St. Louis Cardinals

Stan Musial was the perfect fit for the city that became his home and the era in which he played.

That's not to say the Hall of Famer known as "The Man,'' who died Saturday at 92, could not have thrived in a different place and time. A career batting average of .331, with 3,630 hits — the second-most ever in the National League — and 475 home runs will play anywhere.

Musial even fares well in a modern-day statistic like wins above replacement (WAR), where his 123.4 mark ranks ninth all-time, a notch ahead of Ted Williams.

CONTINUE

No last name necessary.

A slew of batting titles. Corkscrew stance. Humble. A gentleman. All-around good guy.

Stan the Man.

Stanley Frank Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals star who was one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, died Saturday. He was 92.

"I never heard anybody say a bad word about him — ever," Willie Mays said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame.

The Cardinals announced Musial's death in a news release and said he died at his home in Ladue, a St... read more

By Paul White - USA Today

Teams seldom get this far into October without contributions from players who weren't part of the plan when the season began.

And the final three teams in this postseason are examples of the available versions of that success formula.

The usual route to securing a playoff berth includes a key acquisition or two at or before the July 31 trading deadline. But entrusting key roles to kids right out of the farm system has paid dividends in recent years.

The St. Louis Cardinals — with Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal turning the bullpen into a prime asset — are this year's finest example... read more

By Karen Crouse

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s a rainy day in late October and the home team, fresh from defeating the St. Louis Cardinals and their ace, Chris Carpenter, in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, is one victory from a World Series berth opposite the Detroit Tigers.

Beltran said he does not "need to erase anything,” about his 2006 strikeout.

Is it live, or a traumatized Mets fan’s flashback?

The similarities are striking between the Giants’ Game 7 against the Cardinals on Monday night at AT&T Park and the series decider that the Mets and Cardinals played at Shea Stadium in 2006... read more

By Derrick Goold

Several times in the past few seasons, as they alternated turns on the disabled list, Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter and his protégé Adam Wainwright have mentioned individually how they'd like to someday be pitching healthy and, in their words, "dominate" together.

This October is not exactly what they meant.

But it's as close as they've come.

"Maybe we're not 100 percent the animal we have been in the past, if I'm being honest," Wainwright said. "But at the same time we're both strong enough to pitch real, real well. We're both competitive enough to do more than enough to get the job done... read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The big curveball was back, and Barry Zito mixed in some well-placed fastballs, too.

It was just like the good old days.

Zito was at his best Friday night, pitching San Francisco back into the NL championship series with a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that narrowed its deficit to 3-2.

"All things considered, you know, there's definitely some playoff memories there, but they were in a different uniform," the soft-tossing lefty said after his first playoff win in six years sent the series back to San Francisco.

"This was probably the biggest one for me... read more

By Bernie Miklasz

Let’s warm it up a little in advance of NLCS Game 5:

The Cardinals don’t need any motivation going into Game 5. They have a chance to end the NL championship series. They have a chance to become the NL champs for the second consecutive year, for the third time in seven years, and for the fourth time in nine years. They have a chance to win the 19th NL pennant in franchise history.

However … from a practical standpoint, and a personal standpoint, it would be in the Cardinals’ best interests to end the Giants’ season tonight at Busch Stadium... read more

ST. LOUIS -- Tim Lincecum's days as a reliever are over. Manager Bruce Bochy named the two-time Cy Young Award winner his starter for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bochy also announced that Barry Zito would start Game 5, sending Game 1 starter Madison Bumgarner to the bullpen after two rough postseason starts. Lincecum has yet to get a start this season but has been brilliant out of the bullpen, giving up just three hits and striking out nine in 8 1/3 relief innings... read more

By Ken Rosenthal

I’ve already written one mea culpa for criticizing the Cardinals’ hiring of Mike Matheny, who had no previous managing experience. 

Here comes another.

Heck, maybe it’s time for me to just go all-in on the no-experience guys. Given the respective successes of Matheny and the White Sox’s Robin Ventura in their first seasons, it would be difficult to question the Red Sox if they took a chance on Brad Ausmus. I’d probably draw the line if the Rockies hired Jason Giambi. But really, what the heck do I know anymore?

Matheny, as the Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak anticipated, is growing month by month, series by series, day by day... read more

The game plan for the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS likely didn't involve Carlos Beltran providing the team's only offensive production.

Yet after two games against the San Francisco Giants, that's essentially how it's played out for the Cardinals. St. Louis lost Game 2 of the series, 7-1, on Monday night with only Beltran showing a pulse. He batted 2-for-3, accounting for nearly all of the team's offense. (Chris Carpenter drove in the Cards' lone run with an RBI double.) 

Beltran has been excellent thus far through the postseason, compiling a ... read more

Paul White, USA TODAY SportsShare

(Photo: Kelley L Cox, US Presswire)

• The Cardinals open Game 1 of the NLCS with a 6-4 win
• Carlos Beltran capped a four-run fourth with his 14th postseason home run
• The Giants answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth

1:32AM EDT October 15. 2012 - SAN FRANCISCO – The St. Louis Cardinals' playoff Class of 2012 has a suggestion – let's get ahead in series for a change.

The Cardinals combined some of the heroes of their wild ride to the 2011 World Series championship with some newer contributors for a 6-4 victory over the Giants in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series... read more

A walk-off home run by Jayson Werth sent the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals into a Game 5 elimination set for Friday night.

The winner faces the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS after their historic comebackfrom an 0-2 deficit against the Cincinnati Reds—the first National League team ever to do so in a five-game divisional series... read more

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to show them how to win. His game-ending homer Thursday night extended their surprising season. 

Werth led off the bottom of the ninth inning by driving Lance Lynn's 13th pitch into the left-field stands to give the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and force a Game 5 in their NL division series.

As he circled the bases, Werth raised his right index finger in a "No... read more

WASHINGTON -- Set aside the high-pressure task of postseason pitching that Chris Carpenterroutinely masters for the St. Louis Cardinals and think about this:

Even the take-it-for-granted act of breathing feels odd on occasion now that he's missing a rib and two neck muscles.

Taking the mound for only the fourth time in 2012 after complicated surgery to cure numbness on his right side, the 37-year-old Carpenter spoiled the return of postseason baseball to Washington by throwing scoreless ball into the sixth inning, and the defending champion Cardinals beat the Nationals 8-0 Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in their NL division series... read more

Chris Carpenter pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and even picked up two hits. (Alex Brandon / AP)

The Cardinals right-handed starter was pulled for fire-balling reliever Trevor Rosenthal with two outs in the sixth inning. Carpenter, who overcame major injuries to return late this season, allowed a single to Ian Desmond (who is 7 for 11 in the series) and a single to pinch hitter Steve Lombardozzi. 

That’s good news for the Nationals, who could muster little at all against Carpenter and have seen much of the Cardinals bullpen... read more

By Joe Strauss

Nuance, drama and debatable tactics had their run in Sunday afternoon’s shadows. The Cardinals dispensed with such baubles Monday, reverting instead to their true offensive nature in a reminder of what a feast-or-famine attack can do to even elite arms.

There was no eighth-inning turning point this time, no bullpen intrigue that tilted the more veteran manager’s direction.

In a game that history said the Cardinals had to have, the defending World Series champions pounded the Washington Nationals with an early-inning flurry that allowed them to sidestep suspense in a 12-4 win before 45,840... read more

By ALAN FERGUSON

(AP) -- The Washington Nationals hardly looked like postseason newcomers while grinding out a close win over the defending World Series champions.

The Nationals now seek to head home with a commanding lead in their NL division series, and Jordan Zimmermann will try to help by overcoming a rocky history against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 on Monday.

Making the franchise's second playoff appearance and first since 1981, Washington calmly rallied for a 3-2 victory Sunday... read more

The Cardinals have wrapped up a playoff spot. It's time to enjoy it.Today is game number one hundred and sixty-two, friends. The very last game of the season.

The Cards sewed up their postseason berth last night in typical 2012 Cardinals fashion, with a frustrating loss, but the Dodgers were obliging, and any final day drams can now be avoided. Not to say that's necessarily a good thing, mind you; I'm sure we all recall the brilliant, heart-stopping drams of last year's final day with a certain amount of fondness.

This year, though, the Last Day isn't quite so fraught... read more

While they didn't find out until well after losing their last game, the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are officially headed back to the playoffs.

With both teams looking to pick up steam, the Cardinals wrap up the regular season against Homer Bailey and the NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

Though it could have clinched with a win, St. Louis (87-74), which fell 3-1 on Tuesday, locked up a playoff berth with the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-3 loss to San Francisco later that night. The Cardinals will play at Atlanta on Friday in the new one-game playoff between wild-card teams... read more

By David Webber (Correspondent) on October 1, 2012

Former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter recently made a surprise return to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals following a season-long stint on the DL. As October nears, Carpenter's return could prove vital to a Cardinals team looking to repeat as World Series champions.

Here are five reasons why Carpenter's return will ultimately benefit the Cardinals. 

1. He Provides Valuable Postseason Experience

Carpenter has been stellar in the playoffs throughout his career... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/20/2012 1:00 AM ET

HOU@STL: Lynn shuts down Astros for 16th victory

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals blasted their way into the history books on Wednesday night, while also pushing themselves closer to securing a return trip to the postseason.

Home runs by David Freese and Yadier Molina were more than sufficient to back starter Lance Lynn, whose resurgence in the rotation extended for at least another turn.

St. Louis assured itself of a series win with a 5-0 victory over the Astros in front of 39,062 at Busch Stadium... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/19/2012 1:34 AM ET

HOU@STL: Lohse fans five over seven scoreless innings

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals returned to Busch Stadium on Tuesday with a Wild Card lead and an upcoming schedule appropriately characterized as favorable.

And by taking advantage of the latter, the Cards padded the former.

St. Louis sent the Astros to their 100th loss of the season with a 4-1 victory to open a stretch of nine consecutive games against the National League Central's two bottom clubs... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/14/2012 2:35 AM ET

STL@LAD: Lynn fans seven, allows one run in 15th win

LOS ANGELES -- At risk of being caught in the Wild Card race by a similarly sputtering team, the Cardinals, in a welcome development, overcame continued inefficiency on offense with just enough clutch hitting and a strong performance from rotation returner Lance Lynn.

The timely hitting that eluded the Cardinals during a series sweep in San Diego wasn't exactly bountiful on Thursday... read more

By Chelsea Janes / MLB.com | 09/11/12 10:45 PM ET

SAN DIEGO -- For many members of the Cardinals family, the 11th anniversary of attacks of September 11th was in the presence of those who have played a major role in the nation's military response to the tragedy: U.S. Navy SEALs.

Players Tony Cruz, Pete Kozma, and Shane Robinson were among the Cardinals contingent that made the trip to the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado. The group was shown a video on the SEAL experience, got to watch some SEAL training from afar, and met some of the current SEALs... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 09/06/12 10:00 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- Oscar Taveras has long turned heads in the Cardinals' organization, which has been enamored by his athleticism and raw hitting ability since Taveras signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2008.

This year, the outfielder gave fits to Texas League opponents. He earned league honors along the way, and was a highlight of the summer All-Star Futures Game.

Now, as Taveras tries to lead Double-A Springfield through a playoff run, he is being recognized in the rankings.

MLB... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/5/2012 1:12 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- Putting a pair of rocky starts behind him, Jaime Garcia, back at Busch Stadium, offered a reminder of how critical a cog he can be in this rotation as the Cardinals make a late-season push toward October.

In the immediate, Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Mets, which came in front of 34,108 fans, inched the Cards to within two games of the Braves, who are currently positioned as the top Wild Card team. It also solidified St. Louis' grasp on the second Wild Card spot.

Garcia's continued progression, though, is what can have an impact well beyond the night... read more

By Brian StullPublished: September 03, 2012 @ 3:17pm

What began as a process to help determine his availability for 2013 has now become a realization that Chris Carpenter is likely return to the St. Louis Cardinals rotation this season.

“Is it realistic, I think it is,” answered General Manager John Mozeliak. “But rather than get out in front of that, let’s just see how he does tomorrow and if he can be back this year, I think it’s going to be a great shot in the arm for the club.”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes if I can get back and be healthy and help this club, but I’m not going to do it if I can’t help them,” said Carpenter... read more

Published: September 03, 2012 @ 3:50pm

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Rookie Joe Kelly pitched 6 2-3 effective innings and also doubled, and the St. Louis Cardinals took advantage of a baserunning mistake to beat the New York Mets 5-4 Monday.

Andres Torres led off the Mets ninth with an apparent double, but was called out by first base umpire Dave Rackley on an appeal for missing first base.

Kelly (5-6) allowed five hits and two runs. He made his second start after a brief stint in the bullpen, and turned in his longest outing of the season.

Edward Mujica got the last out of the seventh, giving him 16 straight scoreless appearances since coming over from Miami at the trade deadline... read more

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter (left) talks with Adam Wainwright during  the Aug. 16 game at Busch Stadium. (Photo by Chris Lee / clee@post-dispatch.com)

PITTSBURGH • Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, before he ran the steps at PNC Park in a late-afternoon workout, detoured to the Cardinals' bullpen Tuesday to watch one of his starting pitchers throw a brief bullpen session. The pitcher was Chris Carpenter.

In between treatments and then surgery for a nerve condition that affected his right shoulder, Carpenter has led the league in bullpen sessions thrown without ever pitching this year... read more

Jeff Gordon previews today’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:05 p.m. at  PNC Park in Pittsburgh (FSM).

THE STAKES: The Cardinals moved within six games of the National League Central lead by winning two of three games at Cincinnati. The Reds won’t be easily caught, though, so the Cardinals must also pay attention to the race for the wild card play-in game. At the moment they hold the second play-in game berth, 1½ games ahead of the Dodgers and two games up on the Pirates. This series in Pittsburgh gives the Cardinals a chance to push the Pirates further behind... read more

By Eric Ball

Freese was on fire for the entire postseason.

He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player and had a 13-game postseason win streak at one point. It matched the all-time National League record.

But he saved his best for the World Series.

In Game 6, with his team down three games to two against the Texas Rangers, Freese stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth representing the Cardinals final hope.

On a two-strike count he roped a two-run triple to send the game into extras where he would eventually hit the walk-off homer to send the series to a Game 7... read more

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NO LONGER RUNNING DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.  THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.  

A PRIZE IS BEING AWARDED BASED ON CURRENT NUMBERS.  

By Paul Rados

The 2012 MLB regular season is well underway with over two months of baseball already in the books. It is still a long road to October, but paths are already starting to take shape and many surprises have already occurred along the way. The early portions of the season bring promise but at this point anything can still happen.

The highlight of the day will be when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park located in Detroit, Mich.

Lance Lynn (10-2, 2.42 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals facing off against the Tigers' Justin Verlander (6-4, 2... read more

By R.B. FALLSTROM AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS—When the first five San Diego Padres reached safely, it looked as if it'd be a long night for rookie Lance Lynn. The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher showed veteran presence after that.

Lynn came back with five scoreless innings after a three-run first Wednesday night and the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres and former St. Louis postseason star Jeff Suppan 6-3 for a three-game sweep.

At 7-1, the 25-year-old right-hander is tied with the Phillies' Cole Hamels for the major league victory lead.

"When you give it up, you can't keep giving it up or it's going to be a long night," Lynn said... read more

Reuters

10:08 p.m. CDT, May 22, 2012

The Cardinals endured a costly wardrobe malfunction Monday but still emerged with a 4-3 win over the Padres.

A second-inning balk called on left-hander Jaime Garcia when his glove caught in his shirt led to the only run through the first 6 1/2 innings. Then action heated up as the lead changed three times in the next two innings.A two-run homer in the eighth by Tyler Greene, whose single had started the Cardinals' two-run rally in the seventh, kept the Cardinals in first place in theNational League Central when it appeared they would fall from the top spot for the first time this season... read more

Reuters

10:07 p.m. CDT, May 21, 2012

The only good thing about the Cardinals' 1-4 trip is they returned home still in first place in the National League Central Division, albeit only a half game ahead of Cincinnati.

The 1-4 trip followed a 1-4 homestand, giving the Cardinals eight losses in their last 10 games. In three of their four losses on the trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles, they scored five runs, which would have been enough to win earlier in theseason. But the bullpen let them down Sunday in a 6-5 loss at Los Angeles... read more

POSTED May 20, 2012 8:13 p.m

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The trick play, a delayed double steal, had blown up moments earlier and now Mike Matheny had to face the music.

Most times, Tony La Russa would have pursed his lips, glared and growled in an attempt to cut the reporters' interrogation short, change the subject. His rookie successor as the St. Louis Cardinals manager kept his cool, took the blame and fielded more than one question about what exactly happened.

"I'll just say," Matheny said in a level voice, "that the play didn't go as planned."

The Cardinals are still a first-place team without La Russa, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols and longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan... read more

By JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO—Adam Wainwright's fielders gave him little help, making three errors that led to three unearned runs. He just wished he could have bailed out his teammates with the tough pitching he expects from himself every game.

Brandon Crawford hit a two-run single after one St. Louis miscue and David Freese's throwing error helped the San Francisco Giants score the go-ahead run in a 7-5 victory over the Cardinals on Thursday.

"I had ample opportunities to make pitches to get out of innings that I didn't make," Wainwright said... read more

SAN FRANCISCO — David Freese delivered a crushing hit right after the Giants tied the game, and Jaime Garcia had a lead again when he headed back out to the mound in the bottom of the seventh.

Garcia matched his career high with nine strikeouts, Freese hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals gave manager Mike Matheny a victory against his old Giants team with a 4-1 win Wednesday night.

Freese won’t go as far as to say he’s back on track at the plate following an 0-for-17 funk, but this is certainly a start... read more

BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

SAN FRANCISCO • Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran is dealing with a right knee condition that is both a byproduct of past knee surgery and plantar fasciitis affecting his right foot... read more

BY BERNIE MIKLASZ, Post-Dispatch Sports Columnist |

It keeps getting more complicated for Albert Pujols in his new baseball life in Anaheim. In the latest episode of Albert Angst, he’s being blamed, perhaps unfairly, for the Angels’ firing of longtime batting coach Mickey Hatcher... read more

The St. Louis Cardinals placed Jon Jay on the disabled list Tuesday, and Jay's injury—it's a recurrence of the sprained shoulder he dealt with last month, after bouncing a little too hard off an outfield wall—shows just how thin the Cardinals' depth in center field has become since last year, where Jay was the backup himself for a scuffling Colby Rasmus. Shane Robinson made a hasty return to the 25-man roster in the ensuing roster move, while Skip Schumaker started that afternoon. And with Carlos Beltran's knee injury leaving him benched two games in a row, the Cardinals seem unlikely to risk putting him in center field any time soon... read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Mike Matheny was feeling a bit giddy after the St. Louis Cardinals avoided an 0-5 homestand.

"There's going to be some loud music playing in the clubhouse, and there's going to be some crazy stuff on the plane, too," Matheny said after Yadier Molina's RBI single with two outs in the ninth gave St. Louis a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday. "I can't tell you how proud I am about just the fight in this team. "That's going to pay off."

The Cubs shaded Molina to hit up the middle, and second baseman Darwin Barney could only get his glove partially of a grounder to the right side... read more

BY DERRICK GOOLD • dgoold@post-dispatch.com

On the brink of a wasted series and a winless homestand, the Cardinals shed just enough of their ragged play Tuesday to reconnect with a goal that last fall's resilient club associated with its eventual takeoff... read more

BY RICK HUMMEL 

Mark McGwire, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday all have batted cleanup in a major league batting order more than 2,500 times apiece in their careers, and their total for plate appearances in the No... read more

BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

They've completed almost 20 percent of their season and the Cardinals are hitting well enough to spot American League teams the designated hitter and still lead them in runs scored... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com |

PHOENIX -- Seeing as much an opportunity to prevent Kyle Lohse from further aggravating his hamstring as a chance to seize the lead, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny summoned Matt Carpenter to pinch-hit for Lohse in a key sixth-inning spot... read more

BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

PHOENIX • The Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina could officially breathe a sigh of relief Wednesday.

Molina's left (catching) hand sustained only some painful bruising Tuesday night when he took a Mitchell Boggs fastball off the fatty pad near the base of the hand... read more

BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

PHOENIX • Yes, Virginia, the Cardinals have a sweep.

Restrained by a weird season-long gravity for five innings, the NL Central leaders broke free Wednesday with a two-run sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks... read more

BY JOE STRAUSS • jstrauss@post-dispatch.com

PHOENIX • Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina suffered a bruised left hand during Tuesday's ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks... read more