St. Louis

Cardinals

The Cardinals were down early and never made this much of a game. Yet, Winn was able to get off the schneid after a 14 at-bat hitless streak. This was his 33rd multi-hit game of the season as his growth has pushed him up to lead-off for the Cardinals and given them confidence in their shortstop of the present and future.

A fly ball pitcher like Gibson and Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is always a nightmarish match up and the result here was ugly. Four Reds hitters found the seats before the fifth inning was over. Just a streamer, look for Gibson to rebound in his next scheduled start against the Brewers at home.

Fedde gave up 353- and 369-foot homers down the right field line tonight, and he matched his season low with only two strikeouts. He has a 5.63 ERA in three starts since being acquired by the Cardinals.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters Siani has yet to resume taking swings, so it seems unlikely he’ll be back before September. The 25-year-old defensive ace hit the injured list back in early August with a moderate right oblique strain. His extended absence has created an opportunity for both Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II at the highest level.

Gray produced one of the more unique pitching lines of the entire season as he was burned by the long ball in this one, serving up three round-trippers, including a pair to Reds slugger Spencer Steer. It wasn’t all bad as he fell just shy of his fourth double-digit strikeout effort of the year, generating 16 swinging strikes and finishing with a respectable 33 percent CSW. He’ll carry a solid 3.93 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 162/31 K/BB ratio across 130 2/3 innings (22 starts) into a challenging home matchup on Sunday against the Dodgers.

Lynn, on the shelf with right knee inflammation, could return without the benefit of a rehab assignment. He’ll likely replace Andre Pallante in the rotation, even though it’s unclear whether that would be an upgrade.

With the Reds throwing left-hander Andrew Abbott, Burleson will slide to the bench alongside Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman. The Cardinals will instead slot Jordan Walker into the lineup and have Pedro Pages catching with Willson Contreras at DH. This is not ideal news for Burleson, who has been a breakout star this season but is hitting just .205/.230/.291 against left-handed pitching this year. With Walker now on the roster, the Cardinals can sit Burleson against lefties, which puts him into a strong side platoon for, potentially, the remainder of the season.

With the Reds throwing left-hander Andrew Abbott, it will be Walker in right field, Victor Scott II in center field, and Tommy Pham in left field. Brendan Donovan will also play second base, which means all of Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Lars Nootbaar will shift to the bench. Reports have suggested that the Cardinals plan to primarily play Walker against lefties to start, and they have really struggled against left-handed pitching this season, so today’s lineup is not great news for Burleson, Nootbaar, and Gorman who could all be pushed into strong side platoons and not full-time roles.

The move is retroactive to August 9th. Carpenter was starting about once a week, so the move doesn’t drastically change much for the Cardinals other than opening up a spot for the team to promote Jordan Walker for another shot at the big leagues.

There it is. The highly talented 22-year-old outfielder is back in the big leagues after hitting .338 with a 1.090 OPS over his last 65 at-bats. This recent hot stretch has coincided with a new stance where Walker is more open with his front foot, which allows him to clear his hips earlier and turn on the ball. That has led to a 92.1 average exit velocity and a 50 percent hard-hit rate. However, there is some question regarding how much Walker plays immediately upon arrival. Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar seem locked into starting roles, and Victor Scott II is a true defensive center fielder, so Walker would need to push Brendan Donovan to the bench or start only against left-handed pitchers. Regardless, he’s worth a stash while we wait to see what his role is. Matt Carpenter was placed on the IL in a corresponding move.