Sports columnists Ben Frederickson and Jeff Gordon discuss if the Cardinals avoiding back-to-back losing seasons should soften the view of this team moving forward. The Cardinals haven't been below .500 at the year's end in consecutive non-strike shortened seasons since 1958-59.
DENVER 鈥 When the season turned on the Cardinals before the calendar did and assured, officially, that Major League Baseball would soar into October without them, some of the conversation also shifted to individual achievements that could be yet reached.
Erick Fedde, a midseason addition, spoke late Wednesday night about the personal importance of surpassing 175 innings pitched for the first time in the majors. Masyn Winn has 150 games played within sight. Closer Ryan Helsley tied the club record for saves in a single season with his 48th on Wednesday, and to get him the record, the Cardinals must reach another notable number.
Eighty-two.
After Thursday鈥檚 late-game leak and 10-8 loss to Colorado at Coors Field and before Monday鈥檚 decision day, the Cardinals have three games in San Francisco to win one and guarantee a winning record for 2024. At 81-78, they鈥檝e avoided the infamy of being the first Cardinals team with back-to-back losing records during a full season in 65 years. Already cemented as a disappointing season, they can avoid the headstone engraving of also not being a winning season. It is the least they can do. But it still matters that they do it.
鈥淲hen a guy says he wants to play 150 games, that鈥檚 meaningful, right? Forty-eight saves, that鈥檚 meaningful,鈥 manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥淭hat means you鈥檙e within the top of the league at doing what you do. A winning record doesn鈥檛 make you anything. You鈥檙e not at the top of the league at anything. You want to have a winning record. That is a low bar for what that clubhouse wants out of a season.鈥
However the season and record ends in San Francisco, changes are coming to the Cardinals. As soon as the offseason starts Monday, the club plans to publicly disclose some of those decisions and also discuss its next direction and who will be the leading voices for it. A question about potential changes within Marmol鈥檚 staff was directed by an official toward next week. The front office will also see a shift as farm director Gary LaRocque retires and adviser Chaim Bloom鈥檚 role expands after a season spent auditing the organization.
All that鈥檚 left is the record they have before changes begin.
For some, a winning record is personal. Matt Carpenter said on a forthcoming episode of the Post-Dispatch鈥檚 鈥淏est Podcast in Baseball鈥 that a winning record would mean 14 consecutive in his 14 years in the majors. Lars Nootbaar started listing the reasons a winning record is important and arrived quickly at the possibility of getting Helsley a 50th save.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go out there and try to win every ballgame,鈥 Nootbaar said. 鈥淚 think as a team you want to take pride in that and then getting to .500 and then getting past .500. But for me, personally, you want to finish strong. Getting leads and getting games to Helsley and getting him an opportunity to break the record and potentially get to 50 saves 鈥 that鈥檚 on my mind. When the season doesn鈥檛 go your way, you want to find little things to motivate yourself.鈥
Getting Helsley at least one more save is on everyone鈥檚 mind.
Consider Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.
The Cardinals hit a season-high four homers. Nootbaar and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back homers for a lead in the first inning. Inexplicably 鈥 but also illustratively of the offensive struggles that undermined the Cardinals鈥 playoff aspirations 鈥 that was the first time all season the Cardinals had hit back-to-back home runs. It came in game No. 159. Their 5,948 plate appearances between back-to-back homers are the third-longest in the majors since 1984, per Elias.
The Coors crazies took over for a few innings as both teams struggled to make catches in the outfield, committed errors, gave up runs and wound up tied, 5-5, after four innings. Walks and misplays behind him abbreviated veteran starter Kyle Gibson鈥檚 final start of the season to four innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and finished his first year with the Cardinals at 8-8. And healthy. (鈥淧robably the least amount of anti-inflammatories I鈥檝e had to take,鈥 he joked.)
Among the first decisions the Cardinals must make this offseason is whether to exercise $12 million options for Gibson and fellow starter Lance Lynn. Lynn prepared as if his last start of the season would also be his final start as a Cardinal at Busch Stadium. Gibson, 36, has expressed hope to return to the Cardinals for 2025 鈥 and optimism for what鈥檚 possible. Three times while talking about what a winning record would mean, Gibson paused to underscore the fact that 鈥渢he goal is playoffs and doing even more.鈥
Still striving for a winning record can offer lessons for young players.
鈥50度灰视频 is a town that wants a winning baseball team, and we obviously didn鈥檛 make the playoffs and get to that goal,鈥 Gibson said. 鈥淧layers who only experienced last year for their first time and then coming in here and taking a step forward and realizing, hey, this is what it looks like to win 30 one-run games, and this is what it means to be in close games and finish the close game 鈥 there鈥檚 a lot that you can learn.
鈥淎nd you just don鈥檛 want to give games away. You just don鈥檛 know when it鈥檚 your last.鈥
Home runs from young catchers Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages pulled the Cardinals ahead. Herrera, starting at designated hitter, broke the 5-5 tie, with a 446-foot blast, and Pages extended the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth.
The bullpen went right to work to escort a save opportunity to Helsley.
It didn鈥檛 survive the eighth.
Colorado scored five runs with two outs to tie the game against reliever Ryan Fernandez and then pulled away as rookie and Front Range-area native Kyle Leahy made his first appearance at Coors Field since he pitched there as a high schooler.
As he nears his final series before retirement, Colorado鈥檚 longtime leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon homered early in the game and worked an eight-pitch walk off Fernandez to keep the game-winning rally in motion. Ezequiel Tovar delivered the game-tying, two-run double, and Ryan McMahon socked Leahy鈥檚 first pitch for the go-ahead, RBI single.
The Rockies rally kept the Cardinals from a sweep but not a third consecutive series win and a chance this weekend for numbers, personal, trivial, historical, and or just notable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a goal of mine when I go into a season to only finish above .500, if I鈥檓 being quite honest,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淚 understand not wanting to have back-to-back losing seasons. We have aspirations for a lot more than that, and we have to build toward it, bottom line.鈥
The Cardinals begin their final series of the year, on the road Friday against the Giants. First pitch is set for 9:15 p.m.
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn reacts after striking out against Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the fourth inning of a game Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Denver.
Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt heads up the first base line after hitting a solo home run off Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in first inning of a game Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Denver.