LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 06: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws the ball to first base during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts headline the 2021 MLB Gold Glove Award finalists.
Rawlings Baseball released the Gold Glove finalists at each position on Thursday:
Arenado has won a Gold Glove in each of his eight MLB seasons. He appeared in 155 games at third base and two games as St. Louis' designated hitter this season.
The 30-year-old ranked first among third basemen in the National League with 125 putouts and 38 double plays and second with 287 assists in 2021. He also ranked second in the NL with a .974 fielding percentage.
Betts, meanwhile, has won five Gold Gloves in his eight-year career. The 29-year-old finished with 151 putouts, one assist and one double play in 2021. None of those numbers ranked toward the top of the NL for right fielders.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, a five-time Gold Glover, has also been nominated this year. He ranked second among American League catchers with 124 games and 18 caught stealing, third with 975 putouts and first with 61 assists and 12 double plays. He also had a .998 fielding percentage.
Another big name is Boston Red Sox right fielder Hunter Renfroe, who has never won a Gold Glove. However, he was phenomenal this season, ranking first in the AL with 138 games in right field and a whopping 16 outfield assists, third with 242 putouts and second with three double plays. He also had a .956 fielding percentage in RF.
Cardinals Minor League Pitcher Dalton Roach Says He Was Bitten by Bear While Hunting
Oct 28, 2021
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 12: Helmets belonging to St. Louis Cardinals players sit in the dugout prior to the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, June 12, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals minor league pitcher Dalton Roach says he was bitten by a bear this month while hunting for deer in Wisconsin. A black bear climbed the tree he was sitting in and bit him on his back, per Eric Lindquist of the Leader-Telegram.
"He was kind of moseying around. He didn't look like he was on any kind of mission or anything," Roach said. "But when he got to about 20 yards away, he took a left turn and came directly under my tree."
He added: "The next thing I know I can hear him right behind me and feel him breathing on my back. Then I feel a paw on my lap. He just kind of left the paw sitting there, so it's not like I wanted to make a big move and make him squeeze. Right when I thought this might be it, I decided I wasn't going to just go out and it was better to at least try to do something to get out of this situation."
Roach said he felt the bear bite him on his back before he decided to make himself big and scream to scare the bear off. Once the bear was gone, he climbed down the tree and made his way to the emergency room, where he received antibiotics, a tetanus shot and rabies vaccine.
Roach recorded the initial bear sighting, which was shared by Jennifer Hoff of KARE 11.
“By the time he was under my tree and then up behind me was 15 seconds.” 😱
A Wisconsin man hunting deer sees a bear instead.
That then climbs up to his stand and bites him in the back.
The Cardinals drafted Roach in 2018. He finished the 2021 minor league season with a 7-10 record and 5.65 ERA for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals.
Oliver Marmol Reportedly to Be Hired as Cardinals Manager After Mike Shildt's Exit
Oct 25, 2021
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 11: (L-R) Bench coach Oliver Marmol and manager Mike Shildt #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals look on during batting practice prior to game one of the National League Championship Series against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium on October 11, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals are hiring Oliver Marmol as their next manager, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal.
The 35-year-old was St. Louis' bench coach last season, and ESPN's Jeff Passan reported he was "the favorite from the start" after the Cardinals fired Mike Shildt.
Shildt's departure came as a surprise after the team rallied to qualify for the National League Wild Card Game. The Cardinals were 252-199 in his three-plus seasons in charge.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak chalked the move up to a "philosophical difference" the two sides couldn't bridge. Woo reported the issues arose midway through the 2021 season and didn't arise suddenly once the year ended.
Turning around and promoting Marmol seemingly speaks to a desire to avoid overhauling the coaching staff.
Maintaining continuity can be beneficial for a franchise that's coming off three consecutive playoff appearances and should have the bulk of its roster back. Nolan Arenado has confirmed he intends to opt in for 2022. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are committed for at least one more year.
Some may have some reservations about Marmol's promotion, though.
Woo noted he'll be the youngest manager in MLB. The Cardinals will be aiming for the postseason once again, so the Florida native won't have much time to settle into the new job before he'll need to deliver results.
And for as much as "The Cardinal Way" has guided the organization, skeptics may counter that an outsider may have helped freshen things up a bit.
Shildt had been the third-base coach and bench coach prior to ascending to the manager position. His predecessor, Mike Matheny, played five years for the team and transitioned to an advisor role in retirement before succeeding Tony La Russa.
Shildt's experience with the Cardinals didn't prevent his eventual impasse with the front office, and Matheny's tenure isn't remembered all that fondly despite the early success he enjoyed.
Perhaps Marmol will succeed where Shildt failed, and his age means he could be a good fit for a rebuild if Mozeliak decides to pivot away from the older stars on the roster.
Mike Shildt Fired as Cardinals Manager After 3-Plus Seasons
Oct 14, 2021
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Manager Mike Shildt #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals walks on the field prior to their National League Wild Card Game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals have fired manager Mike Shildt.
"We have determined we have a philosophical difference in the direction our major league club is going," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters Thursday.
The move comes as a surprise since the Cardinals won 90 games and snagged one of the National League's two wild-card spots with a seven-game cushion on the next-closest team, the Cincinnati Reds.
Mozeliak provided little in the way of specifics as to the divide that suddenly emerged between Shildt and the front office:
Mozeliak said the situation with Shildt was "something that just popped up recently." Doesn't seem as though this was something that had been festering throughout the season. The two sides had held no discussions about an extension.
Asked why he couldn't simply tell Shildt that the front office philosophy was the one that needed to be followed, Mozeliak said, "I could tell you to jump out of your car right now and you may choose not to."
He added that he's "not really prepared to answer" whether the Cardinals will promote from within or cast a wider net in their managerial search.
Shildt was St. Louis' third-base coach and bench coach prior to replacing Mike Matheny midway through the 2018 season. Matheny spent five seasons with the team as a player and worked within the organization for a few years before getting promoted to manager.
Given the success the Cardinals enjoyed under Shildt, fans may be asking for more context behind the "philosophical difference."
St. Louis was a playoff team in each of his three full seasons at the helm and had a .559 winning percentage. He also oversaw a 17-game winning streak down the stretch that catapulted the Cards into the postseason.
Managerial changes like this can occasionally signal a forthcoming rebuild or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a desire to attain a higher level than ownership and front office believe they can reach under the current structure.
Nolan Arenado has already said he plans on returning to St. Louis for 2022 rather than opting out of his deal. Adam Wainwright signed a one-year extension, and Yadier Molina is going to give it one more year before retiring.
The Cardinals aren't going to be tearing their roster down anytime soon, so perhaps Mozeliak had reservations about Shildt's ability to guide the franchise to a World Series in 2022.
If that was the case, now was the time to pull the trigger because the three-year contract Shildt signed in 2019 was due to expire after next season. Having a lame-duck manager in the dugout likely wouldn't have served anybody's interests.
Adam Wainwright Reportedly Agrees to Contract to Return to Cardinals in 2022
Oct 1, 2021
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 13, 2021 in New York City. St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Mets 7-0. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Pitcher Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an extension through the 2022 MLB season, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The three-time All-Star signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Cardinals for 2021. His return will extend his tenure in St. Louis to 18 seasons.
Given his age (40), retirement seemed a logical outcome for the right-hander when the Cardinals' playoff run comes to an end. Physically, though, he has plenty left in the tank.
In 32 appearances, Wainwright is 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA and 3.65 FIP, per FanGraphs.
According to Brooks Baseball, neither Wainwright's four-seam fastball nor his sinker is averaging 90 mph. Despite that, opposing hitters have only a .380 expected slugging percentage and a .273 weighted on-base average against him, per Baseball Savant.
As the Cardinals caught fire during the stretch run, Wainwright was a key figure in their success.
#StLCards Adam Wainwright was 10-1 with a 2.28 ERA and opponents hitting .209/.252/.319 against him during his final 14 starts of the season. St. Louis was 13-1 during those games... the only loss? A shutout against the Brewers led by Corbin Burnes on Aug. 17, 2021. https://t.co/cgOonSeLc6
In August, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt compared Wainwright to franchise legend Bob Gibson:
He expected to dominate, Mr. Gibson. Waino expects to go out and dominate. Waino expects to go nine. Waino expects to go deep in a game. Waino expects to make pitches when he needs to. Waino expects to get it done.
“And it's great to expect all those things, but people can say anything they want. … He creates a high standard, which is a great start, but then he does all the work that leads up to being able to satisfy those standards.
With Wainwright coming back, St. Louis' starting rotation is largely set for 2022. Miles Mikolas, Carlos Martinez, Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson are all either signed or under team control. Left-hander Matthew Liberatore, the team's No. 2 prospect on MLB.com, figures to factor in as well.
Wainwright's extension would allow him to walk away alongside his most frequent batterymate. Catcher Yadier Molina has confirmed he plans to retire at the end of the 2022 campaign. This time next year, the Cardinals may witness the end of an era.
Dylan Carlson, Cardinals Beat Brewers to Bounce Back After Win Streak Snapped
Sep 30, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals' Dylan Carlson celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, in St. Louis. Carlson also hit a solo home run during the third inning. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
After snapping their 17-game win streak on Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals bounced back with 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday afternoon. Dylan Carlson led the way by hitting two home runs, including the go-ahead two-run blast in the sixth inning to secure the win.
The Cardinals got a solid outing out of starter J.A. Happ, who struck out seven batters in six and one-third innings.
Notable Performers
Cardinals CF Dylan Carlson: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Cardinals SP J.A. Happ: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Brewers 2B Luis Urias: 1-for-4, solo HR
Cardinals Bullpen Comes Up Big
Happ had one of his best starts as a Cardinal, pitching six or more innings for the first time since August 21. But it was the Cardinals' bullpen that got timely outs in big spots to hold the one-run lead.
Kodi Whitley came on in relief and threw two strikeouts. Whitley has not allowed a run in the entire month of September.
Whitley freezes Urías and Adames, gets back-to-back K's, both of the looking variety, to end the top half of the seventh.
Said it before and will say it again. He's becoming an underrated force in the bullpen. Lots to be encouraged about going forward into next season. https://t.co/KjsN034Ouv
T.J. McFarland came in with the tying run on base, but with one pitch he induced an inning-ending double play to stave off a rally.
Instead of turning to closer Alex Reyes, Cardinals manager Mike Schildt brought in Luis Garcia in the ninth with a runner on base. Garcia struck out both batters he faced to lock up the win.
The Cardinals will be the visitor in the NL Wild Card game and have named Adam Wainwright the starter to face either the L.A. Dodgers or San Francisco Giants. While Wainwright has had a great season with 17 wins and three complete games, St. Louis will likely have all hands on deck in a win-or-go-home situation.
The Cardinals should be encouraged by its relievers after Thursday's outing.
Brewers Waste Their Chances
The Brewers had their opportunities to break the game open but they fell short.
Their best chance came in the fourth inning. After back-to-back hits to open the frame, Omar Narvaez and Keston Hiura followed with consecutive RBI singles to take a 3-2 lead with nobody out. But a flyout and two strikeouts subsequently ended the inning, keeping the Cardinals in the game.
The Brewers had another chance in the fifth with two players on base with two outs, but Narvaez grounded out to end the inning. Hiura gave St. Louis a scare in the ninth, but Carlson made a big play at the wall.
Hiura just misses tying the game up in the ninth, with Carlson hauling in his drive at the wall in right-center.
In all, the Brewers went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
The NL Central champs hope to ignite their offense by the postseason as they are set to face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
What's Next?
The Cardinals will stay home to begin their final regular-season series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Dakota Hudson will take the mound against Zach Davies. The Brewers will travel to face the Los Angeles Dodgers with Eric Lauer scheduled to start against Clayton Kershaw.
Cardinals Winning Streak Ends at 17 Games in Shutout Loss vs. Brewers
Sep 30, 2021
ST LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 29: Matt Carpenter #13 of the St. Louis Cardinals dives for a ground ball during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium on September 29, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
The streak is over.
For the first time since Sept. 10, the St. Louis Cardinals lost a game, falling 4-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. That ended a 17-game winning streak for the Cardinals (88-70) that clinched them a wild-card berth in this year's postseason.
Adrian Houser, Brent Suter, Brad Boxberger and Aaron Ashby combined to hold the Cardinals to just three hits and four walks while striking out nine.
Daniel Vogelbach and Manny Pina each homered for the Brewers (95-63), who already clinched the NL Central title earlier in the week.
The two teams will meet for the last time in the regular season on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. ET. If they meet again in the postseason, it won't come until the NLCS, with the Cardinals set to face either the San Francisco Giants (103-54) or Los Angeles Dodgers (101-56)—if the season ended today, it would be the Dodgers—in the Wild Card Round.
Whichever of those teams wins the NL West would be awaiting in the NLDS were the Cardinals to advance past the Wild Card Game. So St. Louis' path to a title will require them to get past the two best teams in baseball this year, at least in terms of record.
But no team in baseball has been hotter down the stretch than the Cardinals, who have won 19 of their past 21 contests.
And the good news has extended beyond the results on the diamond.
"I'm not opting out," superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado told reporters Wednesday regarding his contract, which includes an opt-out clause after this season that would have allowed him to become a free agent had he exercised it. "We can put that out there. I will not be opting out. I will be coming back. That was always the plan. I'm absolutely coming back. I feel like this year has been special in a lot of senses. I want to play with all these guys. I'm excited I'll be back."
The Cardinals may have lost on Wednesday, but it's hard to imagine anybody in St. Louis even caring at this point.
Nolan Arenado Won't Opt Out of Cardinals Contract: 'I’m Absolutely Coming Back'
Sep 29, 2021
MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 23: St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) throws a runner out during an MLB game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 23, 2021 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nolan Arenado could become a free agent after the season, but the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman said he will return to the team in 2022.
"I'm not opting out," Arenado told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Wednesday. "We can put that out there. I will not be opting out. I will be coming back. That was always the plan. I'm absolutely coming back. I feel like this year has been special in a lot of senses."
The 30-year-old has $179 million remaining on his contract over the next six years, but he has a pair of opt-out clauses after the 2021 and 2022 seasons, per Spotrac. It means Arenado will have another chance to become a free agent a year from now, but as of now, he plans to remain in St. Louis.
Arenado came to the Cardinals in February in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. The six-time All-Star had an outstanding individual resume with eight Gold Glove awards and four Silver Sluggers, but he only appeared in five playoff games in eight seasons.
He will add to that this season with St. Louis after the squad clinched a wild-card berth.
The team was left for dead earlier in September but entered Wednesday with a 17-game winning streak.
Arenado has played a big part in the team's success, hitting 34 home runs with 105 RBI so far in 2021. The player isn't without faults—his .256 average is well below his .288 career mark—but he has mostly lived up to the hype since arriving with the team.
"There are still some things that I would like to do better—and I want to do it here," Arenado said.
Though his $35 million salary next year could lead to some payroll challenges, the Cardinals will be happy to keep an elite player like this on the roster.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright strikes out Milwaukee Brewers' Luis Urias for his career 2,000th strikeout during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
The St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the playoffs for the third straight year.
They clinched a postseason berth with a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
It certainly didn't look like the Cardinals were a playoff team for the first half of the season. They were three games under .500 as late as July 16 and fell to 53-55 on Aug. 5 when the Atlanta Braves finished a three-game sweep.
Turns out, all it takes is a well-timed winning streak to climb up the standings at the end of the year.
St. Louis defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 on Sept. 11 to improve to three games over .500 in what appeared to be a fairly straightforward game between wild-card contenders. It was anything but, though, as it kickstarted the current 17-game winning streak that propelled the Cardinals into the playoff picture.
They swept fellow wild-card contenders in the New York Mets and San Diego Padres during the winning run and benefited from poor play by those two teams and the Reds at the same time.
Despite the impressive play of late from the Cardinals and the collapses from the Padres, Reds and Mets, they still have a monumental task ahead of them when it comes to succeeding in the playoffs.
After all, the NL West has featured the two teams with the best record in the National League battling it out all season: the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. The loser of that division race will be demoted to the one-game wild-card battle with the Cardinals and have home-field advantage in the contest.
If St. Louis manages to get past that game, it will have to face the winner of the NL West in a best-of-five series.
That means a deep playoff run probably isn't happening, but the combination of Tyler O'Neill, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and others is enough to threaten any pitching staff.
Throw in Adam Wainwright returning to dominant form at age 40, and the Cardinals won't be an easy out for the NL West representatives—especially given how well they have played down the stretch of the season.
Out of Nowhere the Cardinals Are Suddenly MLB's Most Dangerous Playoff Team
Sep 27, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright strikes out Milwaukee Brewers' Luis Urias for his career 2,000th strikeout during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Before the St. Louis Cardinals went on this historic run rattling off 16 straight wins, their chances of reaching the postseason were projected to be less than 3 percent.
FanGraphs' playoff odds gave the Cardinals just a 2.8 percent chance to make the playoffs on Sept. 7. Now, they're a game away from clinching the National League's final wild-card spot.
Neither team should be looking forward to this. Not even home-field advantage seems to factor much against this Cardinals team that's won 11 straight road games within their overall 16-game streak.
St. Louis is hitting for power, playing elite defense and getting solid performances from aging pitchers.
Tyler O'Neill has emerged as a star, hitting 11 home runs in September with three games left to play in the month. O'Neill has four homers and 11 RBI in the last eight games, but he's been getting it done all year. He also has a case for being the best defensive left fielder in the game.
Trading for Nolan Arenado, one of the best third basemen to ever do it, has paid off. Between O'Neill, Arenado, center fielder Harrison Bader, second baseman Tommy Edman, shortstop Edmundo Sosa and catcher Yadier Molina, the Cardinals field some of the best players at their respective positions in the National League.
Adam Wainwright is having one of the best seasons of his career in his 16th in the majors.
If the Cardinals are going to make a run, it will be behind Wainwright and against the Dodgers and Giants in some order.
Wainwright vs. Dodgers
The potential for a Wainwright vs. Max Scherzer duel makes this wild-card possibility so compelling.
When Wainwright pitched against the Dodgers on Sept. 8, he allowed three consecutive hits in the first inning, then put down 15 in a row before giving up a solo home run to Max Muncy.
Wainwright tried to hang in there for his fourth complete game of the season and the 28th of his big league career, but the Dodgers chased him in the ninth.
The Cardinals held on to win 5-4. It had a postseason feel and played out how you might imagine a single elimination could.
The difference is having Scherzer starting for the Dodgers in the wild card, unlike the Sept. 8 matchup against Mitch White.
Wainwright vs. Giants
The Cardinals won Wainwright's first start against the Giants on July 6 largely because of their offense. Arenado and Sosa both homered, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had a two-run single the lead the way.
Wainwright gave up three earned runs on seven hits in five innings, but St. Louis beat the Giants 6-5.
Ten days later, Wainwright whiffed seven Giants and also gave up a pair of home runs in a loss.
At that point, the Cardinals' season looked bleak. The trade deadline was still a couple of weeks away, and it wasn't yet clear what kind of team this would be.
Cardinals defense can swing a game
Wainwright has benefited from his defense more than any big league pitcher this season, per Baseball Savant. The 23 outs above replacement produced behind Wainwright is by far the most, with the Cleveland Indians' Cal Quantrill trailing with 10 OAA.
The Cardinals defense has prevented 19 runs behind Wainwright, which is also more than any other pitcher. Next closest is the Houston Astros, preventing eight runs from Jose Urquidy's pitching.
In September, two of the Cardinals' pitchers are top four in OAA—Wainwright and Miles Mikolas, who is No. 1, per Baseball Savant.
As a team, the Cardinals have prevented 37 runs and 47 OAA, both league highs. The only other comparable team defensively is the Houston Astros (35 and 42, respectively), after which there is a significant drop-off.
Individually, O'Neill, Edman, Arenado, Goldschmidt and Bader are consistently among the OAA leaders at their positions.
More than just St. Louis offering a renaissance collection of Wainwright, Lester and Happ, the Cardinals defense can swing a single game.
The long ball is a threat
Only the Toronto Blue Jays have hit more home runs in September than the Cardinals.
Over the course of the winning streak, St. Louis has homered 31 times.
The Cardinals are homering with runners in scoring position more than anyone this month aside from the Blue Jays.
For the past month, the Cardinals have the second-highest slugging percentage (.489) with runners in scoring position, again only trailing the Blue Jays.
Goldschmidt has the second-highest OPS (1.330) over the last 15 days, with Bader coming in sixth (1.154). It was this tandem that hit the home runs in Sunday's 4-2 win against the Chicago Cubs to raise the Cardinals' September home run total to 47.
That broke a club record set by Mark McGwire's 1998 team for most home runs in the September/October portion of the regular season.
Factoring in the pitching, defense and what the Cardinals are doing at the plate, they do everything well enough to spoil a 100-win season.
