From The Cardinals: Statements from DeWitt, Mozeliak Regarding Investigation

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Christine Coleman

The Cardinals issued the following news release.

The St. Louis Cardinals Chairman and CEO William O. DeWitt Jr. and Cardinals Sr. Vice President and General Manager John Mozeliak this morning shared their thoughts regarding Tuesday’s news of a federal investigation of the club related to a possible security breach of the Houston Astros’ database.

“These are serious allegations that don’t reflect who we are as an organization,” DeWitt said. “We are committed to getting to the bottom of this matter as soon as possible, and if anyone within our organization is determined to be involved in anything inappropriate, they will be held accountable.”

DeWitt said that several months ago, after the team was made aware of the allegations, he and Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak engaged Jim Martin and the law firm of Dowd Bennett to assist the team in providing requested information to the federal government and to conduct an internal inquiry to attempt to identify any employee that may have engaged in the alleged conduct.

“The alleged conduct has no place in our game,” Mozeliak said. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards in every facet of our organization. It has been that way forever and is certainly true today. We are committed to finding out what happened. To the extent we can substantiate that these allegations have merit, we will take appropriate action against anyone involved.”

“The internal inquiry is not yet complete,” said Martin. “In the meantime, we wish to respect the process and avoid saying anything which would interfere with the government’s investigation.”

And Now Another Cardinals Pitcher To The Disabled List …

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Christine Coleman

There’s another Cardinal name to add to the growing number on the disabled list: Lance Lynn.

During his start last Sunday night against the Dodgers, Lynn’s forearm tightened up. He left the game after throwing 98 pitches in five innings. On Tuesday, he traveled to St. Louis for an examination on his forearm and the current diagnosis is a strained muscle in his right forearm. More details from STLtoday.com:

Mozeliak added that the club believes Lynn’s 15-day stint on the DL, which will be backdated to Monday, will provide sufficient time for him to recover from the injury. Lynn is expected to miss two starts.

Taking Lynn’s spot on the roster is Tyler Lyons. Here’s further information from the Cardinals press release.

Manager Mike Matheny has tabbed Lyons to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against Kansas City.

Lyons, 27, will be making his second appearance of the season with the Cardinals, after having made three starts (13.0 IP/17 strikeouts) from May 5-16.

Following his option to Memphis on May 16, Lyons has been one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League, going 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA (26.2 IP/7 ER) his last four starts at Triple-A. Lyons’ overall mark at Memphis is 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA (seventh in PCL) in eight starts, striking out 56 (sixth) while walking only nine in his 48.1 innings of work.

Continue reading →

Cardinals Hall Of Fame Fan Balloting Begins Today

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Christine Coleman

The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame fan balloting process began earlier today. Fans can select two players for the Aug.15 induction from a ballot that includes Cardinals greats Steve Carlton, Bob Forsch, Keith Hernandez, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria, Ted Simmons and Joe Torre.

The eight modern ballot nominees were selected by a “Red Ribbon” committee of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process in January. The Cardinals Hall of Fame Vote presented by Edward Jones will run until April 20 at cardinals.com/HOF. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame during a formal enshrinement ceremony that will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15, as part of the 2015 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

“Induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors the team can bestow,” said Bill DeWitt Jr., Chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals. “We think it is appropriate to have some of the best, most knowledgeable fans in the game of baseball choose the Cardinals players who will be part of this class.”

The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established as a way to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history. To be eligible, players must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and must be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories, ‘modern players’ and ‘veteran players.’ If a player retired more than 40 years prior to the induction year, he is classified as a veteran player. Continue reading →

Cardinals Caravan Will Cover 6 States In 4 Days

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Christine Coleman

Even as Mother Nature reminds that winter really is here and spring is still a long time away, baseball season can feel a little bit closer with both the Cardinals Caravan and Winter Warm-Up coming up soon.

The Cardinals announced details of the annual Cardinals Caravan yesterday — here is the information from their news release.

In addition to annual stops in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and Tennessee, the 2015 Caravan will add a sixth route with additional stops in Kentucky and Indiana. Altogether, more than 30 current and former players will embark on the journey making 22 stops in 21 cities throughout Cardinals Nation fromJanuary 16 – 19th.

A combination of current players, future stars and former Cardinals will travel on each caravan emceed by a current team broadcaster. Some of the current players include 2014 Rookie of the Year finalist Kolten Wong, Michael Wacha, Matt Adams, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, 2014 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Marco Gonzales, and Randal Grichuk. Minor-league prospects include Stephen Piscotty, Greg Garcia, Tim Cooney, Xavier Scruggs and more. Brad Thompson, Danny Cox, Kerry Robinson, Alan and Andy Benes, and Al Hrabosky, among others, will represent Cardinals alumni, while broadcasters John Rooney, Rick Horton, Mike Claiborne, Tom Ackerman, Chris Hrabe and Dan McLaughlin will serve as emcees. Team mascot Fredbird will also make an appearance at several Caravan stops. Continue reading →

Cardinals Announce Postseason Ticket Details

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Christine Coleman

With the Cardinals magic number for clinching the National League Central currently at 14, the team just sent out the following press release regarding tickets for October. Here are the details.

As postseason play approaches, tickets for potential Cardinals Wild Card and Division Series games will go on sale Thursday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m. Central Time.

Based on the final standings, the Cardinals could host one Wild Card game and as many as three home games in the National League Division Series (NLDS).

Tickets for all potential Wild Card and NLDS games will be available tomorrow at cardinals.com/postseason, via phone at 314.345.9000, and at the Busch Stadium ticket windows on 8th Street.

Ticketing details for possible National League Championship Series (NLCS) games and World Series games will be announced later in September.

Announcements regarding potential Tiebreaker game ticket availability and public purchase will come at a later date, if necessary.

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome: Cardinals Add Three To Roster

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Christine Coleman

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they that they have added three additional players to their active roster with rookie infielder Greg Garcia, outfielder Tommy Pham and right-handed pitcher Sam Tuivailala (pronounced TOO-ee-vah-lah-la) being promoted from the Memphis (AAA) roster.

To make room for the additional players on their 40-man Major League roster, the Cardinals designated catcher Audry Perez and outfielder Rafael Ortega for assignment. The Cardinals active roster currently stands at 36 players.

Garcia, 25, will be making his third appearance of the season with the Cardinals, while both Pham, 26, and Tuivailala, 21, will be making their Major League debuts with their first game appearances.

The right-handed hitting Garcia, who has appeared in nine games with the Cardinals this season, finished the 2014 minor league campaign with a .275 batting average, eight home runs and 41 RBI in 110 games between Memphis (AAA) and Springfield (AA). Garcia was drafted by the Cardinals in the 7th round (229th player overall) of the 2010 draft out of the University of Hawaii, where he was teammates with Kolten Wong. Continue reading →

Cardinals Acquire Justin Masterson From Indians

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Christine Coleman

The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon that they have acquired right-handed starting pitcher Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Springfield (AA) outfielder James Ramsey.

Masterson, who will join the Cardinals on Friday, Aug. 1, in St. Louis, is scheduled to start Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Masterson, 29, is 4-6 with a 5.51 ERA in 19 starts for the Tribe this season, fanning 93 batters in his 98.0 innings pitched. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 8 (right knee inflammation) and made a pair of injury rehabilitation starts (July 20 and 25) for Columbus (AAA) prior to today’s trade.

The 6-6, 250-pound Masterson was an American League All-Star in 2013 as he compiled a 14-10 mark with a 3.45 ERA while ranking 8th in the league with 195 strikeouts and a league-best three shutouts. The Jamaican-born Masterson owns a career mark of 57-49 with a 4.16 ERA in 231 games (169 starts) for Boston (2008-09) and Cleveland (2009-14).

The Cardinals also announced that they have transferred pitcher Michael Wacha from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day D.L. The team will make a corresponding 25-man roster move prior to Friday’s game once Masterson reports to the team.

Cardinals Option Rondon, Will Recall Taveras on Tuesday

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Christine Coleman

It’s no surprise to any of us that the Cardinals need to get the offense going. So hopefully bringing Oscar Taveras back to the big leagues is one solution, since that’s what the Cards are doing. Jorge Rondon is going back to Memphis, but at least he finally got to pitch one MLB inning this time around.

Here’s the official news from the Cardinals press release.

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned right-handed pitcher Jorge Rondon following Sunday’s game and will report to Triple-A Memphis for Monday’s matchup. The Cardinals will recall outfielder Oscar Taveras on Tuesday to report in San Francisco for the game tomorrow night against the Giants.

Rondon made his Major League debut on Sunday at Dodger Stadium throwing a scoreless inning and issuing one walk.

Taveras, a 22-year old from Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic, played in 11 Major League games from May 31 through June 11 earlier this season before being optioned back to Memphis (AAA). He batted .189 (7-37) with a home run and two RBI during the 11 games. In 62 games at Memphis this season, Taveras was batting .318 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI. Taveras’ .318 batting average ranks 14th in the Pacific Coast League and his 49 RBI rank 13th.

Martinez To Start, Grichuk Down, Greenwood Up

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Christine Coleman

It’s been a newsworthy Father’s Day morning for the St. Louis Cardinals, as it was announced that Carlos Martinez will start on Monday for the team, filling the start that Adam Wainwright is skipping due to tendinitis in his elbow.

In addition, left-handed pitcher Nick Greenwood was promoted to the Cardinals while outfielder Randal Grichuk was sent back to Memphis.

Here’s the news release from the Cards on that move.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to today’s series finale with the Washington Nationals, that they have purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Nick Greenwood from Memphis (AAA) and optioned outfielderRandal Grichuk to the triple-A affiliate.

The 6-1, 180-pound Greenwood was 3-3 with a 2.61 ERA in 22 games (three starts) for Memphis this season, limiting the opposition to a .221 BA in his 41.1 innings pitched. Greenwood, a native of Farmington, Connecticut, was 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in his three games started, the most recent on June 1 at Oklahoma City.

The 26-year-old Greenwood will be making his Major League debut with his first appearance, becoming the fifth player to debut with the Cardinals this season, joining Grichuk, Greg Garcia, Eric Fornataro and Oscar Taveras.

A veteran of 218 career minor league games (47 starts), Greenwood was acquired by the Cardinals from San Diego on July 31, 2010 in a three-way trade with the Padres and Cleveland Indians that also sent pitcher Jake Westbrook to St. Louis.

Greenwood has been assigned uniform no. 62.

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The Cardinals go for the sweep of the Nationals in about an hour, with Jaime Garcia facing Doug Fister.

Cardinals To Host Jon Hamm Night At The Ballpark

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Christine Coleman

On Monday, Aug. 18, the Cardinals will celebrate Hollywood actor and St. Louis native Jon Hamm during the first-ever Jon Hamm Night at the ballpark.

The Million Dollar Arm and Mad Men star will throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Cardinals taking on the Cincinnati Reds at 7.15 p.m. All fans who purchase the special game ticket will receive an exclusive Jon Hamm bobblehead.

“Jon Hamm is one of the greatest ambassadors for Cardinals baseball,” said Dan Farrell, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Whether he’s photographed walking down the street in his lucky Cardinals cap or talking up the team on late night television, he’s one of our biggest fans. We’re really looking forward to hosting this event with him.”

A limited number of VIP ticket packages are also available for the event. In addition to the bobblehead, VIP ticketholders will be able to take their photo with the homegrown star during a pre-game meet-and-greet.

“I am beyond thrilled and tremendously honored that the St. Louis Cardinals are having ‘Jon Hamm Night’ at Busch Stadium,” Hamm said. “I have been a fan of the team since before I can remember and participating in a night like this is simply mind-blowing. I’d like to thank the team, the organization, and the fans for participating in what I hope will be a fantastic night for everyone but the Reds.”

Tickets and VIP packages for Jon Hamm Night at Busch Stadium are on sale now at cardinals.com/theme. For each themed ticket sold, a portion of the ticket price will be donated to Jon’s charity of choice, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.