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Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Cardinals place OF Jordan Walker on the 10-day IL with inflammation in his left wrist
ARLINGTON, Texas — St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with inflammation in his left wrist. The Cardinals said the move was retroactive to Thursday, and they called up Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Memphis to take Walker's roster spot. Walker did not take batting practice before Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. Alec Burleson started his second straight game in right field Saturday. Walker was batting .300 (12 for 40) over his last 14 games with a .792 OPS and 11 RBIs. For the season, he's batting .215 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 47 games. The Cardinals also optioned right-handed reliever Gordon Graceffo to Memphis and recalled right-hander Roddery Muñoz. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Cardinals place OF Jordan Walker on the 10-day IL with inflammation in his left wrist
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with inflammation in his left wrist. The Cardinals said the move was retroactive to Thursday, and they called up Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Memphis to take Walker's roster spot. Walker did not take batting practice before Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. Alec Burleson started his second straight game in right field Saturday. Walker was batting .300 (12 for 40) over his last 14 games with a .792 OPS and 11 RBIs. For the season, he's batting .215 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 47 games. The Cardinals also optioned right-handed reliever Gordon Graceffo to Memphis and recalled right-hander Roddery Muñoz. ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Burleson's double lifts Cardinals past Pirates 2-1; Skenes' troubles against St. Louis continue
ST. LOUIS — Alec Burleson hit a two-run double, Matthew Liberatore struck out eight in a season-high seven innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Tuesday night. Liberatore (3-3) allowed just one run on three hits and three walks as the Cardinals won a season-high fourth game in a row. Gordon Graceffo earned his first career save with a perfect ninth.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cardinals hope doubleheader sweep at Cincinnati signals an end to their road woes
St. Louis Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo (44) celebrates with teammate Pedro Pagés following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo throws during the ninth inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) From left, St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker (18) celebrate following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo reacts following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan hits an RBI single during the third inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan hits an RBI single during the third inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo (44) celebrates with teammate Pedro Pagés following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo throws during the ninth inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) From left, St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker (18) celebrate following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo reacts following the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan hits an RBI single during the third inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) CINCINNATI (AP) — After enduring the franchise's second-worst start on the road, the St. Louis Cardinals broke out on Wednesday, belting six homers and outscoring the Cincinnati Reds 15-1 in a doubleheader sweep. The Cardinals won the first game 6-0 and the second 9-1. They finished with 15 hits in the twinbill. Advertisement It was the Cardinals' first doubleheader sweep at Cincinnati since June 28, 1959 at Crosley Field. 'It's hard to take two games from anybody,' St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. 'This group has been playing the game the right way. It hasn't gone our way. Hopefully today sparks something.' After dropping the first game of the series against the Reds, the Cardinals fell to 2-12 on the road, their worst start away from home since going 2-15 in 1960. Going into the doubleheader, the Cardinals were hitting .239 on the road compared to .289 at Busch Stadium. The team ERA in away games was 5.94. Advertisement Nine of the road defeats were by three or fewer runs, and that gave the Cardinals hope things would turn around soon. Scheduled after a rainout on Tuesday, the doubleheader began with Masyn Winn's solo homer into the upper deck in the first inning of Game 1. Winn homered again when St. Louis hit three consecutive homers in the ninth inning off Alexis Diaz in a 6-0 victory. It was the first time in the modern era that the Cardinals had hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the ninth. Winn went 4 for 8 with two homers, four runs scored, a double and two RBIs in the two games after Marmol moved him to the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Advertisement 'Just get on base and catch a barrel,' Winn said. '(Lars) Nootbaar is setting the tone at the leadoff spot. When I get going, I feel like the rest of the team's energy changes.' Marmol downplayed the move, but it produced results. 'Masyn just brings a different element, lots of energy,' the manager said. 'That first game with two homers. This game, a couple knocks. Just a lot of energy.' The most impressive at-bat on Wednesday came from Pedro Pagés, who worked the count to 2-2 against 22-year-old right-hander Case Petty — who was making his major league debut — and then fouled off six straight pitches before launching his third homer of the season. Advertisement 'I just wanted to be aggressive with him,' Pagés said. 'I just kept fouling them off and fouling them off. I was taking deep breaths out there. Tried to stay as calm as I could and stay within myself.' Willson Contreras hit a three-run homer off Petty in the first inning of the nightcap. 'Definitely a great long day,' Game 2 starter Steven Matz said. 'To come out with two wins is huge for us.' ___ AP MLB:
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Cardinals try to finalize right-handed relief options, a 6-pack has emerged
JUPITER, Fla. — As the St. Louis Cardinals piece together their Opening Day roster, configuring their bullpen remains a top priority. Given how instrumental it was to last year's success, it's easy to understand why. The Cardinals hovered around .500 most of last season, eventually clawing their way to an 83-79 record. They did so while posting a minus-47 run differential and one of the slimmest margins of victories in baseball. St. Louis played in 107 games decided by three runs or fewer, posting a .561 winning percentage in those contests. Only the Tampa Bay Rays played in more (109). Advertisement Led by Ryan Helsley's 49 saves and Andrew Kittredge's 37 holds, the Cardinals consistently locked down games in the late innings. St. Louis relievers combined for a 3.58 ERA last season, the seventh-lowest mark in the majors, and a fourth-best 103 holds. Several pitchers took significant steps forward: Ryan Fernandez impressed in his rookie campaign; JoJo Romero and Matthew Liberatore emerged as legitimate setup men from the left side; and John King solidified himself as a reliable middle-inning option. Several pitchers — including Helsley — will return to their same roles this season. But the loss of Kittredge in free agency shouldn't be discounted. In fact, it's one of the most vital roles the Cardinals need to fill. They'll do so internally. Six right-handed relievers — Nick Anderson, Gordon Graceffo, Kyle Leahy, Roddery Muñoz, Riley O'Brien and Chris Roycroft — are competing to round out the bullpen. At least four of eight spots are already claimed: Helsley, Romero, Fernandez and King should be on the Opening Day roster. One of Steven Matz or Liberatore likely needs to be factored in here, as well. Those two are in consideration for starting roles, but the club won't carry both in the rotation due to their similar profiles. It also won't carry four left-handed relievers. How will Cardinals management make its decisions? Performance over the remaining 13 spring training games will matter the most. 'At this point, effectiveness,' manager Oli Marmol said Tuesday. 'You want to see them get outs and do what they do. If they're high ground-ball guys, keep the ball on the ground. If they're swing-and-miss guys, miss some bats. We're at that point in camp where performance matters, and we want to make sure that they are the best pieces to move this thing forward.' RHP prospect Gordon Graceffo utilized his curveball to notch 4 K's in 2 IP for the @Cardinals. — MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 24, 2025 Roycroft showed flashes of potential last year after being called up in May. He appeared in 27 games, posting a 4.19 ERA with 33 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings. He's yet to allow an earned run this spring and is the top candidate of this group so far. Multiple evaluators within the team consider Roycroft and Muñoz 'big arms' with high ceilings, but for different reasons. Advertisement Muñoz, a waiver claim from the Miami Marlins in November, was used predominantly as a starting pitcher in 2024. The Cardinals believe Muñoz can unlock some extra force in shorter appearances. Muñoz mixes his five-pitch arsenal (four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter, slider and changeup) pretty evenly, with his fastball sitting just above 95 mph. What will be key for him is establishing which of his pitches are his strongest and utilizing them more effectively. Graceffo has been a top prospect in the organization since being drafted out of Villanova in 2021. He rose through the Cardinals farm system but struggled to sustain velocity in later innings. The club floated the idea of using him in relief last spring but kept him a starter to help with rotation depth. This year, Graceffo's stuff isn't overpowering — his four-seamer sits around 93 mph — but his stuff plays up in shorter stints. That's what the Cardinals have seen this spring at least, and similar to Muñoz, they're intrigued about what his arm could develop into as a true reliever, even if the box score hasn't reflected much success (6.75 ERA through 6 2/3 innings). O'Brien and Leahy were used sparingly throughout last season. O'Brien's analytics are a pitching coach's dream, but translating that into results is what will matter most for him. Leahy's stuff doesn't jump off the page, but he added a sinker over the winter and has pitches to retire both right- and left-handed hitters. Leahy is also easily adaptable to different game scenarios, and the Cardinals have shown an affinity for versatile relievers in the past. The team is hoping Anderson, a non-roster invitee, can find the velocity and vertical break from 2019 and 2020 (pre-Tommy John surgery), when he consistently sat at 95 mph and could keep hitters off-balance with his breaking pitches. Roddery Muñoz's 5th and 6th Ks thru 4 — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 21, 2024 Of course, roster status, depth and options will factor in here, too. For example, if Anderson makes the club, he'll cost a 40-man roster spot and be due $1.1 million. However, his contract includes an upward mobility clause, which allows players on minor-league deals to gauge interest from other teams while under contract. If another club wants to add Anderson, the Cardinals would need to either add him to their 40-man roster or allow him to join the interested organization. Cardinals brass might feel inclined to keep Anderson solely for the sake of not losing him to another club. Outside of Anderson, there is plenty of fluidity with minor-league options. Bullpens are always revolving doors, but St. Louis could be even more creative with its operations. O'Brien, Muñoz, Leahy and King all have one option remaining, while Graceffo and Roycroft have two. Advertisement The Cardinals opened the spring pledging runway and opportunity for their young players. Since then, they've faced fair questioning regarding if said opportunity truly exists. It appears to in the bullpen, an area the club knows will be critical in keeping it in contention. That's the tricky part in this: The most experimental portion of the roster is also the area that will be under the most scrutiny in close games. Last year, the Cardinals thrived in those scenarios. This year, they'll be pressed to see if they can repeat that success with a multitude of new names. Roster cuts are looming, and tough decisions will need to be made soon. (Photo of Gordon Graceffo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
