Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis Cardinals Collapse as Kyle Leahy SHINES, Nolan Arenado STRIKES in Painful Defeat

Starting point is 00:00:00 A messy ninth inning becomes the Cardinals undoing and waste an outstanding effort from one of the bigger question marks in the rotation. This is Locked on Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals. Your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Haffron. And on today's show, the Cardinals make a trade. A press conference is scheduled for today involving the organizational leadership.

Starting point is 00:00:32 yet, but we're going to start with Tuesday night's game, which was one of the classic or boring pitchers duels, depending on how you look at those types of games. Every dayers know that I prefer a little more offense than what we got in the first eight innings of the game, which was none by either team. But it's a game that would eventually end with the Cardinals making all sorts of mistakes in the top of the ninth inning. Things got pretty sloppy and in the end ended up costing them this one. But let's start with the bright spot from this particular game. And that's the start by Kyle Leahy, who has been, I would say, kind of a major question mark for the rotation this season as he continues his transition from a reliever to a starter at the big league level, had one of his best, if not the best start of his major league career. Six and a third inning, no runs, three hits, two walks, three Ks. The three hits off of them were doubles, but none of them ever came around to score.

Starting point is 00:01:29 and this is a positive direction for Leahy as we get closer to the trade deadline and we continue to start to figure out what it is the Cardinals may or may not do. Many have wondered myself including if perhaps Leahy or Matthew Libertor might get sent back to the bull pit. They got some issues there. You've got some guys like 100 Dobbins or Quinn Matthews who could be brought up to take over one or both of those rotation spots. Thomas Govayne and I just talked about this on Tuesday. you know, it's just something to think about, you know, creating conversation. But when faced with adversity, Kyle Leahy responded quite nicely last night. After a tough April, he punched back with a much better month of May that saw him go two and oh with a 2.81 ERA in five starts.

Starting point is 00:02:14 Then the calendar changes over to June and things got a little rocky again. Three runs and four innings in his first outing, four runs and five innings in his second outing. Last start before last night against San Diego, he gives up three runs. and six innings quality starts seven strikeouts but he takes the tough loss because the offense didn't show up they outscored six to one that was also the game where uh roycroft came in late and they got three more runs off of them so uh Tuesday night was another step in the right direction for lay he which is what you're looking for back to back games where he has now

Starting point is 00:02:48 reached six innings which has been an issue this year too right stretching them out getting him through five into six innings that's been something they wanted to uh address and to work on to be able to be a legitimate starter that you can count on. Got to get through five. Got to get through five, right? You want to get to six innings for sure. I know it's crazy to say that because back in the day, they used to go seven and eight.

Starting point is 00:03:11 I get it, but that's just the way it is right now. But let's not blow things out of proportion either. Leahy was also going up against the Padres, whose lineup has been awful this year, despite a lot of big names in there. And the Diamondbacks don't have a ton of firepower either. But still, positive stuff.

Starting point is 00:03:27 And that's what you're looking for. Max Ratchet came on in relief after that and had his best outing. He goes one and two thirds innings, no hits, one walk, one strikeout. And with your top guys unavailable at the back end of the bullpen because they got used on Sunday in that unfortunate game where the Cardle's got the win. But Dustin May wasn't able to get through to the third inning. Then again, you had to use them all on Monday. Ali had to go with Matt Svanson, who again has been better since he got. got recalled. He had rattled off six appearances with out giving up a single run. Like,

Starting point is 00:04:03 the guy has been good. But it all came crashing down after a one out single, the right field on a ball that some say maybe Jordan Walker wasn't going to get to it in the first place. I believe he does. I think if he gets the right read off that ball and his ability to cover ground, I think he gets that ball and that's two outs. But instead, it falls in front of him because he lost it in the lights. crap happens, all right? This is not bashing Jordan Walker. Crap happens, okay? But it opened up the floodgates because as soon as that happened,

Starting point is 00:04:33 now you got a runner on instead of two outs and nobody on. And Arizona starts piecing some things together. And they got plenty of help from the Cardinals to score those four runs in the top of the ninth inning. You get the single there. And then there's a wild pitch. And then there's a walk. And then Nolan Arnato comes up.

Starting point is 00:04:51 He pushes fonts into a full count. Diamondbacks were doing a. good job laying off of stuff. Nolan Arnado on that, that 2-2 sweeper that just missed the outside corner. When he was in St. Louis, he swings to that pitch

Starting point is 00:05:06 and misses it or rolls over on it every single time, stays away from it, doesn't swing, and ends up doubling on a sinker that was basically right down the middle to make it one to nothing. Another single by Gurriel Jr. made it three to nothing when they had the infield in. Gordon Grosthel comes in. Things don't get much better.

Starting point is 00:05:22 He gets it out, but then back to back walks for Gordon and a pass ball on Jimmy Crooks makes it four to nothing. A lot of criticism coming towards Jimmy Crooks for perhaps a lack of effort on the pass ball. Just kind of made a stab at it instead of moving his feet and shifting his whole body in front of that. And when there's a runner on third, you can't half ass that stuff. Like you got to get over there. You've got to knock that down. Can't let that ball get by you. Hopefully it's a learning moment for the young catcher. Cardinals do end up mounting a comeback, which they've been known to do this. year. It was nice to see. Bottom half, they get a double by Newt, single by Fermin, double by

Starting point is 00:05:59 Burley, sack fly by Blaze Jordan, RBI single by Jimmy Crooks, which sets up the showdown between J.J. Weatherholt and Brandon Garcia, the left-hander that the, you know, they get to Paul Seawald. They knock him out of the game, the closer for the Diamondbacks, but they go lefty, lefty and Garcia kind of carves up. JJ wins it with the sweeper and ends the game. So top of the ninth, pretty gross. Three hits, three walks, a wild pitch, a pass ball, a pass ball, nasty, nasty business. And for a team that they're just not built to overcome stuff like that, right? Like they almost have to play perfect. It seems like every small miscue or small thing that goes against them, it ruins everything, right? And if you had three hits, three walks, while pitch,

Starting point is 00:06:46 pass ball over nine innings, maybe you could overcome all that. But in one inning, that's a tough sell. and the Cardinals were unable to do it. They did make it exciting, but in the end, they fall to the Diamondbacks by a score of four to three. Up next, we'll talk about this press conference that the Cardinals have set to roll here today. We'll go into detail about what is deemed a press conference about the next generation of organizational leadership.

Starting point is 00:07:12 Those are the words being used. What does that mean? We'll get into it next on Lockdown Cardinals. Workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, the inbox overflowing, and the one position that, you got to fill it's still open that's not good when the pressure is on and you need the right hire this is a job for sponsored jobs indeed sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually

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Starting point is 00:08:49 Get your daily Cardinals coverage completely add free by joining the everyday or club. You can do that today and start your seven-day free trial right now and get closer to your team without those interruptions. Just click the link in the show notes or go to Lockdown SEO. cardinals.supercast.com to claim your free trial. So Tuesday night, we find out that the, the Cardinals are going to hold a press conference on Wednesday. So today to talk about the direction of the organizational leadership.

Starting point is 00:09:18 Now, I'm not going to pretend that I have some inside scoop on what ownership is doing or what they're planning. So we're going to go with the professionals. And that is our guy Derek Gould over at SCL today and the post dispatch, who, describe the whole situation as this. Bill DeWitt the 3rd. Let's put a picture of him up there. There's dad, but let's put Builderwood 3. There he is. Bill DeWitt the 3rd is taken on a more prominent and public role over the past several years. And that has included a larger presence in team press

Starting point is 00:09:45 conferences as well as Major League Baseball meetings. The press conference Wednesday is expected to address his rising role with the club, according to multiple sources, familiar with the team's discussions and also any other promotions or changes planned within the leadership structure. From everything we've ever been told, it doesn't appear that they have any interest in selling the team. So for those of you that believe that the Cardinals are doomed because the De Witts own them, they're not selling the team.

Starting point is 00:10:15 At least we don't think so heading into this. Gole pointed out that during the winter warmup, Bill DeWitt Jr., who his dad, who is currently in charge, talked about the future saying, our family has been in baseball for a long time. and I think it will continue. That's the plan. I'm getting to an age where I'm not going to be around forever.

Starting point is 00:10:35 Bill the third is at a perfect age to continue on for a long time. That's our goal. We are baseball people. Third generation is here and probably a fourth under him coming along somewhere. We are here. Now, Gould also said that the press conference was advertised as being about the business and the ownership side of the ball club. But it will also share similarities.

Starting point is 00:10:58 to the one the Cardinals had in late 2024 to announce Heim Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations the following fall. He had a transition year before moving into the lead role. So putting all of that together and using what brainpower I have,

Starting point is 00:11:18 what it feels to me is that perhaps this is just about a changing of the guard with Bill DeWitt III taking over for his father, how that's going to work, how the transition is going to be, how other members of the organization will be affected, promoted, who's going where, how's it shifting. That's what it feels like it's going to be today. All right. So we'll find out 1 p.m. St. Louis time exactly what goes down.

Starting point is 00:11:41 But I don't suspect that it's going to be some sort of scary meeting where there's going to be selling and there's just going to be chaos. No, it doesn't feel like that. It feels like a planned meeting to say, hey, look, here's what we're going to do. All right. My father, God bless his soul. You know, he's, he's older, can't quite give it the effort and the strength that it probably needs to run things the way it needs to be run. So here's how we're going to transition everything. And I only wish my name was DeWitt. I would love to get a chance to have a crack at the job, right? Do we all. My buddy said what he asked me about it earlier. And he was like, he's like, what's this all about? And he goes, and then when I explained it to him, he was like, man, must be nice to be just filth. rich and I'm like yeah I was like filthy rich is right man these guys are billionaires and um you know he started going he was like I didn't realize they were billionaires I'm like yeah according to like if you look up the worth of the of the duets they're you know worth like four billion dollars but

Starting point is 00:12:43 they don't run their team like they're billionaires they run the team like it's a business and that's what kind of drives people nuts is that they spend the money that they make with the team they spend that on the team but they don't like pull from their other resources to put more money into the team, which drives people nuts from time to time. Because we've heard in the past when the cartels are talking about money, well, like, can we afford this guy? And then you hear other executives around the league say things like, the cardals can go buy anything they want.

Starting point is 00:13:11 They are super rich, but they don't run it that way. And we'll see how I'm more interested. Like, okay, so a builder with the third stake. I'm interested in how things are going to change with the CBA. Like when that gets figured out, hopefully sooner rather than later, I would hate the way that the game. game is right now and with the momentum that the game has like major league baseball in general, gosh, having a work stop is just is really going to really suck, right?

Starting point is 00:13:38 Like you've got everything going in the right direction right now. People are loving the game. People are enjoying coming out to the ballparks. You're seeing attendance rise in a lot of places. And for there to be a work stop, it is really going to be tough to overcome. But I'm curious how they spend money after that. It all gets figured out whenever it gets figured out. So something that the cartels,

Starting point is 00:13:57 did figure out is what to do with Chris Roycroft. And that era has mercifully come to an end. Nolan Gorman was back in a game lineup playing for the Memphis Redbirds. And on Tuesday, so we'll talk about how things went with him. And we'll get a look at the NL Central to see where the Cardinals stand as far as the standings, wild card, all that jazz. All of it coming up next on Locked on Cardinals. ED is way more common than most guys think.

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Starting point is 00:17:01 Try for free today at Odo.com slash locked on. That's ODO.O.com slash locked on. Thank you again for making a lockdown cardinals. Your first listen of the day. Thank you for making it locked on the number one sports podcast network. So the Cardinals made a trade. It wasn't like this super exciting trade by any means, but it was a trade. They decided to deal after DFA and Chris Roycroft, Tuesday they sent Chris to the Tampa Bay

Starting point is 00:17:33 raise in exchange for a player to be named later. our star cash considerations, which I will never, ever, ever get over this card slash picture. I don't even know who that is in the picture, but it's hilarious. So if you're watching on video, you see what I'm talking about. I also tweeted it out in case you're only listening to the audio version. But Chris Roycroft no longer a member of the Cardinals organization. He's off to Tampa Bay. Finally, and I hope I don't have to eat these words, the Roycroft runway has officially run out.

Starting point is 00:18:04 and he's off to the sunny state of Florida to try and further his baseball career. The fact that McCartle stuck with him as long as they did to me shows extreme patience in my eyes. I just, I would have gotten rid of him a long time ago. There was nothing that I saw at the major league level that made me want to keep this dude around. And I realized, you know, he's a specimen.

Starting point is 00:18:25 He's big. He's tall. He's long. Got a lot of movement on that sinker. And the tools seem like they were something like, if Chris Roycroft was a piece of clay that you could mold him into something that was going to be decent. We saw glimpses of that back in 2024 in the minor leagues and then a little bit in the major leagues. But the last couple seasons have been awful, just awful.

Starting point is 00:18:50 And I just don't know how many times you could keep bringing him up, setting him down, bringing him up, sitting them down, and expecting something to change because it never did. It never did. And it was time to let someone else have a chance. And that person ends up being Max Ratchick, who was your fourth. former minor league pitcher of the year and not some dude that you found in his mid-20s in the frontier league. Like the fact that they just kept sticking with him, I was like, I don't know what they see that is so special. Like if there were better results, I don't know, man. It just,

Starting point is 00:19:25 it never seemed like it clicked. It just did. And we've seen this for three years. And I just for bullpen arms, too. This is not like some guy who was in the rotation. You're like, all right, well, hold on. This is a bullpen arm. And we know how quickly you can move on for bullpit arms. And for whatever reason, they wanted to hang on to them to see if they could fix this. And it never worked. It was a move that, in my opinion, was long overdue. Best of luck in Tampa Bay to Chris Roycroft. And again, like I said, I hope I don't eat these words where Tampa Bay ends up fixing him and turning him into something special because they've been known to do stuff like that. Although, I will point out, they were not able to fix Dylan Carlson after he went

Starting point is 00:20:04 to the Tampa Bay race. So maybe their magic of doing that. Well, no, they've done pretty good work with Stephen Mats. Although Stephen Mats wasn't garbage here in St. Louis either. He just had to stay healthy. Nolan Gorman was back in the Memphis lineup. We know that, you know, he got sent down and went down to Florida, kind of work on the swing, getting the lab a little bit, see what they could do. They finally put him into a lineup. And before you start a lot, laughing after you hear the results. Understand that this is a work in progress. It's going to take some time to get him going,

Starting point is 00:20:36 if they ever get him going, in the right direction again. First four of bats for Memphis on Tuesday night, Nolan Gorman struck out. Four straight times. But ended on a good one. Did have an RBI single on his final at bat. So, you know, same thing as it applies when you're out hitting golf balls. End on a good one.

Starting point is 00:20:58 And Nolan Gorman was able to do. that. Nobody's trying to root against Nolan Gorman. Nobody wants to see him fail. At least I don't think so. At least the majority of the fan base doesn't want to see him fail. But he's got a long way to go. He's got a long way to go and just do your thing. And it's funny looking at the Memphis roster, like how many guys started the season up with the Cardinals and are down there trying to get right. Victor Scott is down there. He was 0 for 4 with 2Ks last night. Thomas 2JC was 0 for 5 last night. Gorman 1 for 5 with 4Ks.

Starting point is 00:21:33 Tinkins threw a clean inning. So that was cool. My guy Luis Gastilum, another shutout inning has been scored upon since May 17th. Keep it going, Luis. I can't wait until he gets to the show. I want to see that change up so bad. No Joshua Baez in the lineup on Sunday or on Tuesday,

Starting point is 00:21:51 but he was in the lineup on Sunday. At his 25th home run was 2 for 5, 3 RBIs. So I guess just a rest day for Biden. as I assume. Mason Wynn did not play last night. He was out of the lineup, had some thumb irritation considered day to day. So we'll see how that changes. But that was a late scratch where Burley had to go in and play and Weatherholt shifted over to shortstop and they had to move some pieces around. But obviously Mason Wend being in that lineup is huge, especially when you had to face a lefty last night in Eduardo Rodriguez. So that that sucked. They do have a lefty against them

Starting point is 00:22:27 tonight. In L. Central standings, though, let's talk about that real quick. Brewer shut out the Reds, two to nothing. They've now won three in a row. They're six games up on the Cardinals in the division. I had people asking me last night. What are the Cardinals going to have to do to catch them? And pray was my answer. The Brewers are one of the most boring teams in baseball to watch when like Mizorowski's not on the mound. Like they're so boring, but they just win. That's what they do. It's, they make it look so simple that, okay, this is how you win and they go out and do it. I don't think the cardals are going to catch him. I think the Brewers are going to run away with this division and continue this,

Starting point is 00:23:09 barring any, you know, major setbacks with guys like Ms. or Harrison, like, you know, they just got Brandon Woodruff back. He looked great in his first start against the Reds since coming back. So, yeah, it ain't going to be easy. I don't think they are. Now I'm more paying attention to the people who are behind the Cardinals, like the Cubs, who beat the Mets 9 to 6. PCA continues his toward hitting right now, 17th home run of the season. PCA's got 17 bombs right now.

Starting point is 00:23:37 Three run shot, Desby Swanson, drove in four. They just beat the hell out of Kodai Senga, who's now 0 and 6 and's got an ERA over 10. What the hell happened to this guy? Like, he was God's gift of pitching two years ago, and it is just gone. Crazy. Cubs are a game and a half back of St. Louis right now in the division. Pirates Falls to the Mariners 3-2. Kyle Raleigh hits his eighth home run of the season, but it's bad. He just 164. The guy hit 247 with 60 bombs and 125 ribbies last year.

Starting point is 00:24:07 And right now on June 24th, he's at 164, eight dingers and 21 RBIs. Talk about a drop-off. That's, that's massive. Reds, as I mentioned, shut out at home by the Brewers, two to nothing, despite the return to Belladale-Dahruz to the lineup. They're now four games under 500, just 70. and 30 since the end of April. Tonight it's Matthew Libertador on the mound for the Cardinals. As I mentioned, Cardinals are going to face another lefty, 22-year-old Mitch Bratt is going to get the start,

Starting point is 00:24:34 making his Major League debut for Arizona. Fifth round pick of the Rangers in 21, one of three players that the Diamondbacks acquired when they traded Merrill Kelly to the Rangers at last year's deadline, ended up resigning him this offseason, which we just got to see him in game one of the series. Not overpowering stuff at all for Seamer sinker. both averaging between 90 and 91 miles per hour,

Starting point is 00:24:56 but all Cardinals fans will tell you, oh crap, a soft tossing left-hander, making his debut, we're screwed. We are screwed. It just seems like it rarely mixes well with the Cardinals and that profile of a pitcher. So hopefully it turned things around. Be nice to have Mason win back in the lineup

Starting point is 00:25:19 and get all those righties going like, but you've got to stay back. Scoot open the box. stay back, hammer this kid, all right? Can't keep dumping games to lesser teams, especially a team that's like the Diamondbacks. So I don't think are a bad team, but they're just a much worse team on the road.

Starting point is 00:25:35 You've got to win this series, especially when you've got this July gauntlet on the horizon where you're going to have to face the Braves, the Cubs, and the Brewers a bunch of times in a row. You got five against the Brewers. You got six against the Braves. Then you got the cut. Like, that is going to be crazy in the,

Starting point is 00:25:54 first weeks of July before the All-Star break. So got to win these teams against these teams that you should be beating at this point. Got to get it done because that's going to be rough right there. I'm prepared for prepare yourself for the worst when July starts. Anyway, thanks for making a lockdown cardinals. Your first listen every day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on X at L.O underscore Cardinals and at JD Sports Radio.

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Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis Cardinals Collapse as Kyle Leahy SHINES, Nolan Arenado STRIKES in Painful Defeat

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