St. Louis Cardinals: Successful Sweeps of 2016

The 2016 St. Louis Cardinals have had a tough time securing sweeps this season.  This was evidenced last night in the loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates and at other times this season.

Last night’s loss against the Pirates, while also allowing the Mets to pull to a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL Wild Card slot, was disappointing as a loss.  In addition, this loss was disappointing as it was yet another would-be sweep gone in the wind.

We all want to cheer for a team that can close the door on a team via a sweep.  In years past, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to complete sweeps.  This just doesn’t seem to be the case with this season’s squad; or is it?

All is not lost, dear friends, as the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals have completed seven sweeps this season.  Does this mean that this team is worse than previous teams?  The 2015 Cardinals completed eleven sweeps, while the 2014 team completed only five sweeps in the entire season (so maybe this year isn’t so bad after all?).

As a quick point of reference, the 2006 World Series St. Louis Cardinals completed nine sweeps so this season’s team is only two behind at this point.  As another point of reference, the 2011 World Series Cardinals completed seven sweeps on the season.

Let’s take a look at the seven sweeps completed this season.

Next: April Braves Sweep

April 8-10, 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals made an early road trip to kick off the 2016 season into Atlanta where they faced the Braves for three games.  Admittedly, the Braves were beginning a rebuilding year but the Cardinals had just been swept themselves by the Pirates (embarrassingly too).

The Cardinals left Pittsburgh having lost 1-4, 5-6, and 1-5 in the first three games of the season.  In these games the St. Louis Cardinals were able to amass only seven runs.  The panic button had been pressed by many fans.

Enter the savior: the Atlanta Braves.  In the first game of the series, Jaime Garcia faced off against Matt Wisler.  Jaime went six innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits.  The bad luck looked like it was continuing.  The bats, however, came alive in the latter innings and the Cards won the game 7-4.  Kevin Siegrist took the win, Eric O’Flaherty took the loss and Trevor Rosenthal recorded the save.

The second game of the series had Carlos Martinez facing off against Julio Teheran.  Martinez took the win going six innings surrendering two earned runs on four hits.  The St. Louis Cardinals recorded runs in each inning except the first and sixth in this game and took the game by a score of 12-2.

The final game of the first sweep of 2016 for the St. Louis Cardinals had Adam Wainwright facing Williams Perez.  Waino pitched five innings in which he surrendered five earned runs on six hits.  Down 6-5 after the completed sixth inning, the Cardinals found their swagger and recorded two runs in the eighth and five runs in the ninth for a 12-7 victory.

The good times, they were rolling!

Next: May Angels Sweep

May 10-12, 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals again found road magic when they traveled out to California to face the Angels in May.  It is important to note, as was voiced many times during the broadcasts, that the Angels were experiencing a very frustrating season.  To their credit, the Cardinals capitalized upon these frustrations.

In the first game of the series, Mike Leake faced off against Hector Santiago.  Leake went eight innings and allowed one earned run on six hits.  The bats were alive from the beginning of this game as the St. Louis Cardinals scored early to take a 2-0 lead and didn’t stop there.  The final score was 8-1 in favor of the birds.

The second game of the series had Garcia facing off against Matt Shoemaker.  Jaime took the win going seven innings surrendering two unearned runs on four hits.  The St. Louis Cardinals recorded four runs early in this contest and then held this lead all the way to a 5-2 win with Rosenthal recording his sixth save on the season.

The final game of the second sweep of 2016 for the St. Louis Cardinals had Wainwright facing Jared Weaver.  Waino pitched five innings in which he surrendered six earned runs on eleven hits.  This was another worrying start for Waino but he was bailed out by the Cardinals offense who fought hard and secured a 12-10 win.

The good times, they were rolling, again!

Next: June Pirates Sweep

June 10-12, 2016

There’s a catching trend on this season: road wins.  To that tune, the St. Louis Cardinals again found road magic and revenge when they traveled back to Pittsburgh in June.  No one likes being swept but it is easier to forget an early season sweep when the Birds are able to return to the scene of the crime and commit a crime of their own.

In the first game of the series, Michael Wacha faced off against Gerrit Cole.  Wacha went seven innings and allowed only two earned runs on three hits.  This was the game that Cole exited very early with injury that would have him out for a while.  Despite Cole’s early exit, the Cards found it difficult to score until later in the game but won in large fashion via a 9-3 score.

The second game of the series had Martinez facing off (and going the distance) against former Cardinal-killer Francisco Liriano.  Carlos took the win going 8.1 innings surrendering one earned run on six hits.  The St. Louis Cardinals were able to jump on Liriano in the fifth inning for four runs and rode this to a 5-1 win with Rosenthal recording his twelfth save on the season.

We should take a minute to revel in the fact that Rosenthal had recorded his 12th save here in June.  We need to remember this as we now await his potential return here at the end of the season.  Might Rosenthal play a part for the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals down the stretch?  But that’s not what we are here for…

The final game of the revenge sweep of the Pirates had Leake pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals facing Jon Niese.  Leake pitched seven innings in which he surrendered three runs (2 earned) on six hits.  The Cardinals managed to score four runs before the fourth inning and then tacked on another four in sixth for an 8-3 win.

Revenge tastes even sweeter when it comes at the end of a broom, no?

Next: June Cubs Sweep

June 20-22, 2016

The 2016 Chicago Cubs were deemed the media darlings at the start of the season and were practically awarded the World Series title from the start.  True, they are a good team and were a good team in June, but the St. Louis Cardinals took a chip on their shoulder and strong bats into Wrigley and managed to steal a sweep.

In the first game of the series, Garcia faced off against former-Cardinal John Lackey.  Garcia went 6.2 innings and allowed only two earned runs on six hits.  Lackey, on the other hand, went six innings and gave up three earned runs on seven hits to take the loss.  The St. Louis Cardinals stole game one by this score of 3-2.  In this game, Seung-Hwan Oh recorded his thirteenth hold of the season.  Remember this name.

The second game of the series had Wainwright facing off against Jason Hamel.  Adam took the win going 6.2 innings surrendering three earned runs on six hits.  The St. Louis Cardinals were able to jump on Hamel early plating four runs before the fourth inning and held this to a 4-3 win with Rosenthal recording his 14th save on the season.

The final game of the sweep that rocked the NL-central media had Wacha pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals facing Cy Young shoe-in Jake Arrieta.  Wacha pitched 6.2 innings in which he surrendered two earned runs on three hits.  The Cardinals had a tough time scoring against Arrieta but managed to score runs in the fifth and sixth innings for a 7-2 win.

It is great to face the darling team and sweep them.  This is especially true in Wrigley.

Next: July Brewers Sweep

July 1-3, 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals celebrated Independence Day at home this season and the lead-up to this holiday was a visit by the Milwaukee Brewers.  An early celebration for the Cardinals came as a three-game frustration for the brew crew.

In the first game of the series, Garcia faced off against Matt Garza.  Garcia went eight innings and allowed only one earned run on four hits.  Garza faced some tough luck surrendering seven runs (four earned) on nine hits in only 5.2 innings.  The first game was won easily by the Cardinals behind a 7-1 score.

The second game of the series had Wainwright facing off against Jimmy Nelson.  Wainwright took the win going seven innings surrendering no earned run on seven hits.  A low scoring affair, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to record only three runs in the fourth inning but these were all that were needed.  The final score was 3-0 with Oh taking his first save on the season.

The final game of the sweep of the Brewers had Wacha pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals facing Chase Anderson.  Wacha pitched five innings in which he surrendered two earned runs on nine hits.  The Cardinals scored often in this game, recording runs in every inning save the second, third, and eighth (and no need to swing in the ninth).  This scoring was important as the game was close and ended with a 9-8 win.

The good times were rolling again.

Next: July Padres Sweep

July 18-21, 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals faced the San Diego Padres in the middle of July in a four-game set across four days with one rain-out and one double-header.  The rain-out came on my birthday on July 19 and all four games of the sweep came at Busch Stadium– the home that had and has proven a difficult place in which the Cardinals can win.

In the first game of the series, Leake faced off against Christian Friedrich.  Leake went six innings and allowed only one earned run on six hits.  Leake proudly struck out eleven batters in the competition and helped secure the 10-2 rout of the Padres.

The second game which was originally scheduled to have been played on July 19, was the first game of a double-header on July 20.  This game had Martinez facing off against Colin Rea.  Martinez secured his ninth win on the season going seven innings surrendering two earned run on four hits.  A close bout but the Cardinals pulled away in the fourth and took the 4-2 win.

The third game of the four-game series, the second game of the double-header on July 20, had Jaime facing Paul Clemens.  Garcia secured his seventh win on the season by going only 5.2 innings but surrendering only one earned run on six hits.  Similar to the first game of the series, the ending score showed the close bout and concluded with a 3-2 win.

The final game of the sweep of the Padres had Wainwright pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals facing Andrew Cashner.  Neither starting pitcher took a decision.  Wainwright pitched six innings in which he surrendered two earned runs on seven hits.  The close game turned into a bullpen game and the Cardinals pulled away when it mattered to secure a 6-5 win.

These four games, one rain-out, and one double-header proved to be successful but tiring for the birds on the bat.

Next: August Astros Sweep

August 16-17, 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals went on the road, a welcomed place for wins for this season’s redbirds, to Houston and into Minute Maid Stadium for the next sweep of the season.  The Cardinals love playing at Minute Maid and this short, two-game series lived up to that billing.

In the first game of the series, Garcia faced off against Dallas Keuchel.  Garcia went five innings and allowed five earned runs on seven hits.  What started as a rough night for Garcia ended with him taking the win.  Keuchel had a rough night too having given up one more earned run than Garcia.  The Cardinals took this one additional run allowed and added to it.  The winning score was 8-5.

The final game of the two-game sweep of the Astros had Martinez pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals facing Doug Fister.  Martinez pitched seven innings in which he surrendered one earned run on three hits.  Fister lasted only four innings and allowed the Cards to score four earned runs on seven hits.  The final score to secure the win was 8-2.

The good times were rolling again.

Next: The Sweep(s) That Might Have Been