BIRD BYTES
— I hope we’ll see prospect Masyn Winn in the Cardinals’ lineup – soon. Maybe after the trade deadline? The bright-light shortstop is making a helluva case at Triple A Memphis this month. Through Tuesday Winn had a July .395 batting average with a .452 OBP and .790 slug. That adds up to a 1.242 OPS, and 16 of Winn’s 30 hits this month have gone for extra bases (eight doubles, two triples, six homers.) And he has 23 RBI in 17 July games. What else is there for him to do on the farm. Winn would add energy and generate fan enthusiasm over the final two months. Bring us the future.
— I’m happy for Steven Matz. He’s the only Cardinals starting pitcher this season that’s been pushed down, banished to the bullpen, and put himself back together in an impressive way that generates hope and optimism for the future. I’m not glossing over his poor performance as a starter after the Cardinals gifted him with a four-year, $44 million free-agent investment. But Matz has never stopped caring, and it wasn’t easy for him to rebuild his confidence. But since returning to the rotation Matz has a 2.18 ERA and a fantastic 30.4 percent strikeout rate. It’s a nice turnaround, but Matz has to keep going to fully reestablish trust.
— It’s been a hot-hot-hot July for Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras. He had two of his team’s three hits in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss. Among 233 hitters with at least 50 plate appearances this month through Tuesday, Contreras has the best batting average (.442), best onbase percentage (.554), best OPS (1.344), best wRC+ (257) and is second in slugging percentage .791. That’s especially impressive considering how Contreras is competing with so many back-stab wounds inflicted by his imperious critics inside the organization. WC’s OPS is up to .772, which ranks fifth among regular MLB catchers.
— If this is Jack Flaherty’s final start for the Cardinals – Wednesday afternoon at Arizona – then hopefully he’ll go out with a strong one. Flaherty’s trade value probably isn’t what the Cardinals want it to be – but at least Jack is healthy, and that’s been the most important part of his 2023 comeback. Flaherty’s final 16 starts in 2019 was one of the best starting-pitching performances we’ve seen by a Cardinal. He had a 0.93 ERA, a 33 percent strikeout rate, and limited opponents to a .139 batting average. Pleasant memories.
— The St. Louis bullpen should come with a fire marshal. Blown save Monday. Blown save Tuesday. And 24 blown saves this season, the most, the worst, in the majors. The Cardinals’ 50 percent save percentage is the worst in the National League and the worst (so far) by a Cards bullpen since a 57% save rate in 2003. Matz had staked the Cardinals to a 1-0 lead Tuesday, in his excellent six innings of work, but the D-backs went kaboom with three runs in the 8th inning. The Cardinals have now lost 11 times this season after having the lead at the start of the seventh inning. The Cardinals have 24 saves and 24 blown saves. This mess represents another major failure by the St. Louis front office.
— As Tuesday’s MLB trading deadline becomes closer in view, I have a feeling that fans will be disappointed by John Mozeliak’s sell-off because they are expecting too much of a return. The trade value of walk-year pieces has declined over the last six seasons. And I just don’t think the Cardinals will make a so-called killing in return for pending free agents Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, Chris Stratton and sort-of pending free agent Paul DeJong. A team that acquires DeJong doesn’t have to pick up the club option for 2024. I could be wrong. My thoughts on this could change depending on additional information over the coming days.
— The Cardinals are having “Emo Night” at Busch Stadium on Aug. 4. This sounds about right. The emo band and Warped Tour regular “All Time Low” should be brought in to give a concert in recognition of the Cardinals’ record. I’m a little old for this, but I did go through a “Sunny Day Real Estate” phase back in the day.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie hosts a weekday sports-talk show on 590 The Fan, KFNS-AM. It airs 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4-6 p.m. on Friday. You can listen by streaming online or by downloading the show podcast at 590thefan.com or the 590 app.
Please follow Bernie on Twitter @miklasz
The “Seeing Red” podcast on the Cardinals, featuring Will Leitch and B. Miklasz is available at 590thefan.com, the 590 the fan app or your preferred podcast platform. Follow @seeingredpod on Twitter for a direct link.
All stats used in my baseball columns are sourced from FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant, Fielding Bible, Baseball Prospectus or Bill James Online.
For the last 36 years Bernie Miklasz has entertained, enlightened, and connected with generations of St. Louis sports fans.
While best known for his voice as the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch for 26 years, Bernie has also written for The Athletic, Dallas Morning News and Baltimore News American. A 2023 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Bernie has hosted radio shows in St. Louis, Dallas, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
Bernie, his wife Kirsten and their cats reside in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis.
