The virtual St. Louis Cardinals are off to a strong start

We still don’t know when we will see St. Louis Cardinals baseball in 2020. While we wait for games to begin as normal, there is a way to follow along as the Cardinals play online.

While we shelter-in-place and wait for normal activity to resume, many of us St. Louis Cardinals fans are desperately trying to find alternatives to the baseball season. Well, over at Baseball Reference, they are doing the best they can to help fill that void.

Using the Out of the Park baseball simulator, they are providing stats and scores from a virtual world where the 2020 season has continued as usual. Even though it’s not the real thing, I still felt like I should check on how the computerized Cardinals were doing.

Opening Day in Cincinnati got postponed (apparently online Cincinnati has bad weather), but the Cardinals have otherwise started strong. They sit atop the NL Central with a 4-2 record, having won 2 out of 3 games against both the Reds and the Brewers to start the year. The home opener today is against the 2-4 Baltimore Orioles, and with Jack Flaherty taking the mound for his second start of the season, there is a strong chance that the wins will continue to add up.

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The Virtual Cards made a few odd transactions to start the year, signing free-agent pitchers Dan Jennings and Tony Barnette for the bullpen, and Williams Perez as a sixth starter. The surprising trio has been rock solid so far, giving up a combined two earned runs with 11 strikeouts through 7⅓ innings so far. Perez even recorded the win in his spot start against the Brewers.

The Cardinal lineup has been really strong, scoring 37 runs through six games. Highlights include a four-run 9th inning to secure a victory over the Reds, and an 11-spot against the Brewers earlier on Wednesday. Kolten Wong earned the leadoff spot with his strong spring training, and he has continued to produce, with a .467 OBP and seven runs scored to start the year.

Other standouts include Harrison Bader, who is batting .458 through his first 26 plate appearances, and Tyler O’Neill, who despite starting only three games so far, is tied for third in the MLB with three home runs.

There’s no sign yet of the computer calling up Dylan Carlson, and no virtual trades have resulted in Nolan Arenado manning the hot corner (he has four home runs so far for the last-place Colorado Rockies), but the simulated season is rolling along just fine for the Cardinals. We’ll keep you updated on how things are going, but for more detailed box scores and stats, you can check out the virtual Redbirds here.

There’s no substitute for the real thing, but until something changes, virtual baseball is the most exciting option we have. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Here’s to a simulated sweep of the Orioles in the next few days.