio ...

(1–0) , , Wainwright (0–1) , ,

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...

(1) , , 46,760 , , 1–1 ,
1–1
, - bgcolor=bbbbbb , – , , April 5 , , Cubs (

) , , colspan="8" , ''Postponed (rain). Makeup date: April 6th.'' , -bgcolor=ffbbbb , 3 , , April 6 , , Cubs (

) , , 4–6 , , Lackey (1–0) , ,

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

(0–1) , ,

(2) , , 44,039 , , 1–2 ,
1–2
, -bgcolor=ffbbbb , 4 , , April 7 , ,

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

, , 0–2 , , Garrett (1–0) , , Leake (0–1) , , Iglesias (2) , , 44,653 , , 1–3 ,
1–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 5 , , April 8 , ,

, , 10–4 , , Wacha (1–0) , ,

Arroyo Arroyo often refers to: * Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek Arroyo may also refer to: People * Arroyo (surname) Places United States ;California * Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California * Arroyo ...

(0–1) , , , , 46,558 , , 2–3 ,
2–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 6 , , April 9 , ,

, , 0–8 , ,

Feldman Feldman is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: Academics * Arthur Feldman (born 1949), American cardiologist * David B. Feldman, American psychologist * David Feldman (historian), American historian * ...

(1–1) , , Martinez (0–1) , , , , 45,200 , , 2–4 ,
2–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 7 , , April 10 , , @ Nationals , , 6–14 , , Roark (2–0) , , Wainwright (0–2) , , , , 27,413 , , 2–5 ,
2–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 8 , , April 11 , , @ Nationals (

) , , 3–8 , , Gonzalez (1–0) , , Lynn (0–1) , , , , 30,663 , , 2–6 ,
2–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 9 , , April 12 , , @ Nationals , , 6–1 , , Leake (1–1) , , Scherzer (1–1) , , , , 31,647 , , 3–6 ,
3–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 10 , , April 14 , , @

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(

) , , 3–4 , ,

Tanaka is the fourth most common Japanese name, Japanese surname. It is typically written with the kanji for . Less common variants include , , , , and . People with the surname *, Japanese musician formerly known as Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi *, Japane ...

(1–1) , , Wacha (1–1) , , Chapman (3) , , 39,102 , , 3–7 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 11 , , April 15 , , @

(

) , , 2–3 , , Sabathia (2–0) , , Martinez (0–2) , , Clippard (1) , , 43,031 , , 3–8 ,
2–8
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 12 , , April 16 , , @

(

) , , 3–9 , , Pineda (2–1) , , Wainwright (0–3) , , , , 31,706 , , 3–9 ,
2–8
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 13 , , April 17 , ,

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, , 2–1 , , Lynn (1–1) , , Iván Nova, Nova (1–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1) , , 40,172 , , 4–9 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 14 , , April 18 , ,

, , 2–1 , , Leake (2–1) , , Chad Kuhl, Kuhl (1–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (2) , , 38,806 , , 5–9 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 15 , , April 19 , ,

, , 2–1 , , Wacha (2–1) , , Gerrit Cole, Cole (1–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (1) , , 40,182 , , 6–9 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 16 , , April 20 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 5–7 , , Zach Davies, Davies (1–2) , , Martinez (0–3) , , Jacob Barnes, Barnes (1) , , 26,451 , , 6–10 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 17 , , April 21 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 6–3 , , Wainwright (1–3) , , Wily Peralta, Peralta (3–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (3) , , 23,126 , , 7–10 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 18 , , April 22 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 4–1 , , Lynn (2–1) , , Carlos Torres (pitcher), Torres (0–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (4) , , 30,865 , , 8–10 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 19 , , April 23 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 6–4 , , Leake (3–1) , , Jimmy Nelson (baseball), Nelson (1–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (5) , , 31,158 , , 9–10 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 20 , , April 25 , , Blue Jays , , 5–6 (11) , , Jason Grilli, Grilli (1–2) , , Miguel Socolovich, Socolovich (0–1) , , Ryan Tepera, Tepera (1) , , 40,223 , , 9–11 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=#bbbbbb , – , , April 26 , , Blue Jays , , colspan="8" , ''Postponed (rain). Makeup date: April 27th.'' , - bgcolor=ccffcc , 21 , , April 27 , , Blue Jays , , 8–4 (11) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (1–0) , , Ryan Tepera, Tepera (1–1) , , , , 40,099 , , 10–11 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 22 , , April 27 , , Blue Jays , , 6–4 , , Wainwright (2–3) , , Casey Lawrence, Lawrence (0–3) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (2) , , 40,035 , , 11–11 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 23 , , April 28 , ,

, , 7–5 , , Lynn (3–1) , , Tim Adleman, Adleman (0–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (6) , , 42,722 , , 12–11 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=bbbbbb , – , , April 29 , ,

, , colspan="8" , ''Postponed (rain). Makeup date: June 26.'' , - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 24 , , April 30 , ,

, , 4–5 , , Wandy Peralta, Peralta (1–0) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (0–1) , , Iglesias (4) , , 45,682 , , 12–12 ,
7–3
, - , - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 25 , , May 1 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 4–6 (10) , , Oliver Drake (baseball), Drake (1–0) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–1) , , Neftalí Feliz, Feliz (7) , , 36,323 , , 12–13 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 26 , , May 2 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 2–1 , , Martinez (1–3) , , Wily Peralta, Peralta (4–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (3) , , 38,616 , , 13–13 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=bbbbbb , – , , May 3 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , colspan="8" , ''Postponed (rain). Makeup date: June 13 (1st G).'' , - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 27 , , May 4 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 4–5 , , Oliver Drake (baseball), Drake (2–0) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (1–1) , , Neftali Feliz, Feliz (8) , , 36,250 , , 13–14 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 28 , , May 5 , , @2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 10–0 , , Lynn (4–1) , , Mike Foltynewicz, Foltynewicz (0–4) , , , , 34,465 , , 14–14 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor= ccffcc , 29 , , May 6 , , @2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 5–3 , , Leake (4–1) , , Julio Teherán, Teheran (2–3) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (7) , , 40,706 , , 15–14 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 30 , , May 7 , , @2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 6–4 (14) , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (1–0) , , Josh Collmenter, Collmenter (0–1) , , Kevin Siegrist, Siegrist (1) , , 40,200 , , 16–14 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 31 , , May 8 , , @

, , 9–4 , , Martinez (2–3) , , Adam Conley, Conley (2–3) , , Miguel Socolovich, Socolovich (1) , , 16,750 , , 17–14 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 32 , , May 9 , , @

, , 6–5 , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (1–1) , , A.J. Ramos, Ramos (1–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (8) , , 17,166 , , 18–14 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 33 , , May 10 , , @

, , 7–5 , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (2–0) , , Jarlin Garcia, Garcia (0–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (9) , , 18,614 , , 19–14 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 34 , , May 12 , , Cubs , , 2–3 , , Eddie Butler (baseball), Butler (1–0) , , Leake (4–2) , ,

(8) , , ''47,601'' , , 19–15 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 35 , , May 13 , , Cubs (Fox Sports 1, FS1) , , 5–3 , , Martinez (3–3) , , Jon Lester, Lester (1–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (10) , , ''47,882'' , , 20–15 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 36 , , May 14 , , Cubs , , 5–0 , , Wainwright (3–3) , ,

(4–3) , , , , ''47,925'' , , 21–15 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 37 , , May 16 , , 2017 Boston Red Sox season, Red Sox , , 3–6 , , Eduardo Rodríguez (left-handed pitcher), Rodriguez (2–1) , , Lynn (4–2) , , Craig Kimbrel, Kimbrel (12) , , 41,514 , , 21–16 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 38 , , May 17 , , 2017 Boston Red Sox season, Red Sox , , 4–5 (13) , , Fernando Abad, Abad (1–0) , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (2–1) , , Ben Taylor (pitcher, born 1992), Taylor (1) , , 44,365 , , 21–17 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 39 , , May 19 , ,

, , 5–6 , , Bryan Morris, Morris (2–0) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–2) , , Mark Melancon, Melancon (7) , , 44.548 , , 21–18 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 40 , , May 20 , ,

(Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX) , , 1–3 (13) , , Hunter Strickland, Strickland (1–1) , , Kevin Siegrist, Siegrist (0–1) , , Mark Melancon, Melancon (8) , , 45,072 , , 21–19 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 41 , , May 21 , ,

, , 8–3 , , Wainwright (4–3) , , Matt Cain, Cain (3–2) , , , , 47,533 , , 22–19 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 42 , , May 23 , , @

, , 1–2 (13) , , Josh Fields (pitcher), Fields (1–0) , , Jonathan Broxton, Broxton (0–1) , , , , 41,248 , , 22–20 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 43 , , May 24 , , @

, , 6–1 , , Leake (5–2) , , Rich Hill (pitcher), Hill (1–2) , , , , 40,653 , , 23–20 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 44 , , May 25 , , @

, , 3–7 , , Kenta Maeda, Maeds (4–2) , , Wacha (2–2) , , Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ryu (1) , , 47,427 , , 23–21 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 45 , , May 26 , , @2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 0–10 , , Antonio Senzatela, Senzatela (7–1) , , Martinez (3–4) , , , , 40,312 , , 23–22 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 46 , , May 27 , , @2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 3–0 , , Wainwright (5–3) , , Kyle Freeland, Freeland (5–3) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (11) , , 48,106 , , 24–22 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 47 , , May 28 , , @2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 4–8 , , German Marquez, Marquez (4–2) , , Lynn (4–3) , , , , 48,372 , , 24–23 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 48 , , May 29 , ,

, , 1–5 , , Rich Hill (pitcher), Hill (2–2) , , Leake (5–3) , , , , 46,241 , , 24–24 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 49 , , May 30 , ,

, , 4–9 , , Brandon Morrow, Morrow (1–0) , , Wacha (2–3) , , , , 38,466 , , 24–25 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 50 , , May 31 , ,

, , 2–1 , , Martinez (4–4) , , Ross Stripling, Stripling (0–3) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (12) , , 40,304 , , 25–25 ,
4–6
, - , - bgcolor=ccffcc , 51 , , June 1 , ,

, , 2–0 , , Wainwright (6–3) , , Brandon McCarthy, McCarthy (5–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (13) , , 40,477 , , 26–25 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 52 , , June 2 , , @ Cubs , , 2–3 , , Pedro Strop, Strop (1–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (1–2) , ,

(11) , , 41,051 , , 26–26 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 53 , , June 3 , , @ Cubs , , 3–5 , , Hector Rondon, Rondon (1–1) , , Leake (5–4) , ,

(12) , , 41,164 , , 26–27 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 54 , , June 4 , , @ Cubs (

) , , 6–7 , , Pedro Strop, Strop (2–2) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (1–2) , , Koji Uehara, Uehara (2) , , 39,868 , , 26–28 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 55 , , June 5 , , @

, , 2–4 , , Lisalverto Bonilla, Bonilla (1–3) , , Martinez (4–5) , , Iglesias (10) , , 16,325 , , 26–29 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 56 , , June 6 , , @

, , 1–13 , , Tim Adleman, Adleman (4–2) , , Wainwright (6–4) , , , , 18,620 , , 26–30 ,
2–8
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 57 , , June 7 , , @

, , 4–6 , , Wandy Peralta, Peralta (3–1) , ,

(0–2) , , Iglesias (11) , , 20,891 , , 26–31 ,
2–8
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 58 , , June 8 , , @

, , 2–5 , ,

(5–4) , , Leake (5–5) , , Iglesias (12) , , 28,917 , , 26–32 ,
2–8
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 59 , , June 9 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Wacha (3–3) , , Jeremy Hellickson, Hellickson (5–4) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (14) , , 42,971 , , 27–32 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 60 , , June 10 , ,

, , 7–0 , , Martinez (5–5) , , Nick Pivetta, Pivetta (1–3) , , , , 43,911 , , 28–32 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 61 , , June 11 , ,

, , 6–5 , , Wainwright (7–4) , , Aaron Nola, Nola (3–4) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (15) , , 47,325 , , 29–32 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 62 , , June 13 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 6–0 , , Lynn (5–3) , , Brent Suter, Suter (0–1) , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (1) , , 40,083 , , 30–32 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 63 , , June 13 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 5–8 , , Jared Hughes, Hughes (2–1) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (1–3) , , Corey Knebel, Knebal (9) , , 40,115 , , 30–33 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 64 , , June 14 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 6–7 , , Matt Garza, Garza (3–2) , , Leake (5–6) , , Corey Knebel, Knebal (10) , , 38,061 , , 30–34 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 65 , , June 15 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 4–6 , , Carlos Torres (pitcher), Torres (3–4) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–3) , , Oliver Drake (baseball), Drake (1) , , 45,228 , , 30–35 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 66 , , June 16 , , @2017 Baltimore Orioles season, Orioles , , 11–2 , , Martinez (6–5) , , Kevin Gausman, Gausman (3–6) , , , , 26,341 , , 31–35 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 67 , , June 17 , , @2017 Baltimore Orioles season, Orioles , , 7–15 , , Wade Miley, Miley (3–4) , , Wainwright (7–5) , , , , 27,788 , , 31–36 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 68 , , June 18 , , @2017 Baltimore Orioles season, Orioles , , 5–8 , , Ubaldo Jiménez, Jiménez (2–2) , , Lynn (5–4) , , Brad Brach, Brach (12) , , 34,854 , , 31–37 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 69 , , June 20 , , @

, , 8–1 (11) , , Kevin Siegrist, Siegrist (1–1) , , Edubray Ramos, Ramos (0–5) , , , , 22,070 , , 32–37 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 70 , , June 21 , , @

, , 7–6 (10) , ,

(1–2) , , Edubray Ramos, Ramos (0–6) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (16) , , 25,037 , , 33–37 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 71 , , June 22 , , @

, , 1–5 , , Aaron Nola, Nola (4–5) , , Martinez (6–6) , , , , 23,623 , , 33–38 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 72 , , June 23 , ,

, , 3–4 , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (3–1) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–4) , , , , 47,112 , , 33–39 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 73 , , June 24 , ,

(Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX) , , 3–7 , , Gerrit Cole, Cole (6–6) , , Lynn (5–5) , , , , 46,735 , , 33–40 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 74 , , June 25 , ,

(

) , , 8–4 , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (2–3) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (1–4) , , , , 43,719 , , 34–40 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 75 , , June 26 , ,

, , 8–2 , , Wacha (4–3) , , Brandon Finnegan, Finnegan (1–1) , , , , 46,535 , , 35–40 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 76 , , June 27 , , @2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 5–6 (10) , , Fernando Rodney, Rodney (2–2) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (1–3) , , , , 24,256 , , 35–41 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 77 , , June 28 , , @2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 4–3 , , Wainwright (8–5) , , Zack Godley, Godley (3–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (4) , , 23,188 , , 36–41 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 78 , , June 29 , , @2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 10–4 , , Lynn (6–5) , , Rubby De La Rosa, De La Rosa (0–1) , , , , 27,603 , , 37–41 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 79 , , June 30 , , Nationals , , 8–1 , , Leake (6–6) , , Roark (6–6) , , , , 41,398 , , 38–41 ,
6–4
, - , - bgcolor=ccffcc , 80 , , July 1 , , Nationals (Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX) , , 2–1 , , Wacha (5–3) , , Gio González, González (7–3) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (1) , , 43,614 , , 39–41 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 81 , , July 2 , , Nationals (

) , , 2–7 , , Scherzer (10–5) , , Martinez (6–7) , , , , 43,640 , , 39–42 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 82 , , July 3 , ,

, , 14–6 , , Wainwright (9–5) , , Jeff Locke (baseball), Locke (0–5) , , , , 42,694 , , 40–42 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 83 , , July 4 , ,

, , 2–5 , , José Ureña, Ureña (7–3) , , Lynn (6–6) , , A.J. Ramos, Ramos (14) , , 38,497 , , 40–43 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 84 , , July 5 , ,

, , 6–9 , , Dustin McGowan, McGowan (5–0) , , Leake (6–7) , , A.J. Ramos, Ramos (15) , , 40,204 , , 40–44 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 85 , , July 6 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Wacha (6–3) , , Tom Koehler, Koehler (1–4) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (17) , , 37,780 , , 41–44 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 86 , , July 7 , ,

, , 5–6 , , Jacob deGrom, deGrom (9–3) , , Martinez (6–8) , , Addison Reed, Reed (15) , , 43,849 , , 41–45 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 87 , , July 8 , ,

, , 4–1 , , Wainwright (10–5) , , Zack Wheeler, Wheeler (3–6) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (18) , , 44,013 , , 42–45 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 88 , , July 9 , ,

, , 6–0 , , Lynn (7–6) , , Steven Matz, Matz (2–2) , , , , 42,925 , , 43–45 ,
6–4
, - style="text-align:center; bgcolor="bbcaff" , rowspan=3 , Major League Baseball All-Star Game, ASG , , colspan=8 , 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, 88th All-Star Game at Marlins Park in

, Florida, United States , , rowspan=3
Box
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, July 11 , , colspan=2 , National League, NL All-Stars 1, American League, AL All-Stars 2 (10) , , Craig Kimbrel, Kimbrel (2017 Boston Red Sox season, BOS) , ,

(2017 Chicago Cubs season, CHN) , , Andrew Miller (baseball), Miller (2017 Cleveland Indians season, CLE) , , 37,188 , , List of Major League Baseball All-Star Games, TIED 43–43–2 , - style="text-align:center; bgcolor="bbcaff" , colspan=8 , Representing the Cardinals, as reserves: Carlos Martinez and

, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 89 , , July 14 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (4–2) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–5) , , , , 24,988 , , 43–46 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 90 , , July 15 , , @

, , 4–0 , , Lynn (8–6) , , Jameson Taillon, Taillon (5–3) , , , , 35,658 , , 44–46 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 91 , , July 16 , , @

, , 3–4 , , Wade LeBlanc, LeBlanc (4–2) , ,

(1–3) , , , , 29,247 , , 44–47 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 92 , , July 17 , , @

, , 6–3 , , Wainwright (11–5) , , Zack Wheeler, Wheeler (3–7) , ,

(1) , , 29,977 , , 45–47 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 93 , , July 18 , , @

, , 5–0 , , Wacha (7–3) , , Rafael Montero (baseball), Montero (1–6) , , , , 29,964 , , 46–47 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 94 , , July 19 , , @

, , 3–7 , , Jacob deGrom, deGrom (11–3) , , Leake (6–8) , , Addison Reed, Reed (16) , , 32,228 , , 46–48 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 95 , , July 20 , , @

, , 2–3 , , Addison Reed, Reed (1–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (2–4) , , , , 39,640 , , 46–49 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 96 , , July 21 , , @ Cubs , , 11–4 , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (2–3) , , Carl Edwards Jr., Edwards (3–2) , , , , 42,186 , , 47–49 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 97 , , July 22 , , @ Cubs (Fox Sports 1, FS1) , , 2–3 , , Jon Lester, Lester (7–6) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (2–4) , ,

(19) , , 41,969 , , 47–50 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 98 , , July 23 , , @ Cubs (

) , , 3–5 , , Jose Quintana, Quintana (6–8) , , Wacha (7–4) , ,

(20) , , 41,582 , , 47–51 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 99 , , July 24 , , 2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 8–2 , , Leake (7–8) , , Antonio Senzatela, Senzatela (10–4) , , , , 40,486 , , 48–51 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 100 , , July 25 , , 2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 3–2 , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (3–4) , , Jake McGee, McGee (0–1) , , , , 41,514 , , 49–51 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 101 , , July 26 , , 2017 Colorado Rockies season, Rockies , , 10–5 , , Martinez (7–8) , , Jeff Hoffman, Hoffman (6–3) , , , , 38,162 , , 50–51 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 102 , , July 27 , , 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 0–4 , , Zack Godley, Godley (4–4) , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (0–1) , , , , 39,208 , , 50–52 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 103 , , July 28 , , 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 1–0 , , Wacha (8–4) , , T. J. McFarland, McFarland (4–3) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (5) , , 41,230 , , 51–52 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 104 , , July 29 , , 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 1–7 , , Zack Greinke, Greinke (13–4) , , Leake (7–9) , , , , ''48,052'' , , 51–53 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 105 , , July 30 , , 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks season, D'Backs , , 3–2 , , Lynn (9–6) , , Taijuan Walker, Walker (6–5) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (6) , , 40,827 , , 52–53 ,
6–4
, - , - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 106 , , August 1 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 2–3 , , Jimmy Nelson (baseball), Nelson (9–5) , , Martinez (7–9) , , Corey Knebel, Knebel (19) , , 30,150 , , 52–54 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 107 , , August 2 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 5–4 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (1–1) , , Brent Suter, Suter (2–2) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (7) , , 34,433 , , 53–54 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 108 , , August 3 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 1–2 , , Matt Garza, Garza (5–5) , ,

(1–4) , , Corey Knebel, Knebel (20) , , 40,170 , , 53–55 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 109 , , August 4 , , @

, , 2–3 , , Asher Wojciechowski, Wojciechowski (2–1) , , Leake (7–10) , , Iglesias (19) , , 36,443 , , 53–56 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 110 , , August 5 , , @

, , 4–1 , , Lynn (10–6) , , Luis Castillo (pitcher, born 1992), Castillo (2–5) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (8) , , 35,571 , , 54–56 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 111 , , August 6 , , @

, , 13–4 , ,

(2–4) , , Homer Bailey, Bailey (3–6) , , , , 25,168 , , 55–56 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 112 , , August 7 , , @ Royals , , 11–3 , , Martinez (8–9) , , Ian Kennedy, Kennedy (4–8) , , , , 38,478 , , 56–56 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 113 , , August 8 , , @ Royals (Fox Sports 1, FS1) , , 10–3 , , Wacha (9–4) , , Jason Vargas, Vargas (13–6) , , , , 37,267 , , 57–56 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 114 , , August 9 , , Royals , , 8–5 , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (3–4) , , Brandon Maurer, Maurer (1–5) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (9) , , 44,139 , , 58–56 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 115 , , August 10 , , Royals , , 8–6 , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (1–0) , , Mike Minor (baseball), Minor (5–4) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (10) , , 41,706 , , 59–56 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 116 , , August 11 , , 2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 8–5 , , Wainwright (12–5) , , Mike Foltynewicz, Foltynewicz (10–7) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (2) , , 41,928 , , 60–56 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 117 , , August 12 , , 2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 6–5 , , Martinez (9–9) , , Lucas Sims, Sims (0–3) , , Trevor Rosenthal, Rosenthal (11) , , 46,360 , , 61–56 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 118 , , August 13 , , 2017 Atlanta Braves season, Braves , , 3–6 , , R. A. Dickey, Dickey (8–7) , , Wacha (9–5) , , Arodys Vizcaíno, Vizcaíno (6) , , 44,534 , , 61–57 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 119 , , August 15 , , @2017 Boston Red Sox season, Red Sox , , 4–10 , , Rick Porcello, Porcello (7–14) , , Leake (7–11) , , , , 37,345 , , 61–58 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 120 , , August 16 , , @2017 Boston Red Sox season, Red Sox , , 4–5 , , Craig Kimbrel, Kimbrel (5–0) , , Zach Duke, Duke (0–1) , , , , 37,181 , , 61–59 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 121 , , August 17 , , @

, , 11–7 , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (3–1) , , Joaquin Benoit, Benoit (1–6) , , , , 31,499 , , 62–59 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 122 , , August 18 , , @

, , 11–10 , , Martinez (10–9) , , Trevor Williams (baseball), Williams (5–6) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (19) , , 29,906 , , 63–59 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 123 , , August 19 , , @

, , 4–6 , , Chad Kuhl, Kuhl (6–8) , , Wacha (9–6) , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (13) , , 34,660 , , 63–60 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 124 , , 2017 MLB Little League Classic, August 20 * @BB&T , , @

(

) , , 3–6 , , Iván Nova, Nova (11–10) , , Leake (7–12) , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (14) , , Little League, 2,596 , , 63–61 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 125 , , August 22 , , 2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 4–12 , , Craig Stammen, Stammen (1–2) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (3–5) , , , , 38,767 , , 63–62 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 126 , , August 23 , , 2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 6–2 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (2–1) , , Jhoulys Chacín, Chacin (11–9) , , , , 38,762 , , 64–62 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 127 , , August 24 , , 2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 3–4 , , Kirby Yates, Yates (3–4) , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (3–2) , , Brad Hand, Hand (12) , , 38,726 , , 64–63 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 128 , , August 25 , , 2017 Tampa Bay Rays season, Rays , , 3–7 , , Sergio Romo, Romo (2–1) , , Wacha (9–7) , , , , 40,050 , , 64–64 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 129 , , August 26 , , 2017 Tampa Bay Rays season, Rays , , 6–4 , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (2–0) , , Brad Boxberger, Boxberger (3–4) , , , , 41,295 , , 65–64 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 130 , , August 27 , , 2017 Tampa Bay Rays season, Rays , , 2–3 (10) , , Sergio Romo, Romo (3–1) , , Sam Tuivailala, Tuivailala (3–3) , , Álex Colomé, Colomé (39) , , 44,469 , , 65–65 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 131 , , August 29 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 10–2 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (3–1) , , Matt Garza, Garza (6–8) , , , , 31,985 , , 66–65 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 132 , , August 30 , , @2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 5–6 , , Chase Anderson, Anderson (8–3) , , Martinez (10–10) , , Corey Knebel, Knebel (30) , , 28,964 , , 66–66 ,
3–7
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 133 , , August 31 , , @

, , 5–2 , , Wacha (10–7) , , Matt Cain, Cain (3–11) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (20) , , 40,783 , , 67–66 ,
4–6
, - , - bgcolor=ccffcc , 134 , , September 1 , , @

, , 11–6 , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (3–0) , , Sam Dyson, Dyson (2–8) , , , , 37,797 , , 68–66 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 135 , , September 2 , , @

(Fox Sports 1, FS1) , , 1–2 (10) , , Sam Dyson, Dyson (3–8) , , Ryan Sherriff, Sherriff (0–1) , , , , 39,513 , , 68–67 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 136 , , September 3 , , @

, , 7–3 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (4–1) , , Madison Bumgarner, Bumgarner (3–7) , , , , 39,784 , , 69–67 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 137 , , September 4 , , @2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 2–0 , , Martinez (11–10) , , Luis Perdomo (baseball, born 1993), Perdomo (7–9) , , , , 25,028 , , 70–67 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 138 , , September 5 , , @2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 8–4 , , Wacha (11–7) , , Travis Wood, Wood (3–5) , , , , 17,806 , , 71–67 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 139 , , September 6 , , @2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 3–1 , , Ryan Sherriff, Sherriff (1–1) , , Dinelson Lamet, Lamet (7–7) , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (2) , , 21,411 , , 72–67 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 140 , , September 7 , , @2017 San Diego Padres season, Padres , , 0–3 , , Clayton Richard, Richard (7–13) , , Lynn (10–7) , , Brad Hand, Hand (16) , , 21,334 , , 72–68 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 141 , , September 8 , ,

, , 4–1 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (5–1) , , Trevor Williams (baseball), Williams (6–8) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (3) , , 40,966 , , 73–68,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 142 , , September 9 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (4–0) , , George Kontos, Kontos (0–6) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (4) , , 44,378 , , 74–68 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 143 , , September 10 , ,

, , 7–0 , , Wacha (12–7) , , Iván Nova, Nova (11–13) , , , , 44,683 , , 75–68 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 144 , , September 12 , ,

, , 13–4 , , Lynn (11–7) , , Robert Stephenson (baseball), Stephenson (4–5) , , , , 40,030 , , 76–68 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 145 , , September 13 , ,

, , 0–6 , , Tyler Mahle, Mahle (1–2) , , Jack Flaherty (baseball), Flaherty (0–1) , , , , 40,124 , , 76–69 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 146 , , September 14 , ,

, , 5–2 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (6–1) , , Garrett (3–8) , , , , 40,230 , , 77–69 ,
8–2
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 147 , , September 15 , , @ Cubs , , 2–8 , , Carl Edwards Jr., Edwards (4–4) , , Martinez (11–11) , , , , 38,464 , , 77–70 ,
7–3
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 148 , , September 16 , , @ Cubs , , 1–4 , , Kyle Hendricks, Hendricks (7–5) , , Wacha (12–8) , ,

(30) , , 40,959 , , 77–71 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 149 , , September 17 , , @ Cubs (Fox Sports Midwest, FSM / TBS) , , 3–4 , , Pedro Strop, Strop (5–4) , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (4–1) , ,

(31) , , 37,242 , , 77–72 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 150 , , September 19 , , @

, , 8–7 (10) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (4–5) , , Tim Adleman, Adleman (5–11) , , Tyler Lyons, Lyons (3) , , 17,165 , , 78–72 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 151 , , September 20 , , @

, , 9–2 , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (7–1) , , Rookie Davis, Davis (1–3) , , , , 12,903 , , 79–72 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 152 , , September 21 , , @

, , 8–5 , , Martinez (12–11) , , Homer Bailey, Bailey (5–9) , , , , 14,803 , , 80–72 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 153 , , September 22 , , @

, , 4–3 , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (5–5) , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (5–3) , , , , 23,942 , , 81–72 ,
6–4
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 154 , , September 23 , , @

, , 6–11, , Gerrit Cole, Cole (12–11) , , Lynn (11–8) , , , , 29,672 , , 81–73 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 155 , , September 24 , , @

, , 1–4 , , Jameson Taillon, Taillon (8–7) , , Seung Hwan Oh, Oh (1–6) , , Felipe Vázquez, Rivero (19) , , 28,550 , , 81–74 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 156 , , September 25 , , Cubs , , 2–10 , , Jon Lester, Lester (12–8) , , Luke Weaver (baseball), Weaver (7–2) , , , , 42,516 , , 81–75 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 157 , , September 26 , , Cubs (Fox Sports Midwest, FSM /

) , , 8–7 , , Zach Duke, Duke (1–1) , ,

(14–10) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (5) , , 41,944 , , 82–75 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 158 , , September 27 , , Cubs (Fox Sports Midwest, FSM / Wednesday Night Baseball, ESPN) , , 1–5 , , Lackey (12–11) , , Wacha (12–9) , , , , 42,070 , , 82–76 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 159 , , September 28 , , Cubs , , 1–2 (11) , , Jen-Ho Tseng, Tseng (1–0) , , Matt Bowman, Bowman (3–6) , , , , 43,094 , , 82–77 ,
5–5
, - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 160 , , September 29 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 3–5 , , Chase Anderson, Anderson (12–4) , , John Gant, Gant (0–1) , , , , 44,815 , , 82–78 ,
4–6
, - bgcolor=ccffcc , 161 , , September 30 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers (Fox Sports 1, FS1) , , 7–6 , , Ryan Sherriff, Sherriff (2–1) , , Anthony Swarzak, Swarzak (6–4) , , Juan Nicasio, Nicasio (6) , , 42,246 , , 83–78 ,
4–6
, - , - bgcolor=ffbbbb , 162 , , October 1 , , 2017 Milwaukee Brewers season, Brewers , , 1–6 , , Aaron Wilkerson, Wilkerson (1–0) , , Jack Flaherty (baseball), Flaherty (0–2) , , , , 44,787 , , 83–79 ,
3–7
, - , - , ''Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Cardinals player'' August 20 game vs Pittsburgh Pirates to be played at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in

, as part of 2017 MLB Little League Classic, MLB Little League Classic.

Roster

Injury report

Injury Report

Statistics

Batting statistics

(through October 1) Players in ''italics'' no longer on the roster
BOLD = team leader in category
NL Team Batting

Pitching statistics

(through October 1) Players in ''italics'' no longer on the roster
BOLD = team leader in category
NL Team Pitching

Records, awards, and milestones

Records

Awards

;2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Major League Baseball All-Star Game selections ;Other awards

Milestones

Executives and Club officials

''Source:'
Cardinals front office
;Executive officers *Chairman and chief executive officer: William DeWitt, Jr. * President: Bill DeWitt III, William DeWitt III * Senior vice president and general counsel: Mike Whittle * Vice president of business development: Dan Good ;Baseball Operations department * President of Baseball Operations:

(promoted from GM on June 30, 2017) * General manager (baseball), General Manager (GM) / Senior VP of Baseball Operations: Mike Girsch (June 30- ) * Assistant General Manager: Moisés Rodriguez (promoted from Director of International Relations on Sep. 27) * Sr. Special assistants to the GM: Bob Gebhard, Mike Jorgensen, Red Schoendienst * Special assistants to the GM: Ryan Franklin, Willie McGee, Jose Oquendo * Director of player development: Gary LaRocque * Director of baseball administration: John Vuch * Administrator, Minor League Operations: Tony Ferreira * Director of Scout (sport), scouting: Randy Flores * Special Assistant to Amateur Scouting: Mike Roberts * Amateur Scouting Analyst: Matthew Bayer * Analyst, Baseball Operations: Tyler Hadzinsky * Manager, Professional Scouting: Jared Odom * Director of International Operations: Moisés Rodríguez (promoted to Asst. GM on Sep. 27) * Assistant director of international scouting: Luís Morales * Director, Baseball Analytics and Systems: Jeremy Cohen * Director, Baseball Development: Dane Sorensen * Analysts, Baseball Development Systems analyst, analysts: Kevin Seats, Brian Seyfert * Manager, Baseball Systems: Patrick Casanta * Director of player personnel: Matt Slater * Director of Major League administration: Judy Carpenter-Barada * Director of Performance: Robert Butler ;Manager/Coaching Staff * Field Manager:

* Pitching Coach: Derek Lilliquist * Hitting Coach: John Mabry * Assistant Hitting Coach:

( −6/9, 6/27- ), ( Mark Budaska, Jun. 9–27) * First-Base Coach: Oliver Marmol * Third-Base Coach:

* Bench Coach: David Bell (baseball), David Bell * Bullpen Coach: Blaise Ilsley * Assistant Coach: Ron "Pop" Warner * Quality Control Coach: * Bullpen Catcher/Catching Instructor: Jamie Pogue * Strength/Cond. Coach: Pete Prinzi ;Medical Staff * Head Athletic Trainer: Adam Olsen * Assistant Athletic Trainers: Chris Conroy, Jeremy Clipperton * Head Orthopedic Surgeon: George Paletta, MD * Team Orthopedist: Lyndon Gross, MD * Team Orthopedist: Julienne Lippe, MD * Team Orthopedist: Husam Nawas, MD * Team Internist: Joshua Binek, MD * Primary Care Sport Medicine and MiLB Liaison: Brian Mahaffey, MD * Team Physician: Charles Rehm, MD * Team Physician: Alok Sengupta, MD * Senior Medical Advisor: Barry Weinberg * Physical Therapist: Thomas Knox * Performance Specialist: Jason Shutt ;Clubhouse Staff * Equipment managers: Ernie Moore, Mark Walsh * Traveling secretary: C. J. Cherre * Visiting Clubhouse Manager: Rip Rowan * Video Coordinator, Major Leagues: Chad Blair * Assistant Video Coordinator, Major Leagues: Ben Bultmann ;Communications department: * Vice president: Ron Watermon * Director: Brian Bartow ;Cardinals Care and community relations department * Vice president for community relations and executive director for Cardinals Care: Michael Hall * Vice president for event services and merchandising: Vicki Bryant ;Finance and administration department * Senior vice president and chief financial officer: Brad Wood ;Stadium Operations department * Vice president: Matt Gifford ;Ticket sales, marketing and corporate sales department * Senior vice president of sales and marketing: Dan Farrell

Minor league system and first-year player draft

Teams

Major League Baseball draft

The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft will begin on June 12, 2017, at Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. The draft will assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. With the worst record in the 2016 MLB season, the Minnesota Twins received the first overall pick. In addition, compensation picks will be distributed for players who did not sign from the 2016 MLB Draft. MLB Network will broadcast the first 36 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 75 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3–10 on Day 2, starting at 12 p.m. CT. Rounds 11–40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Wednesday, beginning at 11 a.m. CT. For the first time since 2002, the Cardinals will not be making a selection in the first round. Under the Major League Baseball draft#Bonus pool, Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total. Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5–10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10–15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two drafts. The Cardinals have the lowest bonus pool money of any team. The value assigned to the Cardinals' first pick (No. 94) is $570,900. The Cardinals made 30 picks on Day 3 (June 14) drafting 38 players because of no picks in rounds one and two. Eight of those were high schoolers. Twenty-two (22) of their 38 picks were pitchers: seven lefties and 15 righties; no pitchers before the eighth round. Their total bonus pool ($2.176 million) was significantly lower than all the others. Because of this financial limitations, it drew the club to more college seniors who are considered easier signees, of which the Cardinals drafted 16. The breakdown of 16 position players includes: four catchers, six middle infielders, two third basemen, and four outfielders. The Cardinals now start scouring the country for talent ahead of the 2018 Draft, and will work against a July 7 (4 p.m. CT) deadline to sign members of this year's class. There were 1,215 players drafted, 771 (63.5%) from 4-year schools, 312 from high school (25.7%), 130 from junior college, and 2 from no schools. Pitching, as usual, ruled the draft, with 660 (54.3%) of the total. 472 RH, and 188 LH. Next in declining order were: OF 205, SS 100, C 99, 3B 61, 2B 42, 1B 37, and Utility 5. Thirteen draftees were signed by June 19. All 13 players who agreed to terms have been placed on either the State College Spikes (Pennsylvania, PA) Minor League Baseball#Class A Short Season, Short Season, or Johnson City Cardinals (Tennessee, TN) Minor League Baseball#Rookie, Rookie roster. Both of the short-season clubs open play this week.
2017 Draft Order

Free agents signed

The Cardinals have $5.75 mil. in bonus pool money to spend in the international market from now until June 15, 2018. They have already traded a portion of that away.

References

External links

St. Louis Cardinals official site

2017 St. Louis Cardinals at ESPN2017 St. Louis Cardinals season
at ''Baseball Reference'' {{Portal bar, Baseball, United States St. Louis Cardinals seasons 2017 Major League Baseball season, St. Louis Cardinals 2017 in sports in Missouri, St. Louis Cardinals