St. Louis Cardinals: A Plan From Within To Save the Bullpen

The St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen has been shaky through the first two months of the season. But there’s still time to turn it around.

The first quarter of the 2017 season in Major League Baseball has come and gone, and the St. Louis Cardinals are 22-19 and in second place after 41 games. After a disappointing 3-5 homestand, they hit the road for three-game series against the Los Angles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, the two top teams in the National League West.

Through almost two months of the schedule, several characteristics of the 2017 Cardinals have surfaced. The starting rotation is among the league’s best. Carlos Martinez looks more like an ace with each start after a frustrating April. Adam Wainwright bounced back with two great starts after a rough beginning to the season.

Those two guys were the first two starters for the Cardinals this season. We haven’t even gotten to Lance Lynn who has quietly returned to his usual self after missing a year to injury. Mike Leake is having the best season of his career. Michael Wacha looks more like the Michael Wacha that burst onto the scene in 2013 than the Wacha who pitched with chronic shoulder trouble two of the previous seasons.

As far as offense goes, manager Mike Matheny has mixed and matched lineups in search of something that will click. Dexter Fowler, Stephen Piscotty, Matt Carpenter, and Aledmys Diaz are among the hitters who are performing below their career standards.

Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk each have a hold on their starting spots after some uncertainty in previous years. Jedd Gyorko has emerged as the team’s cleanup hitter and everyday third baseman. Jose Martinez, Tommy Pham, and Magneuris Sierra have provided a spark. Yadier Molina is Yadier Molina.

But what about the bullpen? Well, it’s struggled. The Cardinals have already lost four games in which they lead when the starting pitcher exited. Management has insisted on carrying eight relievers even in the midst of many recent off days and uncertainty about roles.

Of those eight, not many of them right now have the confidence of Cardinal Nation to protect a close lead of get out of a jam. Maybe one, maybe none. But nevertheless, the Cardinals are only a game and a half out of first place in the National League Central Division. Their bullpen woes haven’t sunk them, and there’s still time to right the ship.

Through the St. Louis Cardinals’ first 41 games, 10 of them have included a blown save, a loss, or both, by the bullpen.

Sunday, April 2

With the Cardinals leading 3-0 heading into the 9th inning on Opening Night, closer Seung-Hwan Oh took the mound against the Chicago Cubs. He needed three more outs to secure for his team its first victory of the season after recording two outs in the eighth inning.

He hit leadoff batter Ben Zobrist with a pitch and with one out, Jason Heyward reached on an infield single. That brought the tying run to the plate, Wilson Contreras. The Chicago catcher connected for a game-tying three run home run, stunning the Busch Stadium crowd.

After the blown save, Oh got the final two outs of the inning and the Cardinals rallied in the bottom half of the ninth to win 4-3.

Thursday, April 6

The Cardinals led the Cubs 4-2 heading into the seventh inning of the Opening Series finale. Lance Lynn and Matt Bowman relayed the lead to Brett Cecil, making his second appearance in a Cardinals uniform.

Cecil struck out Matt Szczur to begin the inning, but he reached first base as the ball in the dirt stuck to Yadier Molina’s chest protector. It was officially scored as a wild pitch by Cecil. The next batter, Jon Jay, drew a walk. Kyle Schwarber followed with a go-ahead, three run blast.

The Cubs chased Cecil for another run in the inning as his final stat line read: 0 IP, 4 ER. Cecil was charged with the blown save and loss as the Cardinals dropped the matinee 6-4.

Tuesday, April 25

Starting pitcher Michael Wacha pitched six inning of two-run ball in the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. He handed a 2-2 tie to the bullpen in the seventh inning. Matt Bowman couldn’t hold the tie in the seventh, allowing two runs, the first runs he’d allowed all season.

The Cardinals tied the game at four in the bottom half, however, courtesy of Jose Martinez’s first big-league home run. The game remained 4-4 heading into the ninth inning when Brett Cecil took the mound.

He allowed an unearned run to cross the plate, although his errant pickoff throw to first base was reason for the Jays pushing the go-ahead run across. The Cardinals again tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.

In the eleventh inning with the game tied at five, Miguel Socolovich took the mound for his second full inning of work. A throwing error by shortstop Aledmys Diaz allowed the go-ahead run to score, and the Cardinals didn’t have a third comeback in them.

Socolovich was tagged with the loss as the Cardinals fell to the Blue Jays in eleven innings, 6-5.

Sunday, April 30

In the second game of a rain-abbreviated two game series against the Cincinnati Reds, starter Mike Leake pitched six strong innings and handed the bullpen a 4-1 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Matt Bowman began the seventh on the mound. After surrendering a leadoff single, he got the next two batters out. The Reds then got a pair of two-out hits off of Bowman, chasing him from the game and cutting the deficit to 4-3.

Brett Cecil entered the game and allowed the inherited runner to score on a double by Scott Schebler that tied the game at four. He got the final out of the inning with some help from a defensive gem by third baseman Jedd Gyorko.

In the eighth inning, the Reds took the lead off of Trevor Rosenthal. He walked two and Joey Votto drove home the go-ahead run with a single.

Cecil was charged with the blown save and Rosenthal took the loss as the Reds beat the Cardinals, 5-4.

Monday, May 1

Down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals rallied to tie the game at four. The game went to extra innings, where Seung-Hwan Oh took the mound for a second inning of work in the tenth.

Hernan Perez reached to lead off the inning thanks to a throwing error by second baseman Kolten Wong. Jonathan Villar moved Perez to second on a sacrifice bunt. Oh then intentionally walked Eric Thames, and struck out Domingo Santana.

The strikeout of Santana should have been the third out of the inning. Instead, it was only the second and Travis Shaw had the chance play hero. That’s exactly what he did, as he sent a two-strike breaking ball into the right field bleachers for a go-ahead three run home run.

Jedd Gyorko hit his second solo home run of the night in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals fell short, 7-5. Oh took his first loss of the year.

Thursday, May 4

In the final game of the series against the Brewers, both bullpens inherited a 4-4 tie after five innings. The Cardinals were the first to blink, as Jesus Aguilar hit a solo home run off of Matt Bowman in the seventh inning to put Milwaukee ahead.

The Cardinals’ bats couldn’t push a run across the plate from the fourth inning on, and Bowman took the loss in a 5-4 defeat.

Sunday, May 8

Starter Michael Wacha handed the pen a 4-2 lead after the seventh inning stretch. Matt Bowman allowed an unearned run in the seventh inning, and Brett Cecil allowed a game-tying home run to Freddie Freeman the next inning. It was his third blown save of the year.

The Cardinals relief corps bore down after that, however, and held the Braves scoreless through the next six innings. Tommy Pham’s two run home run in the fourteenth inning set up a 6-4 victory for St. Louis.

Wednesday, May 17

Mike Leake continued his stellar year with seven innings of two-run ball. The Cardinals led 4-2 heading into the eighth inning with setup man Trevor Rosenthal taking the mound.

He struck Mookie Betts out on a trio of 100+ mph fastballs to begin the inning. Dustin Pedroia worked a one-out walk thanks in part to a narrow strike zone. Xander Bogaerts followed with a triple to cut the lead to 4-3. Andrew Benintendi tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The game went to extras, tied 4-4.

Seung-Hwan Oh, Matt Bowman, and Sam Tuivailala kept the game tied through the twelfth. In the thirteenth inning, Tuivailala took the mound for his second inning of work. He got two quick outs, but a ground-rule double and intentional walk set up runners on first and second base with two out.

The move to intentionally walk Jackie Bradley Jr. didn’t pan out, as pinch-hitter Christ Young delivered a go-ahead single to put the Red Sox up 5-4.

The Cardinals couldn’t score in the bottom half for the eleventh consecutive inning and Tuivailala took the loss in a 5-4 defeat.

Friday, May 19

On extra rest, starter Michael Wacha hurled six scoreless innings and gave way to the bullpen with a 2-0 lead in hand. In the seventh, Jonathan Broxton allowed two quick hits and was replaced by Matt Bowman. Bowman allowed both runners to score, and was tagged with an unearned run himself as Boston took a 3-2 lead with a three-run seventh inning.

The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the seventh, as Dexter Fowler delivered a go-ahead, three run home run to put St. Louis back on top, 5-3.

Boston trimmed the lead to 5-4 with a run off of Sam Tuivailala in the eighth inning. In the ninth, closer Seung-Hwan Oh blew his second save of the year as Eduardo Nunez delivered a go-ahead two run double with one out.

Bowman and Oh blew saves in the game, and Oh took his second loss of the year as the Giants squeaked out a 6-5 win.

Saturday, May 20

The following night, Carlos Martinez dazzled with nine shutout innings. The only problem was the Cardinals’ offense couldn’t scratch across a single run and the game went to extra innings tied at zero.

It remained 0-0 entering the thirteenth inning, where Kevin Siegrist took the mound for his second inning of work. He allowed four consecutive hits after striking out Brandon Belt to begin the inning, and the Giants took a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Broxton finished the inning and allowed one inherited runner to score, giving San Francisco a 3-0 cushion.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored one run in the bottom of the inning but it wasn’t enough as Siegrist took his first loss of the year in a 3-1 defeat.

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently carrying eight relief pitchers on their 25-man roster. These are the five that need to stay.

Seung-Hwan Oh

While Oh hasn’t looked nearly as lights-out as he did in his rookie season last year, he hasn’t done anything that warrants his removal from the closer’s role. He recently blew his second save of the year, but it was his first since the very first game of the season.

Before his blown save against the Giants last Friday, Oh had strung together thirteen consecutive outings in which he did not allow an unearned run. That streak lowered his earned run average from 9.53 to 2.61.

Though his 1.48 WHIP is up fifty-six points from his 0.92 mark a year ago and his K/9 rate is down from 11.6 to 6.6, he’ll be the closer moving forward.

Trevor Rosenthal

Rosenthal has been the best relief pitcher for the Cardinals this season, hands down. After an ugly season last year, his return to dominance on the hill has been a welcome and needed development for the relief corps.

He’s settled into the role of eighth-inning set-up man, and has converted five of his six hold opportunities to go along with three saves in three opportunities.

He’s throwing his fastball as hard as he’s ever thrown it. It averages 99.2 mph, and has topped out at 101.7 mph this year. He also mixes in a plus-changeup and a plus-slider to keep opposing hitters off balance.

He’s struck out twenty-eight in just 16 1/3 innings pitched. That’s a rate of fifteen strikeouts per nine innings. All this he’s done while recovering from a lat injury he suffered in the spring as well as regular soreness in his arm after he pitches.

Matt Bowman

Bowman leads the team with nine holds this season. That’s tied for sixth in all of Major League Baseball. His one blown save was a result of an unearned run. He’s held opponents to a minuscule .191 batting average while walking only five and striking out fifteen in twenty-two appearances.

Bowman is Mike Matheny’s best option to protect a lead before the eighth inning.

Brett Cecil*

*4 years, $30.5 million.

We all know how Cecil has pitched to begin the year. If Cecil signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals in the offseason, it’d be easier to talk about letting him go. Instead, we must be reasonable and consider the bigger picture.

Cecil isn’t going anywhere. It’s the first year of his contract. No one will want to trade for him. The Cardinals aren’t going to cut their losses and eat $30 million that’s due a relief pitcher.

Another reason for keeping Cecil is because of Kevin Siegrist’s struggles. Sure, Cecil’s struggled against lefties this season, but his major-leauge resume suggests he’s a better pitcher, especially against left-handed hitters than he’s let on in a Cardinals uniform.

Zach Duke will be on the disabled list likely for the remainder of the year, and Tyler Lyons is currently rehabbing from a rib cage strain. Those are the only other southpaw relief options the Cardinals have on their 40-man roster. Cecil is here for the long haul.

Sam Tuivailala

The bullpen’s struggles have been Sam Tuivailala’s opportunity. The most appearances he’s had in a single major-league season to date was 14, in 2015. He’s already taken the hill ten times for St. Louis in 2017. He’s 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in those ten appearances.

He’s pitched in four of the Cardinals’ last five games, in part a sign that Matheny has growing confidence in Tuivailala’s ability. His fastball has always been good, but he’s displayed growing willingness in throwing his breaking ball, and it’s worked for him.

He looked completely in control during his last outing against San Francisco. He struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish off a 8-3 win against the Giants.

These are some in-house bullpen options the St. Louis Cardinals have in their minor league system.

Ryan Sherriff

It’s time Ryan Sherriff gets his shot with St. Louis. He got his first invitation to Major-League Spring Training earlier this year. He was an All-Star reliever from the left side with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds last season.

This year, he leads the Memphis staff in appearances, with nineteen. He’s 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA, and in the midst of a streak of 6 1/3 scoreless innings after a slow start. He’s collected three saves, and has experience as a left-handed specialist as well as a high-leverage reliever.

Given the struggles lefties Brett Cecil and Kevin Siegrist have had at the major league level with the Cardinals, it makes even more sense to bring the Sherriff to town.

John Brebbia

John Brebbia has excelled as a multi-inning reliever with the Memphis Redbirds this season. He, like Sherriff, also has three saves. In 25 2/3 innings (14 games), the right-hander has a 1.75 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and opposing batters are hitting just .178 against him. He’s also struck out 27.

The Cardinals don’t really have a long-reliever in their bullpen. Miguel Socolovich has gone multiple innings in a couple of outings, but he’s struggled. Given his strong start to the year at Triple-A, Brebbia at least deserves some consideration for a promotion sometime this season.

Tyler Lyons

Lyons pitched in two games for the St. Louis Cardinals before going back on the Disabled List. He’s currently at Triple-A Memphis on rehab. Last season, he was used exclusively as a reliever in St. Louis, making 30 appearances and holding hitters to a .205 average.

When right, Lyons can be an effective lefty out of the bullpen either as a specialist or a multiple inning option. Like Sherriff, Lyons’ case for a promotion is bolstered by the struggles the left-handed relievers have had at the major league level this year.

Marco Gonzales

Gonzales is a third option from the left side the organization has at Triple-A. A first-round pick in 2013, he made it to St. Louis in 2014 and 2015 but missed all of last year because of Tommy-John surgery.

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He’s currently a member of Memphis’ starting rotation, but he pitched in big games out of the bullpen for the Cardinals during the 2014 season, so he has that experience. The fact that he’s had an injury-riddled couple of years adds to the case that perhaps a relief role wouldn’t be too bad for his career for the time being.

The other side of that argument is that Gonzales is still young, and a relatively well-regarded prospect. The St. Louis Cardinals still want to see if he can reach the potential they saw in him as a starting pitcher when they drafted him as their first pick four years ago. In three starts this season, he’s 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA.

Gonzales probably isn’t the first left-handed relief option in the organization.

Luke Weaver

Weaver, like Gonzales, is a former first-round pick and in the Triple-A starting rotation. He, too, has had his fair share of injuries the past couple of years. He made his major-league debut last season and appeared as both a starter and reliever.

He’s off to a great start with Memphis. In four starts, he’s 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA. He’s the organization’s top pitching prospect with Alex Reyes out for the year. The organization probably wants to keep him stretched out should the need for a starting pitcher arise.

Related Story: Possible Midseason Moves For the Cardinals

Perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals dip into their minor league system to shore up the bullpen. Perhaps they scour the trade market for a game-changing reliever. The most likely scenario is that they do both.

They’ve got some arms at Memphis and even some pitchers at Springfield who are on the radar for a promotion. Whether it will take an injury or continued under-performance to make that happen remains to be seen.

But as the summer moves in and the trade deadline approaches nearer, expect to hear that the Cardinals are searching for some relief pitching help. They’ve got a fairly strong farm system, and if they’re contenders, they have pieces to make deals happen.

Next: Magneuris Sierra Should Stay In the Majors

That the St. Louis relievers are off to a rough start a quarter of the way through the 2017 season is undeniable. What will become of the bullpen is a story worth keeping an eye on as the year rolls along.