2008 St. Louis Cardinals season
Encyclopedia
The St. Louis Cardinals
' 2008 season
was the 127th season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri
and the 117th season in the National League
. The Cardinals, coming off a 78-84 season that was their worst since 1999, improved by eight games, going 86-76 in 2008. However, this was only good for fourth place in the National League Central, 11.5 games behind the division champion Chicago Cubs.
, GM of the Cardinals for twelve years, was fired after the disappointing 2007 season
. Tony La Russa, however, signed a contract to return to manage the Cardinals for his 13th and 14th seasons. John Mozeliak
took Jocketty's place as GM. John Abbamondi, former senior director of labor economics working for Major League Baseball in New York, joined the Cardinals as assistant GM.
On March 13, it was announced that Mark Lamping
, president of the Cardinals for 13 years, resigned to become the CEO
of the New Meadowlands Stadium Company
. Bill DeWitt III, son of Cardinals chairman William DeWitt, Jr.
and formerly the team's vice-president of business development, took Lamping's place as president.
. LaRussa publicly criticized Rolen on December 5, and Rolen requested a trade, but the team was unable to find a suitable offer at the winter meetings. On January 12, the Cardinals reached a tentative agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays
to trade Rolen for their third baseman, Troy Glaus
, and the trade was finalized on January 14.
Center fielder Jim Edmonds
, the most senior member of the Cardinals' roster, having been with the team since the 2000 season, was traded to the San Diego Padres
for single-A third baseman David Freese
and cash considerations on December 14, 2007.
So Taguchi
, backup outfielder and the only Japanese player in franchise history, was released by the Cardinals in December after six seasons with the organization. The Cardinals declined to offer arbitration to shortstop David Eckstein
and acquired Cesar Izturis
as his replacement. St. Louis acquired Jason LaRue
to be the backup catcher, replacing Gary Bennett. The Cardinals took outfielder Brian Barton
from Cleveland
on December 6 in the Rule 5 draft
.
Utility player Scott Spiezio
was released by the Cardinals on February 27 after California authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that included hit-and-run, drunk driving and assault. Spiezio had previously missed a month of the 2007 season to go on rehab for drug abuse problems.
In spring training, LaRussa confirmed that he would continue to bat the pitcher eighth after the Cardinals adopted the unconventional lineup for the last two months of the 2007 season.
, who posted a 5.70 ERA in 2007, departed via free agency. Starting pitcher Joel Pineiro
, effective for the Cardinals in 2007 after a late-season trade from Boston, signed a two-year deal to remain with the team.
On January 3, St. Louis signed starting pitcher Matt Clement
, a former All-Star who missed the entire 2007 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. However, Clement's rehab went slowly and he was not ready for Opening Day.
Concerned over health issues in the rotation, with Clement not ready and Pineiro suffering from shoulder pain, St. Louis signed another free agent
, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse
, to a one-year contract on March 14.
was 92,465 in 16 home games (9-5-2) for an average home attendance of 5,779. In 13 road games (8-5-0), attendance 85,655; road average 6,589. Their overall Spring training
record was 19-11-2. St. Louis started the season with three players--Brian Barton
, Kyle McClellan
, and Rico Washington
- who were making their big-league debuts. Only nine players on the Opening Day roster - Yadier Molina
, Albert Pujols
, Chris Duncan
, Aaron Miles
, Randy Flores
, Anthony Reyes
, Adam Wainwright
, Braden Looper
and Brad Thompson
- were on the roster of the 2006 World Series
champion Cardinals. With a pitching rotation in flux and many long-time Cardinals off to other teams, and coming off a losing season, most experts picked St. Louis to play poorly again in 2008.
, scheduled for March 31, was postponed to April 1 due to rain after the Cards and Rockies had played 2½ innings. The rain wiped out an Albert Pujols home run. In the make-up game, St. Louis lost 2-1, with a Yadier Molina
home run the only offense. After the opening loss the Cardinals won the other five games on their home stand; the 5-1 start marked the first time since 2006 that the Cardinals had been more than one game above .500. St. Louis finished the month of April with an 18-11 record and in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. Albert Pujols
reached base safely in all 29 games for the month. Staff ace Adam Wainwright
finished the month 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA. Jason Isringhausen had nine saves in April. However, new third baseman Troy Glaus ended April hitting only .260 and had only one home run for the month.
, with the Cardinals winning two of three games to stay atop the NL Central standings. Pujols continued to get on base: on May 6 he reached base safely for the 34th consecutive game since the start of the season, the longest such streak in MLB since 1999.
Jason Isringhausen struggled mightily as Cardinal closer in late April and early May, blowing four saves and taking three losses between April 25 and May 9. His ERA rose from 4.50 to 7.47 during that span. After Isringhausen's fifth blown save of the season on May 9, LaRussa announced that Isringhausen would no longer be closing games and instead the Cardinals would be adopting a closer-by-committee approach. Ryan Franklin
received the first save opportunity after LaRussa's decision.
On May 16, Isringhausen was placed on the 15-day disabled list
with a right hand laceration. Josh Kinney
was transferred to the 60-day disabled list (from the 15-day list) to make room for highly touted prospect Chris Perez
, who was called up from Memphis. Finally, on May 17, Manager La Russa
officially designated Ryan Franklin
as his closer.
Albert Pujols' on-base streak was snapped at 42 games when he failed to reach safely in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays
on May 16. It was six games shy of his career-best 48 games in a row on base, set in his rookie season of 2001. The loss was the eighth in ten games for the Cardinals, a stretch that dropped them into second place behind the Cubs.
In late May, Pineiro went to the DL and rookie Mike Parisi
took his spot in the rotation. Chris Duncan, slumping all year after offseason hernia surgery, followed him to the DL, with Joe Mather
getting the callup. Parisi and Mather were the fifth and sixth players to make their big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals, following Brian Barton, Kyle McClellan, Rico Washington and Chris Perez. After slumping in the middle of the month, the Cardinals got hot at the end of May, going 15-13 for the month. They remained in second place behind the Cubs. Todd Wellemeyer was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in May.
got called up; he became the seventh rookie to make his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2008. On June 5, Worrell hit a home run in his first big-league at-bat, the eight Cardinal in franchise history to do so. On June 6, Mitchell Boggs
followed Worrell to the big leagues as the eighth rookie to make his debut with the 2008 Cardinals; fellow rookie Parisi was sent down to make room.
Troy Glaus began to find his power stroke, hitting four home runs between May 31 and June 5 after hitting only two in the first two months of the season. Ryan Ludwick, who never hit more than 14 home runs in a season prior to 2008, hit his 15th home run on June 10.
The Cardinals suffered a serious setback on June 9, when staff ace Adam Wainwright went to the DL with a sprained finger. The injury situation became even worse on June 10, when Albert Pujols
strained his left calf muscle running from home on a ground ball, sending him to the disabled list
for only the second time in his eight-year career. Meanwhile, former closer Jason Isringhausen made his return from the disabled list on June 14, with the club intending to use him in middle relief.
On June 20 the Cardinals traveled to Boston for a three-game set with the Red Sox
; it was St. Louis' first trip to Fenway since the 2004 World Series
. They won two of three in Boston. Nick Stavinoha
, called up on June 22 after Izturis went on the DL, became the ninth player to make his big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals.
Albert Pujols was activated from the disabled list on June 26. The Cardinals went 6-7 in his absence. In Pujols' first game back he got four hits, but the Cardinals lost 3-2 to the Tigers after closer Franklin blew the save in the bottom of the 9th and Mike Parisi issued a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th. The loss was part of a season-long trend of bullpen failures and blowups. It was the 19th blown save and 18th loss for Cardinal relievers, as opposed to 11 blown saves and 12 losses for the bullpen in all of 2007.
Mark Mulder
, who had pitched only sporadically for the Cardinals since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2006, was activated on June 27 and sent to the bullpen. In his first appearance, on June 30, he threw a scoreless ninth inning against the New York Mets
.
Despite Pujols (June 11–25) and Wainwright (June 9-?) both going on the DL in June, the Cardinals went 15-12 for the month.
weekend brought a showdown series in St. Louis between the Cardinals (49-38) and Cubs (51-35) with the Cardinals 2.5 games behind Chicago. It was the first meeting between the teams since the first week of May. On July 4, Albert Pujols
(aged 28 years, 170 days), became the fifth-youngest player to hit his 300th home run, but the Cardinals lost 2-1. On July 5, a crowd of 46,865, the biggest ever in the short history of the new Busch Stadium
, saw St. Louis score three in the bottom of the 9th against ace closer Kerry Wood
to beat Chicago 5-4. It was the first time in 33 games in 2008 where the Cardinals had won a game when trailing after eight innings. The Cubs won the rubber game 7-1 to take a 3½ game lead in the Central Division. The three-game series set a new attendance record of 140,067 at the new Busch Stadium
.
On July 6, Albert Pujols
and Ryan Ludwick
were named as the Cardinal representatives to the National League All-Star Team. Ludwick, who had never hit more than 14 home runs in a season before 2008, entered the break with 21 homers, leading the team.
Mark Mulder
's comeback ended when, in his first start since September 2007, he suffered pain in his throwing shoulder on July 9 and had to leave the game after only 16 pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies
. He was replaced on the roster by Jaime Garcia
, who debuted against the Pittsburgh Pirates
on July 11, and became the 10th rookie to make his big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals, the most since 13 rookies made their debut in .
St. Louis entered the All-Star break with a 53-43 record, in second place in the NL Central and one-half game ahead of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card. This was the second-best record in the National League, but it was also the product of St. Louis playing .500 baseball after reaching ten games over .500 in early May, at 22-12.
In their first series after the break, the Cardinals swept the Padres in four games to reach a season-high 14 games over .500 (57-43). They promptly were then swept by the Milwaukee Brewers
in four games (Jul. 21-24) to return to only 10 games over .500 (57-47). Cardinal relief pitchers took the losses in all four games against Milwaukee, part of a season-long trend of ineffective to disastrous performances by the bullpen, then leading all of MLB in 23 games lost by the bullpen and 24 blown saves.
In a game against the NY Mets on July 26, the Cardinals snapped a five-game losing streak by winning 10-8 in 14 innings. Albert Pujols
' game-winning home run was his first since he hit his 300th on July 4. Skip Schumaker
had six singles in seven at-bats; he became the first Cardinal since Terry Moore
in 1935 to have six base hits in one game. Pujols and Schumaker, meanwhile, were the first Cardinals' teammates with five or more hits apiece in a game since Charley Gelbert and Taylor Douthit
each had five against the Cubs on May 16, 1930. The extra-inning affair was made necessary by Ryan Franklin's blown save, his second blown save in a row and third consecutive appearance with a home run allowed. On July 28, LaRussa gave the closer's job back to Isringhausen, who lost it to Franklin earlier in the year.
On July 30, 2005 Cy Young Award
winner Chris Carpenter
was re-activated from the 60-day disabled list, and started versus the Atlanta Braves
, his first start since April 1, 2007. Operating on a pitch count not to exceed 80, Carpenter threw 67 pitches (36 for strikes) in four innings, and gave up one run and five hits (all singles), while walking two and striking out two.
The Cardinals made no trades at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. They went 13-14 in July, their first losing month of the season. They ended July (61-50), a fraction of a percentage point behind the Milwaukee Brewers
for the NL Wild card spot.
, signed in the offseason to fill out the rotation but unable to complete a comeback from injury, was released by the Cardinals without ever pitching for them.
Ryan Ludwick
was named 'NL Player of the Week' for the week ending August 3, as he led the league with a .538 batting average, 14 hits, a .613 on-base percentage, 8 RBI and 27 total bases. He also hit four home runs and recorded a 1.038 slugging percentage.
On August 5, Brendan Ryan
was optioned to (AAA) Memphis
and the Cardinals signed free agent
infielder Felipe López, who was released by the Washington Nationals
on July 31.
Bullpen issues continued to dog St. Louis. On August 5, the Cardinals took a 4-0 lead into the top of ninth inning, only to have Villone, Isringhausen and Franklin combine to give up four runs to the Dodgers. It was the 27th blown save of the season for the Cardinal bullpen, worst in MLB. (The Cardinals eventually salvaged a 6-4 win when Ryan Ludwick hit a walk-off homer in extra innings.) After the game, the Cardinals announced that Isringhausen was again being removed from the closer
's role. Chris Perez
returned from the minor leagues and got the first save of his career; a five-out save as the Cardinals beat L.A. 9-6 on August 6.
Rick Ankiel
was limited to pinch-hitting for 14 games at the end of July and the beginning of August due to an abdominal strain. Chris Carpenter suffered a physical setback with a strain in his right triceps and had to be removed after only 5.1 innings, trailing 1-0 against the Cubs on August 10. The Cardinals lost the game and two of three in the series. On August 15 Carpenter returned to the DL, diagnosed with a strained muscle in his shoulder. Brad Thompson started in Carpenter's place and won, while Chris Perez picked up his fourth save in four chances. August ended with the Astros sweeping the Cardinals in three at Houston, dropping them to 13-13 for the month and 74-63 for the season and leaving St. Louis a full six games behing Milwaukee in the loss column.
Jason Isringhausen
's frustrating season came to a disappointing finish when he was diagnosed on August 19 with elbow tendinitis and a partially torn tendon. Meanwhile, staff ace Adam Wainwright
, out since June 7 with a right middle finger sprain, made a triumphant return for the Cardinals on August 22, giving up only one run and five hits in six innings - and going 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI, as St. Louis thrashed Atlanta 18-3 with 26 hits - 21 of them singles (5 doubles).
A crucial two-game series with Milwaukee August 26–27 ended in a split and with the Cardinals still four losses behind the Brewers in the race for the NL Wild Card. It ended the season series with the Brewers, which Milwaukee won 10 games to 5. August ended with the Astros sweeping the Cardinals in three in Houston. The Cardinals went 13-13 for the month and ended August six games behind Milwaukee in the loss column.
of the D-backs hit for the cycle
. The next day St. Louis promoted six players from Memphis as part of September call-ups. Included in the call-ups was Jason Motte
, the 11th player to make his debut with the 2008 Cardinals.
A loss to the Cubs on September 10 dropped them into fourth place behind the surging Astros. That loss was the start of a season-high seven game losing streak that saw the Cardinals officially eliminated in the NL Central race and fall out of wild-card contention. The losing streak was finally snapped on September 18 versus Cincinnati
with the first save of Jason Motte
's career. Rick Ankiel
, slowed by a sports hernia, was shut down for the year on September 13.
The Cardinals finished the year on a high note, winning six in a row (their longest winning streak of the year) against Arizona and Cincinnati. They ended the season with an 86-76 record.
* June 17, originally 43,793 reported.
** July 5, largest ever at Busch Stadium
.
Cardinals Hitting Statistics
Sortable TEAM hitting stats
* not eligible for batting average title
(NL ranking)
Cardinals Pitching Statistics
Sortable TEAM pitching stats
* now, a reliever
+ not on 25-man active roster
† on 15-day or 60-day disabled list
(n/a) not available to pitch
TOTAL PITCHING: O-OBP .332 (9), O-SLG .431 (12)
Pitchers: Last date pitched in
TOTAL PITCHING: (NL rank)
TOTAL Relief (through 9/27)
St. Louis Cardinals GAME NOTES
Sv/SvOpp: 43/73 (59%)
1st batter/retired: 491/331 (67%)
Inherited runners/scored: 228/67 (29%)
* not on 25-man active roster
† on 15-day disabled list
+ traded away
Away 40-41
Scoring more than 3 runs 78-18
Scoring 3 runs 6-18
Scoring fewer than 3 runs 2-40
Leading after 7 innings 73-14
Tied after 7 innings 8- 11
Trailing after 7 innings 5-51
Leading after 8 innings 75-6
Tied after 8 innings 10- 9
Trailing after 8 innings 1-61
Blown Saves by bullpen: 31 (1st in NL)
Games lost by bullpen: 31 (2nd in NL to San Diego Padres
)
Extra innings 6-12
Shutouts 7-5
One-run games 24-28
Out-hit opponents 60-18
Same hits as opponents 9-9
Out-hit by opponents 17-49
Runs via HR 279
Opp. Runs via HR 247
By Day
Mon. 6- 7
Tue. 13-12
Wed. 15- 9
Thu. 8-14
Fri. 14-12
Sat. 17- 9
Sun. 13-13
By Opponent
HOME ROAD TOTAL
Division
NL Central 20-19 16-22 36-41
NL East 12-7 10-7 22-14
NL West 12-5 9-8 21-13
AL East 2-1 2-1 4-2
AL Central 0-3 3-3 3-6
TOTALS 46-35 40-41 86-76
(Interleague 7-8)
81 G; Cardinals: 2,731 AB; Opponents: 2,847 AB)
BA 98
R 94
H 96
2B 88
3B 102
HR 93
BB 99
SO 97
E 94
E-inf. 93
LHB-BA 97
LHB-HR 105
RHB-BA 98
RHB-HR 87
2006–2008 Index (3-yr. composite)
242 G; Cardinals: 8,143 AB; Opponents: 8,506 AB)
BA 99
R 94
H 99
2B 91
3B 92
HR 84
BB 99
SO 94
E 108
E-inf. 106
LHB-BA 98
LHB-HR 86
RHB-BA 99
RHB-HR 83
in Lake Buena Vista
, Florida
on June 5, .
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
' 2008 season
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...
was the 127th season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and the 117th season in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. The Cardinals, coming off a 78-84 season that was their worst since 1999, improved by eight games, going 86-76 in 2008. However, this was only good for fourth place in the National League Central, 11.5 games behind the division champion Chicago Cubs.
Front office
Walt JockettyWalt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty is the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was previously the General Manager of the St...
, GM of the Cardinals for twelve years, was fired after the disappointing 2007 season
2007 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals 2007 season was the team's 126th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 116th season in the National League. The season started with the team trying to defend their 2006 World Series championship. During the offseason, the Cardinals were faced with the challenge of handling...
. Tony La Russa, however, signed a contract to return to manage the Cardinals for his 13th and 14th seasons. John Mozeliak
John Mozeliak
John Mozeliak is the current Vice President and General Manager of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. He accepted a three-year contract for the position on the evening of October 30, 2007, and was formally introduced as the new GM the next day...
took Jocketty's place as GM. John Abbamondi, former senior director of labor economics working for Major League Baseball in New York, joined the Cardinals as assistant GM.
On March 13, it was announced that Mark Lamping
Mark Lamping
Mark Lamping is the CEO of the New Meadowlands Stadium Company, and the former president of the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team, a post he held from September 1, 1994 until March 13, 2008.- Life and career :...
, president of the Cardinals for 13 years, resigned to become the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the New Meadowlands Stadium Company
Meadowlands Stadium
Meadowlands Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home venue of Soweto Panthers F.C. in the Vodacom League. It was built in 2008 for the 2010 World Cup....
. Bill DeWitt III, son of Cardinals chairman William DeWitt, Jr.
William DeWitt, Jr.
William O. DeWitt, Jr. is an American businessman and currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals. He served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the George W...
and formerly the team's vice-president of business development, took Lamping's place as president.
Hitters
A major offseason story for the Cardinals was the hostile relationship between manager Tony LaRussa and third baseman Scott RolenScott Rolen
Scott Bruce Rolen is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. He is an eight-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time All-Star.-Philadelphia Phillies:...
. LaRussa publicly criticized Rolen on December 5, and Rolen requested a trade, but the team was unable to find a suitable offer at the winter meetings. On January 12, the Cardinals reached a tentative agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
to trade Rolen for their third baseman, Troy Glaus
Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA...
, and the trade was finalized on January 14.
Center fielder Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds...
, the most senior member of the Cardinals' roster, having been with the team since the 2000 season, was traded to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for single-A third baseman David Freese
David Freese
David Richard Freese is a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. A star high school player, Freese chose not to play college baseball in his freshman year of college, but returned to the game a year later...
and cash considerations on December 14, 2007.
So Taguchi
So Taguchi
is a Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder who is currently playing with the Orix Buffaloes. Previously, he has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball, and with the Orix BlueWave in Nippon Professional Baseball.Taguchi is the first...
, backup outfielder and the only Japanese player in franchise history, was released by the Cardinals in December after six seasons with the organization. The Cardinals declined to offer arbitration to shortstop David Eckstein
David Eckstein
David Mark Eckstein is a former American professional baseball player who was an infielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons. He played college baseball for the University of Florida, and has played professionally for the Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona...
and acquired Cesar Izturis
César Izturis
César David Izturis is a Major League Baseball shortstop who is currently a free agent. He is the half-brother of shortstop Maicer Izturis, who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Julio Izturis, who plays in the minor leagues in the San Francisco Giants organization.Izturis' greatest...
as his replacement. St. Louis acquired Jason LaRue
Jason LaRue
Michael Jason "Rusty" LaRue is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and St...
to be the backup catcher, replacing Gary Bennett. The Cardinals took outfielder Brian Barton
Brian Barton
Brian Deon Barton is a Major League Baseball outfielder, who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds.-Early life:...
from Cleveland
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on December 6 in the Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
.
Utility player Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...
was released by the Cardinals on February 27 after California authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that included hit-and-run, drunk driving and assault. Spiezio had previously missed a month of the 2007 season to go on rehab for drug abuse problems.
In spring training, LaRussa confirmed that he would continue to bat the pitcher eighth after the Cardinals adopted the unconventional lineup for the last two months of the 2007 season.
Pitchers
Starting pitcher Kip WellsKip Wells
Robert "Kip" Wells is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.-High school career:...
, who posted a 5.70 ERA in 2007, departed via free agency. Starting pitcher Joel Pineiro
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:...
, effective for the Cardinals in 2007 after a late-season trade from Boston, signed a two-year deal to remain with the team.
On January 3, St. Louis signed starting pitcher Matt Clement
Matt Clement
Matthew Paul Clement is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Clement played for the San Diego Padres , Florida Marlins , Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox . While on the Red Sox active roster, he was injured all of the 2007 season...
, a former All-Star who missed the entire 2007 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. However, Clement's rehab went slowly and he was not ready for Opening Day.
Concerned over health issues in the rotation, with Clement not ready and Pineiro suffering from shoulder pain, St. Louis signed another free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse
Kyle Lohse
Kyle Matthew Lohse is a right-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in , Lohse was traded to the Minnesota Twins in in a deal involving Rick Aguilera. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, .Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki...
, to a one-year contract on March 14.
Regular season
The Cardinals were 17-10-2 in Grapefruit League play with a .286 team batting average (5th in NL) and a 4.01 ERA (4th in NL). Attendance at Roger Dean StadiumRoger Dean Stadium
Roger Dean Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Abacoa community of the town of Jupiter, Florida. The stadium was built in 1998, holds 6,871 people, and features luxury sky-box seating, 2 levels of permanent seating, parking and concessions...
was 92,465 in 16 home games (9-5-2) for an average home attendance of 5,779. In 13 road games (8-5-0), attendance 85,655; road average 6,589. Their overall Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
record was 19-11-2. St. Louis started the season with three players--Brian Barton
Brian Barton
Brian Deon Barton is a Major League Baseball outfielder, who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds.-Early life:...
, Kyle McClellan
Kyle McClellan
Kyle William McClellan is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Hazelwood West High School. After graduating from high school, McClellan was drafted by the St...
, and Rico Washington
Rico Washington
Enrico Aliceno Washington is a professional baseball infielder, currently playing for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association. He has played in Major League Baseball for the St...
- who were making their big-league debuts. Only nine players on the Opening Day roster - Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...
, Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
, Chris Duncan
Chris Duncan
Christopher Edwin Duncan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a free agent.He is the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals...
, Aaron Miles
Aaron Miles
Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft...
, Randy Flores
Randy Flores
Randy Alan Flores is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. Flores is a career left-handed relief specialist.-Early life and career:...
, Anthony Reyes
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Loza Reyes is a right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.Reyes has a younger brother, Erik, who pitched for Concordia University Irvine in .-High School:...
, Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...
, Braden Looper
Braden Looper
Braden LaVerne Looper is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma...
and Brad Thompson
Brad Thompson
Bradley Joseph Thompson , is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Dixie State College of Utah. He holds the AA single-season scoreless innings streak. He made his major...
- were on the roster of the 2006 World Series
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
champion Cardinals. With a pitching rotation in flux and many long-time Cardinals off to other teams, and coming off a losing season, most experts picked St. Louis to play poorly again in 2008.
April
Opening DayOpening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
, scheduled for March 31, was postponed to April 1 due to rain after the Cards and Rockies had played 2½ innings. The rain wiped out an Albert Pujols home run. In the make-up game, St. Louis lost 2-1, with a Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...
home run the only offense. After the opening loss the Cardinals won the other five games on their home stand; the 5-1 start marked the first time since 2006 that the Cardinals had been more than one game above .500. St. Louis finished the month of April with an 18-11 record and in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
reached base safely in all 29 games for the month. Staff ace Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...
finished the month 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA. Jason Isringhausen had nine saves in April. However, new third baseman Troy Glaus ended April hitting only .260 and had only one home run for the month.
May
May opened with St. Louis' first series of the year against their arch-rival and the preseason NL Central favorite Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, with the Cardinals winning two of three games to stay atop the NL Central standings. Pujols continued to get on base: on May 6 he reached base safely for the 34th consecutive game since the start of the season, the longest such streak in MLB since 1999.
Jason Isringhausen struggled mightily as Cardinal closer in late April and early May, blowing four saves and taking three losses between April 25 and May 9. His ERA rose from 4.50 to 7.47 during that span. After Isringhausen's fifth blown save of the season on May 9, LaRussa announced that Isringhausen would no longer be closing games and instead the Cardinals would be adopting a closer-by-committee approach. Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:...
received the first save opportunity after LaRussa's decision.
On May 16, Isringhausen was placed on the 15-day disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
with a right hand laceration. Josh Kinney
Josh Kinney
Joshua Thomas Kinney is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He throws a slider, 4-seam fastball, curveball, and a 2-seam fastball.-Early and personal life:...
was transferred to the 60-day disabled list (from the 15-day list) to make room for highly touted prospect Chris Perez
Chris Perez (baseball)
Christopher Ralph Perez is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. His pitches have been clocked at 98 mph on the radar gun. He is 6' 4", 225 lbs. In 2010, fans began referring to him by the nickname "Pure Rage."Perez grew up on Anna Maria Island in Florida. Perez...
, who was called up from Memphis. Finally, on May 17, Manager La Russa
Tony La Russa
Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...
officially designated Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:...
as his closer.
Albert Pujols' on-base streak was snapped at 42 games when he failed to reach safely in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
on May 16. It was six games shy of his career-best 48 games in a row on base, set in his rookie season of 2001. The loss was the eighth in ten games for the Cardinals, a stretch that dropped them into second place behind the Cubs.
In late May, Pineiro went to the DL and rookie Mike Parisi
Mike Parisi
Michael Richard Parisi is a right-handed pitcher currently playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes the AAA affiliate of the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers....
took his spot in the rotation. Chris Duncan, slumping all year after offseason hernia surgery, followed him to the DL, with Joe Mather
Joe Mather
Joseph Paul Mather is an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman who is a free agent.-Early life:Mather was born on July 23, 1982, in Sandpoint, Idaho. At Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, Arizona he played basketball and was also an All-State performer in baseball...
getting the callup. Parisi and Mather were the fifth and sixth players to make their big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals, following Brian Barton, Kyle McClellan, Rico Washington and Chris Perez. After slumping in the middle of the month, the Cardinals got hot at the end of May, going 15-13 for the month. They remained in second place behind the Cubs. Todd Wellemeyer was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in May.
June
On June 1, pitcher Mark WorrellMark Worrell
Mark Robert Worrell is an American professional baseball pitcher.-Playing career:He was called up to the major leagues by the St...
got called up; he became the seventh rookie to make his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2008. On June 5, Worrell hit a home run in his first big-league at-bat, the eight Cardinal in franchise history to do so. On June 6, Mitchell Boggs
Mitchell Boggs
Mitchell Thomas Boggs is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is of no relation to former MLB third baseman, Wade Boggs.-High school:...
followed Worrell to the big leagues as the eighth rookie to make his debut with the 2008 Cardinals; fellow rookie Parisi was sent down to make room.
Troy Glaus began to find his power stroke, hitting four home runs between May 31 and June 5 after hitting only two in the first two months of the season. Ryan Ludwick, who never hit more than 14 home runs in a season prior to 2008, hit his 15th home run on June 10.
The Cardinals suffered a serious setback on June 9, when staff ace Adam Wainwright went to the DL with a sprained finger. The injury situation became even worse on June 10, when Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
strained his left calf muscle running from home on a ground ball, sending him to the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
for only the second time in his eight-year career. Meanwhile, former closer Jason Isringhausen made his return from the disabled list on June 14, with the club intending to use him in middle relief.
On June 20 the Cardinals traveled to Boston for a three-game set with the Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
; it was St. Louis' first trip to Fenway since the 2004 World Series
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
. They won two of three in Boston. Nick Stavinoha
Nick Stavinoha
Nicholas Lee "Nick" Stavinoha is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, called up on June 22 after Izturis went on the DL, became the ninth player to make his big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals.
Albert Pujols was activated from the disabled list on June 26. The Cardinals went 6-7 in his absence. In Pujols' first game back he got four hits, but the Cardinals lost 3-2 to the Tigers after closer Franklin blew the save in the bottom of the 9th and Mike Parisi issued a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th. The loss was part of a season-long trend of bullpen failures and blowups. It was the 19th blown save and 18th loss for Cardinal relievers, as opposed to 11 blown saves and 12 losses for the bullpen in all of 2007.
Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...
, who had pitched only sporadically for the Cardinals since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2006, was activated on June 27 and sent to the bullpen. In his first appearance, on June 30, he threw a scoreless ninth inning against the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
Despite Pujols (June 11–25) and Wainwright (June 9-?) both going on the DL in June, the Cardinals went 15-12 for the month.
July
The Fourth of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
weekend brought a showdown series in St. Louis between the Cardinals (49-38) and Cubs (51-35) with the Cardinals 2.5 games behind Chicago. It was the first meeting between the teams since the first week of May. On July 4, Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
(aged 28 years, 170 days), became the fifth-youngest player to hit his 300th home run, but the Cardinals lost 2-1. On July 5, a crowd of 46,865, the biggest ever in the short history of the new Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...
, saw St. Louis score three in the bottom of the 9th against ace closer Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood
Kerry Lee Wood is a National Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Wood recorded over 200 strikeouts in four out of his first five seasons, with a high of 266 in 2003....
to beat Chicago 5-4. It was the first time in 33 games in 2008 where the Cardinals had won a game when trailing after eight innings. The Cubs won the rubber game 7-1 to take a 3½ game lead in the Central Division. The three-game series set a new attendance record of 140,067 at the new Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...
.
On July 6, Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
and Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Andrew Ludwick is a Major League Baseball right fielder. His brother Eric played four seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.-High school, college, and minor leagues:Ludwick attended Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada....
were named as the Cardinal representatives to the National League All-Star Team. Ludwick, who had never hit more than 14 home runs in a season before 2008, entered the break with 21 homers, leading the team.
Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...
's comeback ended when, in his first start since September 2007, he suffered pain in his throwing shoulder on July 9 and had to leave the game after only 16 pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He was replaced on the roster by Jaime Garcia
Jaime Garcia (baseball)
Jaime Omar García is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:Jaime García was born on July 8, 1986 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico as the second of three children to civil engineer Jaime García, Sr. and Gloria Rodríguez Flores. García was raised between the border of...
, who debuted against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
on July 11, and became the 10th rookie to make his big-league debut with the 2008 Cardinals, the most since 13 rookies made their debut in .
St. Louis entered the All-Star break with a 53-43 record, in second place in the NL Central and one-half game ahead of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card. This was the second-best record in the National League, but it was also the product of St. Louis playing .500 baseball after reaching ten games over .500 in early May, at 22-12.
In their first series after the break, the Cardinals swept the Padres in four games to reach a season-high 14 games over .500 (57-43). They promptly were then swept by the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in four games (Jul. 21-24) to return to only 10 games over .500 (57-47). Cardinal relief pitchers took the losses in all four games against Milwaukee, part of a season-long trend of ineffective to disastrous performances by the bullpen, then leading all of MLB in 23 games lost by the bullpen and 24 blown saves.
In a game against the NY Mets on July 26, the Cardinals snapped a five-game losing streak by winning 10-8 in 14 innings. Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
' game-winning home run was his first since he hit his 300th on July 4. Skip Schumaker
Skip Schumaker
Jared Michael "Skip" Schumaker is a Major League Baseball Outfielder and Second Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Biography:...
had six singles in seven at-bats; he became the first Cardinal since Terry Moore
Terry Moore (baseball)
Terry Bluford Moore was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1935–42 and 1946-48.-Playing career:...
in 1935 to have six base hits in one game. Pujols and Schumaker, meanwhile, were the first Cardinals' teammates with five or more hits apiece in a game since Charley Gelbert and Taylor Douthit
Taylor Douthit
Taylor Lee Douthit , was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds from 1923 to 1933.-Career:...
each had five against the Cubs on May 16, 1930. The extra-inning affair was made necessary by Ryan Franklin's blown save, his second blown save in a row and third consecutive appearance with a home run allowed. On July 28, LaRussa gave the closer's job back to Isringhausen, who lost it to Franklin earlier in the year.
On July 30, 2005 Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...
was re-activated from the 60-day disabled list, and started versus the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, his first start since April 1, 2007. Operating on a pitch count not to exceed 80, Carpenter threw 67 pitches (36 for strikes) in four innings, and gave up one run and five hits (all singles), while walking two and striking out two.
The Cardinals made no trades at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. They went 13-14 in July, their first losing month of the season. They ended July (61-50), a fraction of a percentage point behind the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for the NL Wild card spot.
August
On August 1, Isringhausen got his first save since May 5, as the Cardinals beat the Phillies, 6-3. On August 2, Matt ClementMatt Clement
Matthew Paul Clement is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Clement played for the San Diego Padres , Florida Marlins , Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox . While on the Red Sox active roster, he was injured all of the 2007 season...
, signed in the offseason to fill out the rotation but unable to complete a comeback from injury, was released by the Cardinals without ever pitching for them.
Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Andrew Ludwick is a Major League Baseball right fielder. His brother Eric played four seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.-High school, college, and minor leagues:Ludwick attended Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada....
was named 'NL Player of the Week' for the week ending August 3, as he led the league with a .538 batting average, 14 hits, a .613 on-base percentage, 8 RBI and 27 total bases. He also hit four home runs and recorded a 1.038 slugging percentage.
On August 5, Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan (baseball)
Brendan Wood Ryan is an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. While he has typically fielded at shortstop in his professional career, Ryan has been known to play at second and third base and has dabbled with pitching.-Early and personal life:Ryan was born in Los...
was optioned to (AAA) Memphis
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
and the Cardinals signed free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
infielder Felipe López, who was released by the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
on July 31.
Bullpen issues continued to dog St. Louis. On August 5, the Cardinals took a 4-0 lead into the top of ninth inning, only to have Villone, Isringhausen and Franklin combine to give up four runs to the Dodgers. It was the 27th blown save of the season for the Cardinal bullpen, worst in MLB. (The Cardinals eventually salvaged a 6-4 win when Ryan Ludwick hit a walk-off homer in extra innings.) After the game, the Cardinals announced that Isringhausen was again being removed from the closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
's role. Chris Perez
Chris Perez (baseball)
Christopher Ralph Perez is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. His pitches have been clocked at 98 mph on the radar gun. He is 6' 4", 225 lbs. In 2010, fans began referring to him by the nickname "Pure Rage."Perez grew up on Anna Maria Island in Florida. Perez...
returned from the minor leagues and got the first save of his career; a five-out save as the Cardinals beat L.A. 9-6 on August 6.
Rick Ankiel
Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....
was limited to pinch-hitting for 14 games at the end of July and the beginning of August due to an abdominal strain. Chris Carpenter suffered a physical setback with a strain in his right triceps and had to be removed after only 5.1 innings, trailing 1-0 against the Cubs on August 10. The Cardinals lost the game and two of three in the series. On August 15 Carpenter returned to the DL, diagnosed with a strained muscle in his shoulder. Brad Thompson started in Carpenter's place and won, while Chris Perez picked up his fourth save in four chances. August ended with the Astros sweeping the Cardinals in three at Houston, dropping them to 13-13 for the month and 74-63 for the season and leaving St. Louis a full six games behing Milwaukee in the loss column.
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft...
's frustrating season came to a disappointing finish when he was diagnosed on August 19 with elbow tendinitis and a partially torn tendon. Meanwhile, staff ace Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...
, out since June 7 with a right middle finger sprain, made a triumphant return for the Cardinals on August 22, giving up only one run and five hits in six innings - and going 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI, as St. Louis thrashed Atlanta 18-3 with 26 hits - 21 of them singles (5 doubles).
A crucial two-game series with Milwaukee August 26–27 ended in a split and with the Cardinals still four losses behind the Brewers in the race for the NL Wild Card. It ended the season series with the Brewers, which Milwaukee won 10 games to 5. August ended with the Astros sweeping the Cardinals in three in Houston. The Cardinals went 13-13 for the month and ended August six games behind Milwaukee in the loss column.
September
September opened on a particularly unpleasant note as the Cardinals blew a 5-1 lead against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 1, losing 8-6. Stephen DrewStephen Drew
Stephen Oris Drew is a shortstop in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the younger brother of Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew and former major leaguer Tim Drew....
of the D-backs hit for the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
. The next day St. Louis promoted six players from Memphis as part of September call-ups. Included in the call-ups was Jason Motte
Jason Motte
Jason Louis Motte is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Career:Motte graduated from Valley Central High School, Montgomery, N.Y., in 2000 where he was a catcher...
, the 11th player to make his debut with the 2008 Cardinals.
A loss to the Cubs on September 10 dropped them into fourth place behind the surging Astros. That loss was the start of a season-high seven game losing streak that saw the Cardinals officially eliminated in the NL Central race and fall out of wild-card contention. The losing streak was finally snapped on September 18 versus Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
with the first save of Jason Motte
Jason Motte
Jason Louis Motte is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Career:Motte graduated from Valley Central High School, Montgomery, N.Y., in 2000 where he was a catcher...
's career. Rick Ankiel
Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....
, slowed by a sports hernia, was shut down for the year on September 13.
The Cardinals finished the year on a high note, winning six in a row (their longest winning streak of the year) against Arizona and Cincinnati. They ended the season with an 86-76 record.
Season standings
MLB StandingsRecord vs. opponents
as of September 28| Team | W-L Record |
|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field... |
4–3 |
| Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997.... |
5–2 |
| Boston Red Sox Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... |
2–1 |
| Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National... |
6–9 |
| Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890.... |
10–5 |
| Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains... |
4–3 |
| Detroit Tigers Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant... |
1–2 |
| Florida Marlins Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at... |
5–2 |
| Houston Astros Houston Astros The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field... |
8–7 |
| Kansas City Royals Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium... |
2–4 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... |
4–2 |
| Milwaukee Brewers Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League... |
5–10 |
| New York Mets New York Mets The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League... |
3–4 |
| Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League... |
4–5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions... |
7–10 |
| San Diego Padres San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times... |
6–1 |
| San Francisco Giants San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division.... |
3–4 |
| Tampa Bay Rays Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field... |
2–1 |
| Washington Nationals Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium... |
5–1 |
Game log
| 2008 Game Log | |
|---|---|
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...
.
Roster
| 2008 St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches (pitching) (bullpen) (first base) (hitting) (third base) (bench) |
||||||
Scoring by inning
| INNING | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARDINALS | 117 | 82 | 103 | 93 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 57 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 779 |
| OPPONENTS | 72 | 66 | 85 | 98 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 81 | 77 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 725 |
Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B= Doubles; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; BB = Walks; Avg. = Batting Average; OBP = On-base Percentage; SLG = Slugging PercentageCardinals Hitting Statistics
Sortable TEAM hitting stats
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | Avg. | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Pujols Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent... (MVP) |
148 | 524 (49) | 100 (14) | 187 (3) | 44 (4) | 37 (4) | 116 (4) | 104 (2) | 54 | .357 (2) | .462 (2) | .653 (1) |
| Ryan Ludwick Ryan Ludwick Ryan Andrew Ludwick is a Major League Baseball right fielder. His brother Eric played four seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.-High school, college, and minor leagues:Ludwick attended Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada.... |
152 | 538 (43) | 104 (10) | 161 (30) | 40 (13) | 37 (4) | 113 (6) | 62 (31) | 146 (7) | .299 (15) | .375 (17) | .591 (2) |
| Troy Glaus Troy Glaus Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA... |
151 | 544 (38) | 69 | 147 (47) | 33 (34) | 27 (20) | 99 (15) | 87 (10) | 104 (40) | .270 | .372 (20) | .483 (30) |
| Rick Ankiel Rick Ankiel Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed.... [9/10] |
120 | 413 | 65 | 109 | 21 | 25 (25) | 71 (46) | 42 | 100 (49) | .264 | .337 (50) | .506 (21) |
| Skip Schumaker Skip Schumaker Jared Michael "Skip" Schumaker is a Major League Baseball Outfielder and Second Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Biography:... |
153 | 540 (39) | 87 (26) | 163 (25) | 22 | 8 | 46 | 47 | 60 | .302 (10) | .359 (31) | .406 |
| Felipe López | 143 | 481 | 84 | 136 | 28 | 6 | 46 | 43 | 82 | .283 | .343 | .387 |
| Yadier Molina Yadier Molina Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive... |
124 | 444 | 37 | 135 | 18 | 7 | 56 | 32 | 29 | .304 * [10] | .349 (38) | .392 |
| Cesar Izturis César Izturis César David Izturis is a Major League Baseball shortstop who is currently a free agent. He is the half-brother of shortstop Maicer Izturis, who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Julio Izturis, who plays in the minor leagues in the San Francisco Giants organization.Izturis' greatest... |
135 | 414 | 50 | 109 | 10 | 1 | 24 | 29 | 26 | .263 | .319 | .309 |
| Aaron Miles Aaron Miles Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft... |
134 | 379 | 49 | 120 | 15 | 4 | 31 | 23 | 37 | .317 | .355 | .398 |
| Adam Kennedy Adam Kennedy Adam Thomas Kennedy is an American Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and had two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early years:Kennedy... |
115 | 339 | 42 | 95 | 17 | 2 | 36 | 21 | 43 | .280 | .321 | .372 |
| Chris Duncan Chris Duncan Christopher Edwin Duncan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a free agent.He is the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals... |
76 | 222 | 26 | 55 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 34 | 52 | .248 | .321 | .372 |
| Brendan Ryan Brendan Ryan (baseball) Brendan Wood Ryan is an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. While he has typically fielded at shortstop in his professional career, Ryan has been known to play at second and third base and has dabbled with pitching.-Early and personal life:Ryan was born in Los... |
80 | 197 | 30 | 48 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 31 | .244 | .307 | .289 |
| Jason LaRue Jason LaRue Michael Jason "Rusty" LaRue is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and St... |
61 | 164 | 17 | 35 | 8 | 4 | 21 | 15 | 20 | .213 | .296 | .348 |
| Brian Barton Brian Barton Brian Deon Barton is a Major League Baseball outfielder, who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds.-Early life:... |
82 | 153 | 23 | 41 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 19 | 39 | .268 | .354 | .392 |
| Joe Mather Joe Mather Joseph Paul Mather is an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman who is a free agent.-Early life:Mather was born on July 23, 1982, in Sandpoint, Idaho. At Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, Arizona he played basketball and was also an All-State performer in baseball... |
54 | 133 | 20 | 32 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 12 | 32 | .241 | .306 | .474 |
| Nick Stavinoha Nick Stavinoha Nicholas Lee "Nick" Stavinoha is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-Early life:... |
29 | 57 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | .193 | .217 | .211 |
| Josh Phelps Josh Phelps Joshua Lee Phelps is a Major League Baseball first baseman who plays for the Telemarket Rimini. He bats and throws right-handed... |
19 | 34 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .265 | .306 | .294 |
| Rico Washington Rico Washington Enrico Aliceno Washington is a professional baseball infielder, currently playing for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association. He has played in Major League Baseball for the St... |
14 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | .158 | .273 | .263 |
| Mark Johnson Mark Johnson (catcher) Mark Landon Johnson is a former professional baseball player, a catcher who played with several major league teams, but primarily with the Chicago White Sox... |
10 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .294 | .333 | .294 |
| Brian Barden Brian Barden Brian David Barden is an American professional baseball infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. He has played as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.-Early life:... |
9 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .222 | .222 | .222 |
| Kyle Lohse Kyle Lohse Kyle Matthew Lohse is a right-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in , Lohse was traded to the Minnesota Twins in in a deal involving Rick Aguilera. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, .Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki... (P) |
31 | 63 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 20 | .111 | .111 | .127 |
| Braden Looper Braden Looper Braden LaVerne Looper is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma... (P) |
40 | 63 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 21 | .254 | .299 | .333 |
| Adam Wainwright Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St... (P) |
25 | 60 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | .267 | .286 | .350 |
| Todd Wellemeyer Todd Wellemeyer Todd Allen Wellemeyer is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is the brother of American entrepreneur Jeff Wellemeyer... (P) |
32 | 58 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 29 | .155 | .167 | .155 |
| Joel Pineiro Joel Piñeiro Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:... (P) |
30 | 51 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 35 | .098 | .148 | .157 |
| Brad Thompson Brad Thompson Bradley Joseph Thompson , is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Dixie State College of Utah. He holds the AA single-season scoreless innings streak. He made his major... (P) |
26 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | .250 | .357 | .250 |
| (Other Pitchers) | -- | 33 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 19 | .061 | .132 | .182 |
| TOTAL | 162 | 5,636 (1) | 779 (4) | 1,585 (1) | 283 (11) | 174 (6) | 744 (4) | 577 (6) | 985 (16) | .281 (1) | .350 (2) | .433 (3) |
(NL ranking)
Starting pitchers
Note: GS = Games Started; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Loss; ERA = Earned Run Average; WHIP = (Walks + Hits) per Innings Pitched; HBP = Hit by Pitch; BF = Batters faced; O-AVG = Opponent Batting Ave.; O-SLG = Opponent Slugging Ave.; R support avg = Average Runs support from his team per Games StartedCardinals Pitching Statistics
Sortable TEAM pitching stats
| Player | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | H | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | HBP | BF | O-AVG | O-SLG | R support avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Carpenter Chris Carpenter Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the... (n/a) |
3 | 14.1 | 0 | 1 | 1.88 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1.26 | 0 | 58 | .275 | .314 | 5.0 |
| Adam Wainwright Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St... |
20 | 132.0 | 11 | 3 | 3.20 | 122 | 12 | 34 | 91 | 1.18 | 3 | 544 | .245 | .394 | 5.8 |
| Braden Looper Braden Looper Braden LaVerne Looper is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma... |
33 | 199.0 | 12 | 14 | 4.16 | 216 | 25 | 45 | 108 | 1.31 | 11 | 842 | .278 | .436 | 4.4 |
| Brad Thompson Brad Thompson Bradley Joseph Thompson , is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Dixie State College of Utah. He holds the AA single-season scoreless innings streak. He made his major... |
6 | 29.1 | 3 | 2 | 4.91 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 1.36 | 2 | 124 | .297 | .459 | 4.5 |
| Todd Wellemeyer Todd Wellemeyer Todd Allen Wellemeyer is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is the brother of American entrepreneur Jeff Wellemeyer... |
32 | 192.2 | 13 | 9 | 3.71 | 178 | 24 | 60 | 133 | 1.24 | 7 | 807 | .245 | .415 | 4.8 |
| Kyle Lohse Kyle Lohse Kyle Matthew Lohse is a right-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in , Lohse was traded to the Minnesota Twins in in a deal involving Rick Aguilera. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, .Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki... |
33 | 200.0 | 15 | 6 | 3.78 | 211 | 18 | 49 | 119 | 1.30 | 3 | 839 | .272 | .418 | 4.2 |
| Mark Mulder Mark Mulder Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:... *+ |
1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6.06 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 |
| Joel Pineiro Joel Piñeiro Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:... |
25 | 145.2 | 7 | 7 | 5.13 | 175 | 22 | 34 | 80 | 1.43 | 2 | 630 | .299 | .505 | 5.1 |
| Mike Parisi Mike Parisi Michael Richard Parisi is a right-handed pitcher currently playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes the AAA affiliate of the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers.... *+ |
2 | 6.2 | 0 | 1 | 17.54 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3.75 | 0 | 46 | .500 | .667 | 6.5 |
| Mitchell Boggs Mitchell Boggs Mitchell Thomas Boggs is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is of no relation to former MLB third baseman, Wade Boggs.-High school:... + |
6 | 26.2 | 3 | 2 | 7.55 | 37 | 4 | 21 | 13 | 1.87 | 2 | 151 | .294 | .492 | 5.2 |
| Jaime García Jaime Garcia (baseball) Jaime Omar García is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:Jaime García was born on July 8, 1986 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico as the second of three children to civil engineer Jaime García, Sr. and Gloria Rodríguez Flores. García was raised between the border of... *+ |
1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1.20 | 0 | 20 | .263 | .579 | 9.0 |
| TOTAL | 162 | 955.0 | 64 | 45 | 4.20 | 1,009 | 109 | 264 | 575 | 1.33 | 30 | 4,064 | .272 | .437 | 4.8 |
Relief pitchers
Note: HLD = Holds| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | HLD | H | R | ER | HR | ERA | BB | SO | WHIP | O-AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Isringhausen Jason Isringhausen Jason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft... *† (8/16) |
42 | 42.2 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 48 | 28 | 27 | 5 | 5.70 | 22 | 36 | 1.64 | .279 |
| Ryan Franklin Ryan Franklin Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:... (9/28) |
74 | 78.2 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 13 | 86 | 34 | 31 | 10 | 3.55 | 30 | 51 | 1.47 | .277 |
| Russ Springer Russ Springer Russell Paul Springer is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Springer made his major league debut on April 17, , with the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, St... (9/28) |
70 | 50.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 39 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 2.32 | 18 | 45 | 1.13 | .212 |
| Randy Flores Randy Flores Randy Alan Flores is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. Flores is a career left-handed relief specialist.-Early life and career:... (9/14) * |
43 | 25.2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 34 | 16 | 15 | 2 | 5.26 | 20 | 17 | 2.10 | .315 |
| Anthony Reyes Anthony Reyes Anthony Loza Reyes is a right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.Reyes has a younger brother, Erik, who pitched for Concordia University Irvine in .-High School:... * (+ 7/26) |
10 | 14.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4.91 | 3 | 10 | 1.30 | .276 |
| Ron Villone Ron Villone Ronald Thomas Villone Jr. is a Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently with the Somerset Patriots. He has not been on the same team for more than two years in his major league career and due to his many baseball travels, some of his teammates have affectionately referred... (9/28) |
74 | 50.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 45 | 27 | 26 | 4 | 4.68 | 37 | 50 | 1.64 | .239 |
| Kyle McClellan Kyle McClellan Kyle William McClellan is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Hazelwood West High School. After graduating from high school, McClellan was drafted by the St... (9/21) |
67 | 74.2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 78 | 36 | 33 | 7 | 3.98 | 25 | 59 | 1.38 | .268 |
| Mike Parisi Mike Parisi Michael Richard Parisi is a right-handed pitcher currently playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes the AAA affiliate of the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers.... (6/26) * |
10 | 16.1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4.41 | 8 | 10 | 1.65 | .284 |
| Chris Perez Chris Perez (baseball) Christopher Ralph Perez is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. His pitches have been clocked at 98 mph on the radar gun. He is 6' 4", 225 lbs. In 2010, fans began referring to him by the nickname "Pure Rage."Perez grew up on Anna Maria Island in Florida. Perez... (9/27) |
41 | 41.2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 34 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 3.67 | 22 | 42 | 1.34 | .227 |
| Mark Worrell Mark Worrell Mark Robert Worrell is an American professional baseball pitcher.-Playing career:He was called up to the major leagues by the St... (6/13) * |
4 | 5.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5.67 | 4 | 4 | 2.12 | .364 |
| Jaime García Jaime Garcia (baseball) Jaime Omar García is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:Jaime García was born on July 8, 1986 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico as the second of three children to civil engineer Jaime García, Sr. and Gloria Rodríguez Flores. García was raised between the border of... (8/26) * |
9 | 11.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 5.73 | 7 | 4 | 1.45 | .220 |
| Mark Mulder Mark Mulder Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:... (7/2) *† |
2 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.50 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | .571 |
| Kelvin Jimenez Kelvin Jiménez Kelvin Jiménez is a relief pitcher who plays for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball. Listed at 6'2", 195 lb., he bats and throws right-handed.... (9/28) |
15 | 24.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 5 | 5.63 | 15 | 11 | 1.79 | .295 |
| Joel Pineiro Joel Piñeiro Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:... (8/22) |
1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6.00 | 1 | 1 | 2.00 | .357 |
| Brad Thompson Brad Thompson Bradley Joseph Thompson , is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Dixie State College of Utah. He holds the AA single-season scoreless innings streak. He made his major... (9/22) |
20 | 35.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 21 | 21 | 3 | 5.35 | 12 | 15 | 1.44 | .287 |
| Chris Carpenter Chris Carpenter Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the... (9/2) n/a |
1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 1 | 2.00 | .400 |
| Josh Kinney Josh Kinney Joshua Thomas Kinney is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He throws a slider, 4-seam fastball, curveball, and a 2-seam fastball.-Early and personal life:... (9/27) |
7 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 8 | 0.57 | .125 |
| Jason Motte Jason Motte Jason Louis Motte is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Career:Motte graduated from Valley Central High School, Montgomery, N.Y., in 2000 where he was a catcher... (9/28) |
12 | 11.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.82 | 3 | 16 | 0.73 | .139 |
| TOTAL Relief | 160 | 495.0 | 22 | 31 | 43 | 114 | 503 | 244 | 232 | 52 | 4.22 | 229 | 381 | 1.48 | .263 |
| TOTAL PITCHING | 162 | 1,454.0 (12) | 86 (5) | 76 | 42 (6) | 106 (1) | 1,517 (4) | 725 (10) | 677 (10) | 163 (7) | 4.19 (7) | 496 (13) | 957 (16) | 1.38 (8) | .270 (13) |
TOTAL PITCHING: O-OBP .332 (9), O-SLG .431 (12)
Pitchers: Last date pitched in
TOTAL PITCHING: (NL rank)
TOTAL Relief (through 9/27)
St. Louis Cardinals GAME NOTES
Sv/SvOpp: 43/73 (59%)
1st batter/retired: 491/331 (67%)
Inherited runners/scored: 228/67 (29%)
Cardinals Record When
Home 46-35Away 40-41
Scoring more than 3 runs 78-18
Scoring 3 runs 6-18
Scoring fewer than 3 runs 2-40
Leading after 7 innings 73-14
Tied after 7 innings 8- 11
Trailing after 7 innings 5-51
Leading after 8 innings 75-6
Tied after 8 innings 10- 9
Trailing after 8 innings 1-61
Blown Saves by bullpen: 31 (1st in NL)
Games lost by bullpen: 31 (2nd in NL to San Diego Padres
2008 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres' 2008 season is a season in American baseball. The Padres are attempting to win the NL West for the 3rd time in 4 years.-Opening Day Lineup:...
)
Extra innings 6-12
Shutouts 7-5
One-run games 24-28
Out-hit opponents 60-18
Same hits as opponents 9-9
Out-hit by opponents 17-49
Runs via HR 279
Opp. Runs via HR 247
By Day
Mon. 6- 7
Tue. 13-12
Wed. 15- 9
Thu. 8-14
Fri. 14-12
Sat. 17- 9
Sun. 13-13
By Opponent
HOME ROAD TOTAL
Division
NL Central 20-19 16-22 36-41
NL East 12-7 10-7 22-14
NL West 12-5 9-8 21-13
AL East 2-1 2-1 4-2
AL Central 0-3 3-3 3-6
TOTALS 46-35 40-41 86-76
(Interleague 7-8)
Busch Stadium (Indexes)
2008 (100 = Neutral Park, > 100 Ballpark favors, < 100 Ballpark inhibits81 G; Cardinals: 2,731 AB; Opponents: 2,847 AB)
BA 98
R 94
H 96
2B 88
3B 102
HR 93
BB 99
SO 97
E 94
E-inf. 93
LHB-BA 97
LHB-HR 105
RHB-BA 98
RHB-HR 87
2006–2008 Index (3-yr. composite)
242 G; Cardinals: 8,143 AB; Opponents: 8,506 AB)
BA 99
R 94
H 99
2B 91
3B 92
HR 84
BB 99
SO 94
E 108
E-inf. 106
LHB-BA 98
LHB-HR 86
RHB-BA 99
RHB-HR 83
Draft picks
St. Louis' picks at the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft2008 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.-First round selections:* Did not sign...
in Lake Buena Vista
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on June 5, .
| Round | # | Player | Position | Class, Bats/Throws, Ht/Wt., birthdate (birthplace) | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Brett Wallace Brett Wallace Brett Alexander Wallace is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-High school:... |
3B / 1B | Junior, L/R, 6' 2" / 235 lbs., Aug. 26, 1986 (Sonoma, California Sonoma, California Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic... ) |
Arizona State University Arizona State University Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona... |
| Comp A | 39 | Lance Lynn Lance Lynn Michael Lance Lynn is an American professional baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early and personal life:... |
SP | Junior, R/R, 6' 5" / 250 lbs., May 12, 1987 (Brownsburg, Indiana Brownsburg, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 14,520 people, and 5,366 households residing in the town. The population density was 1,983.5 people per square mile . There were 5,574 housing units at an average density of 761.4 per square mile... ) |
University of Mississippi University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the... |
| 2 | 59 | Shane Peterson | OF / 1B | Junior, L/L, 6' 0" / 195 lbs., Feb. 11, 1988 (Temecula, CA) | Cal State Longbeach California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment... |
| 3 | 91 | Ernest Vasquez | SS | High School, R/R, 5' 11" / 175 lbs., Feb. 26, 1989 (Las Vegas, NV) | Durango High School (Nevada) Durango High School (Nevada) Durango High School is a public high school in Spring Valley, Nevada with an enrollment of approximately 2600 students. It is a part of the Area 4 region of the Clark County School District, which is the fifth largest school district in the United States.... |
| 4 | 125 | Scott Gorgen | SP | Junior, R/R, 5' 10" / 190 lbs., Jan. 27, 1987 (Concord, CA) | University of California, Irvine University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA... |
| 5 | 155 | Jermaine Curtis | 3B | Junior, R/R, 5' 11" / 190 lbs., Jul. 10, 1987 (Fontana, CA) | UCLA University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses... |
| 6 | 185 | Eric Fornataro | SP | High School, R/R, 6' 1" / 195 lbs., Jan. 2, 1988 (Richmond, VA) | Miami Dade College Miami Dade College Miami Dade College, or simply Miami Dade or MDC, is a state college with eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers located throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Florida College System. Miami Dade College is the largest school in the Florida College... (South) |
| 7 | 215 | Anthony Ferrara | SP | High School, R/L, 6' 1" / 175 lbs., Sep. 9, 1989 (Riverview, FL) | Riverview HS (FL) |
| 8 | 245 | Ryan Kulik | SP | Senior, L/L, 5' 11" / 205 lbs., Dec. 3, 1985 | Rowan University Rowan University Rowan University is a public university in Glassboro, New Jersey, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town... |
| 9 | 275 | Aaron Luna | LF | Junior, R/R, 5' 11" / 200 lbs., Mar. 28, 1987 | Rice University Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States... |
| 10 | 305 | Alejandro Castellanos | 2B | Sophomore, R/R, 5' 11" / 180 lbs., Aug. 4, 1986 | Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private liberal-arts Catholic college located in Belmont, North Carolina, USA west of Uptown Charlotte. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey... |
| 11 | 335 | Devin Shepherd | RF | Junior, R/R, 6' 3" / 180 lbs., Sep. 9, 1987 | College of Southern Nevada |
| 12 | 365 | Michael Swinson | CF | High School, L/R, 6' 2" / 185 lbs., Sep. 24, 1989 | Coffee HS (GA) |
| 13 | 395 | Mitchell Harris | RHP | Senior, R/R, 6' 4" / 215 lbs., Nov. 7, 1985 | United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
| 14 | 425 | Charles Cutler | C | Junior, L/R, 6' 0" / 200 lbs., Jul. 29, 1986 | California University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA... |
| 15 | 455 | Scott McGregor | RHP | Junior, R/R, 6' 2" / 193 lbs., Dec. 19, 1986 | Memphis University of Memphis The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system.... |
| 16 | 485 | Miguel Flores | RHP | Junior, R/R, 6' 0" / ? lbs., Jan. 2, 1988 | Cerritos College Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century... |
External links
- Current records and standings
- NL Team Batting Statistics
- NL Team Pitching Statistics
- NL Team Fielding Statistics
- St. Louis Cardinals 2008 Team Index at Baseball Reference
- St. Louis Cardinals Team Page at Scout.com
- 2008 First-Year Player Draft, June 5–6
- 2008 Draft Results
- (AAA) Memphis Redbirds: Roster