2023 St. Louis Cardinals season

2023 St. Louis Cardinals
League	National League
Division	Central
Ballpark	Busch Stadium
City	St. Louis, Missouri
Record	71–91 (.438)
Divisional place	5th
Owners	William DeWitt Jr.
General managers	Mike Girsch
Managers	Oliver Marmol
Television	Bally Sports Midwest (Chip Caray, Jim Edmonds, Brad Thompson)
Radio	KMOX NewsRadio 1120 St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network (John Rooney, Rick Horton, Mike Claiborne)
Stats	ESPN.com Baseball Reference
Seasons

The 2023 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 142nd season for the St. Louis Cardinals, a Major League Baseball franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the 132nd season for the Cardinals in the National League and their 18th at Busch Stadium III. They entered the season as the defending NL Central champions. The Cardinals drew an average home attendance of 40,013 in 81 home games in the 2023 MLB season, the 4th highest in the league.

Their 82nd loss on September 15 (65–82) guaranteed their first losing season since 2007 (78–84), after 16 consecutive winning seasons and only their third losing season since 1999 (75–86).

After their 89th loss on September 27, they secured their first last-place finish since 1990 (70–92), with the Pittsburgh Pirates finishing above them in fourth place.

Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2022 season 93–69, to win the National League Central division title for the first time since 2019. They lost in the Wild Card round to the Philadelphia Phillies. The season also marked the final season for Cardinal legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina as both had announced their retirements prior to the season beginning.

Offseason

Rule changes

Pursuant to the CBA, new rule changes will be in place for the 2023 season:

• institution of a pitch clock between pitches, 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners;
• limits of two pickoff attempts per plate appearance;
• limits on defensive shifts requiring two infielders to be on either side of second and be within the boundary of the infield; and
• larger bases (increased to 18-inch squares from 15-inch squares);

Regular season

Opening Day

Opening Day starting lineup

No.	Player	Pos.
Batters
33	Brendan Donovan	2B
21	Lars Nootbaar	LF
46	Paul Goldschmidt	1B
28	Nolan Arenado	3B
40	Willson Contreras	C
27	Tyler O'Neill	CF
16	Nolan Gorman	DH
18	Jordan Walker	RF
19	Tommy Edman	SS
Starting pitcher
39	Miles Mikolas
References:

Summary

April

The Cardinals won the opening series of the season, winning two out of three from the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Cardinals went on to only win one more series against the Colorado Rockies, and they were swept twice by the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. On April 4, drama ensued as outfielder Tyler O'Neill was thrown out by Ronald Acuña Jr. at home in a 4–1 loss to Atlanta. After the game, manager Oliver Marmol sharply criticized O'Neill's perceived lack of effort while rounding third base, calling it "unacceptable." Following the public criticism, it was considered that O'Neill might have been trying to avoid injury, as he had dealt with two hamstring injuries in 2022 and at the time of the incident it was drizzling. O'Neill criticized Marmol subtlety, telling media that he did not need to take the issue public and it could have been dealt with behind closed doors. As punishment, Marmol benched O'Neill for the following game.

Highly touted rookie Jordan Walker started his career off with a twelve game hit streak, which tied an MLB record for the longest by a player age 20 or younger to begin his career. Following the end of his hit streak against the Pirates on April 13, Walker cooled down at the plate and with his subpar defensive ability in his new outfield position, he was optioned back to AAA Memphis on April 26.

May

To start May, the Cardinals were swept at home by the Los Angeles Angels followed by dropping a series against the Detroit Tigers. Following the back-to-back series losses to start the month, the Cardinals announced that first-year catcher Willson Contreras would be removed from the catching role and be exclusively used as a designated hitter. The reason given for this move was to allow Contreras to communicate with the pitching staff and figure out how to work better together.

The Cardinals then started a successful run of baseball, where they won a series against the rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, followed by a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Following the sweep of the Red Sox, the Cardinals announced that Contreras would return to catching duties to start the upcoming home stand. They then returned home to win back to back series, starting with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and then a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

To finish the month, the Cardinals cooled off with a split of a four-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati, followed by dropping a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, which was also the Cardinals' first series loss since May 6. The Cardinals ended the month by splitting a two-game series with the Kansas City Royals at home, which involved a Game One loss where Royals pitchers Josh Staumont and Mike Mayers took a perfect game into the 8th inning before being broken up by a Nolan Arenado single.

June

In June, the Cardinals dropped their first four series, which included falling victim to sweeps by the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road and the San Francisco Giants at home. During this stretch, 2022 All-Star closer Ryan Helsley was also placed on the 15-Day IL with a right forearm strain on June 12, which was followed with the decision to assign Jordan Hicks the closer role. Hicks was one of the few bright spots of the team in June, earning 5 saves in the second half of the month which involved earning saves on three straight days against the New York Mets and Washington Nationals and hitting 104.3 miles per hour. These saves were also the first earned by Hicks since he earned 14 in the 2019 season.

The Cardinals also played the Chicago Cubs in the 2023 London Series as the home team, which involved a two-game series split where the Cubs took game one by a score of 9–1 that involved outfielder Ian Happ hitting two home runs off of starter Adam Wainwright, followed by the Cardinals winning game two by a score of 7–5.

July

The Cardinals won two of three series before the All-Star Break, in which Nolan Arenado was the sole Cardinal All-Star selection, starting at third base for the National League. Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Cardinals pulled off a six-game win streak which included a sweep of the Miami Marlins at home, their best win streak of the season, before fading at the end of the month and losing the final two of three series of July, both to the Chicago Cubs.

A positive turn for the Cardinals in the month of July however as they fell further out of contention was starting pitcher Steven Matz, who had started the season with a 0–7 record and an ERA around five. In July however Matz found his stride, as he went 5.1 innings scoreless against the Chicago White Sox on July 9 before the All-Star Break. Matz then picked up his first win of the season on July 20 against the Chicago Cubs after going 5.0 innings and surrendering one earned run. Matz followed that start with two consecutive quality starts, going 6.0 innings scoreless against both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs again, picking up his second win of the year in the start against Chicago. Matz finished the month of July with a 2–0 record and a 2.17 ERA in 29.0 IP in the month.

September

The Cardinals in action at Milwaukee on September 27

On September 18, Adam Wainwright, 42, pitching at home against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers, won his 200th game, 1-0, pitching seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits, walking two, striking out three. His 2,202 career strikeouts make him the 66th pitcher to have at least 2,200 strikeouts. His 200 wins make him the 122nd pitcher in baseball history to reach that milestone. His 200 wins, all with the Cardinals, rank him third in the team's history, joining Bob Gibson (251) and Jesse Haines (210).

At home on September 29, Wainwright batted for the first time since October 6, 2021. In the sixth inning with the team trailing 14-2, he pinch-hit for designated hitter Luken Baker. On the second pitch, he grounded out sharply to second base. It was his only at-bat that night. Over his career, he has 10 home runs, 75 RBIs, and a .193 batting average. He has five seasons batting over .200.

In his final game and the team for the season on October 1, Wainwright struck out swinging in the eighth inning, with the team leading 4-3, the final score. Wainwright was 0-for-2 for the season.

Game Log

Legend
Cardinals Win	Cardinals Loss	Game Postponed	Eliminated from playoff race
Boldface text denotes a Cardinals pitcher

2023 St. Louis Cardinals Game Log: 71–91 (Home: 35–46; Away: 36–45)
March/April: 10–19 (Home: 5–8; Away: 5–11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 1 March 30 Blue Jays 9–10 García (1–0) Helsley (0–1) Romano (1) 47,649 0–1 L1 2 April 1 Blue Jays 4–1 Flaherty (1–0) Gausman (0–1) Helsley (1) 44,461 1–1 W1 3 April 2 Blue Jays 9–4 Montgomery (1–0) Bassitt (0–1) — 45,525 2–1 W2 4 April 3 Braves 4–8 Morton (1–0) Woodford (0–1) — 37,689 2–2 L1 5 April 4 Braves 1–4 Dodd (1–0) Matz (0–1) Minter (1) 36,501 2–3 L2 6 April 5 Braves 2–5 Elder (1–0) Mikolas (0–1) Chavez (1) 36,300 2–4 L3 7 April 7 @ Brewers 0–4 Woodruff (1–0) Flaherty (1–1) — 28,459 2–5 L4 8 April 8 @ Brewers 6–0 Montgomery (2–0) Lauer (1–1) — 43,077 3–5 W1 9 April 9 @ Brewers 1–6 Peralta (2–0) Woodford (0–2) — 27,701 3–6 L1 10 April 10 @ Rockies 4–7 Márquez (2–1) Matz (0–2) — 24,092 3–7 L2 11 April 11 @ Rockies 9–6 Gallegos (1–0) Johnson (0–1) Helsley (2) 25,399 4–7 W1 12 April 12 @ Rockies 7–4 Pallante (1–0) Lawrence (0–1) Helsley (3) 22,250 5–7 W2 13 April 13 Pirates 0–5 Velasquez (1–0) Montgomery (2–1) — 37,805 5–8 L1 14 April 14 Pirates 3–0 Thompson (1–0) Oviedo (1–1) Gallegos (1) 40,637 6–8 W1 15 April 15 Pirates 3–6 (10) Bednar (2–0) Hicks (0–1) Moreta (1) 40,042 6–9 L1 16 April 16 Pirates 5–4 (10) VerHagen (1–0) Crowe (0–1) — 40,346 7–9 W1 17 April 17 Diamondbacks 3–6 Kelly (1–2) Flaherty (1–2) Chafin (3) 36,405 7–10 L1 18 April 18 Diamondbacks 7–8 Nelson (3–0) Montgomery (2–2) Castro (1) 36,028 7–11 L2 19 April 19 Diamondbacks 14–5 Woodford (1–2) Bumgarner (0–3) — 39,068 8–11 W1 20 April 21 @ Mariners 2–5 Kirby (2–1) Matz (0–3) Sewald (5) 29,633 8–12 L1 21 April 22 @ Mariners 4–5 Brash (2–2) Thompson (1–1) Sewald (6) 38,732 8–13 L2 22 April 23 @ Mariners 7–3 Flaherty (2–2) Flexen (0–4) — 36,249 9–13 W1 23 April 24 @ Giants 0–4 Cobb (1–1) Montgomery (2–3) — 20,203 9–14 L1 24 April 25 @ Giants 4–5 Hjelle (1–0) Helsley (0–2) — 20,797 9–15 L2 25 April 26 @ Giants 3–7 DeSclafani (2–1) Hicks (0–2) Doval (3) 21,748 9–16 L3 26 April 27 @ Giants 6–0 Mikolas (1–1) Webb (1–5) — 23,397 10–16 W1 27 April 28 @ Dodgers 3–7 May (3–1) Flaherty (2–3) — 48,138 10–17 L1 28 April 29 @ Dodgers 0–1 Kershaw (5–1) Montgomery (2–4) Graterol (2) 48,763 10–18 L2 29 April 30 @ Dodgers 3–6 Syndergaard (1–3) Thompson (1–2) Phillips (3) 52,304 10–19 L3
May: 15–13 (Home: 7–8; Away: 8–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 30 May 2 Angels 1–5 Sandoval (3–1) Matz (0–4) — 37,048 10–20 L4 31 May 3 Angels 4–6 Tepera (2–1) Gallegos (1–1) Estévez (7) 42,148 10–21 L5 32 May 4 Angels 7–11 Canning (2–0) Flaherty (2–4) — 40,508 10–22 L6 33 May 5 Tigers 4–5 Boyd (2–2) Hicks (0–3) Lange (6) 36,359 10–23 L7 34 May 6 Tigers 5–6 (10) Cisnero (2–0) Gallegos (1–2) — 39,512 10–24 L8 35 May 7 Tigers 12–6 VerHagen (2–0) Englert (1–2) — 44,465 11–24 W1 36 May 8 @ Cubs 3–1 Cabrera (1–0) Stroman (2–3) Helsley (4) 30,937 12–24 W2 37 May 9 @ Cubs 6–4 Stratton (1–0) Assad (0–2) Gallegos (2) 32,693 13–24 W3 38 May 10 @ Cubs 4–10 Steele (6–0) Montgomery (2–5) — 36,413 13–25 L1 39 May 12 @ Red Sox 8–6 Helsley (1–2) Jansen (1–1) — 34,553 14–25 W1 40 May 13 @ Red Sox 4–3 Pallante (2–0) Jansen (1–2) Gallegos (3) 35,935 15–25 W2 41 May 14 @ Red Sox 9–1 Mikolas (2–1) Kluber (2–5) — 27,732 16–25 W3 42 May 15 Brewers 18–1 Flaherty (3–4) Peralta (4–3) — 34,548 17–25 W4 43 May 16 Brewers 2–3 Payamps (2–0) Montgomery (2–6) Williams (6) 34,655 17–26 L1 44 May 17 Brewers 3–0 Liberatore (1–0) Burnes (4–3) Helsley (5) 35,433 18–26 W1 45 May 18 Dodgers 16–8 Wainwright (1–0) Urías (5–4) — 36,982 19–26 W2 46 May 19 Dodgers 0–5 Gonsolin (2–1) Matz (0–5) — 44,774 19–27 L1 47 May 20 Dodgers 6–5 Helsley (2–2) González (1–1) Gallegos (4) 45,177 20–27 W1 48 May 21 Dodgers 10–5 VerHagen (3–0) Kershaw (6–4) — 44,721 21–27 W2 49 May 22 @ Reds 5–6 (10) Gibaut (4–1) Helsley (2–3) — 9,194 21–28 L1 50 May 23 @ Reds 8–5 Wainwright (2–0) Ashcraft (2–3) Helsley (6) 14,159 22–28 W1 51 May 24 @ Reds 3–10 Lively (2–2) Matz (0–6) — 12,626 22–29 L1 52 May 25 @ Reds 2–1 Mikolas (3–1) Sims (1–1) Gallegos (5) 15,978 23–29 W1 53 May 26 @ Guardians 3–4 Bieber (4–3) Liberatore (1–1) Clase (17) 31,303 23–30 L1 54 May 27 @ Guardians 2–1 (10) Helsley (3–3) Sandlin (2–2) Gallegos (6) 32,224 24–30 W1 55 May 28 @ Guardians 3–4 Curry (1–0) Helsley (3–4) — 27,398 24–31 L1 56 May 29 Royals 0–7 Mayers (1–0) Wainwright (2–1) — 45,911 24–32 L2 57 May 30 Royals 2–1 Mikolas (4–1) Hernández (0–2) Gallegos (7) 38,406 25–32 W1
June: 8–15 (Home: 3–8; Away: 5–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 58 June 2 @ Pirates 5–7 Ramírez (1–0) Gallegos (1–3) Bednar (11) 24,388 25–33 L1 59 June 3 @ Pirates 3–4 Moreta (3–1) Montgomery (2–7) Bednar (12) 29,161 25–34 L2 60 June 4 @ Pirates 1–2 Hill (5–5) Mikolas (4–2) Bednar (13) 22,947 25–35 L3 61 June 5 @ Rangers 3–4 Smith (1–2) Cabrera (1–1) — 25,161 25–36 L4 62 June 6 @ Rangers 4–6 Dunning (5–1) Liberatore (1–2) Smith (11) 28,151 25–37 L5 63 June 7 @ Rangers 1–0 Hicks (1–3) Gray (6–2) Helsley (7) 30,251 26–37 W1 64 June 9 Reds 7–4 Montgomery (3–7) Lively (3–4) Gallegos (8) 43,238 27–37 W2 65 June 10 Reds 4–8 Abbott (2–0) Mikolas (4–3) — 45,246 27–38 L1 66 June 11 Reds 3–4 Gibaut (6–1) Hicks (1–4) Díaz (15) 42,445 27–39 L2 67 June 12 Giants 3–4 Webb (5–6) Stratton (1–1) Doval (17) 40,886 27–40 L3 68 June 13 Giants 3–11 Jackson (1–0) Flaherty (3–5) Winn (1) 40,917 27–41 L4 69 June 14 Giants 5–8 (10) Rogers (1–4) Matz (0–7) Doval (18) 39,165 27–42 L5 70 June 16 @ Mets 1–6 Megill (6–4) Mikolas (4–4) — 33,948 27–43 L6 71 June 17 @ Mets 5–3 Wainwright (3–1) Senga (6–4) Hicks (1) 39,143 28–43 W1 72 June 18 @ Mets 8–7 VerHagen (4–0) Ottavino (0–3) Hicks (2) 43,110 29–43 W2 73 June 19 @ Nationals 8–6 Flaherty (4–5) Gray (4–6) Hicks (3) 19,997 30–43 W3 74 June 20 @ Nationals 9–3 Montgomery (4–7) Gore (3–6) — 22,223 31–43 W4 75 June 21 @ Nationals 0–3 Williams (4–4) Mikolas (4–5) Harvey (4) 16,191 31–44 L1 76 June 24† Cubs 1–9 Steele (8–2) Wainwright (3–2) — 54,662 31–45 L2 77 June 25† Cubs 7–5 Woodford (2–2) Stroman (9–5) Hicks (4) 55,565 32–45 W1 78 June 27 Astros 4–2 Montgomery (5–7) Valdez (7–6) Hicks (5) 41,512 33–45 W2 79 June 28 Astros 7–10 Martinez (2–3) Gallegos (1–4) Pressly (15) 41,452 33–46 L1 80 June 29 Astros 0–14 France (3–3) Wainwright (3–3) — 42,504 33–47 L2 — June 30 Yankees Postponed (inclement weather); Makeup: July 1 †The Cardinals were the home team against the Cubs in a two-game series at London Stadium in the 2023 MLB London Series.
July: 14–13 (Home: 8–5; Away: 6–8) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 81 July 1 (1) Yankees 11–4 Flaherty (5–5) Severino (1–3) — 44,237 34–47 W1 82 July 1 (2) Yankees 2–6 King (2–4) Liberatore (1–3) — 44,846 34–48 L1 83 July 2 Yankees 5–1 Montgomery (6–7) Cole (8–2) — 44,676 35–48 W1 84 July 3 @ Marlins 4–5 Brazobán (3–1) Pallante (2–1) Puk (14) 19,638 35–49 L1 85 July 4 @ Marlins 2–15 Luzardo (7–5) Wainwright (3–4) — 16,437 35–50 L2 86 July 5 @ Marlins 9–10 Puk (4–2) Hicks (1–5) — 9,911 35–51 L3 87 July 6 @ Marlins 3–0 Flaherty (6–5) Pérez (5–3) Hicks (6) 8,763 36–51 W1 88 July 7 @ White Sox 7–8 Middleton (2–0) Leahy (0–1) Graveman (7) 27,569 36–52 L1 89 July 8 @ White Sox 3–0 Mikolas (5–5) Toussaint (0–2) Hicks (7) 26,560 37–52 W1 90 July 9 @ White Sox 4–3 (10) Romero (1–0) Middleton (2–1) — 29,769 38–52 W2 93rd All-Star Game in Seattle, Washington — July 14 Nationals Suspended (rain); Resuming: July 15th 91 July 15 (1) Nationals 5–7 (10) Finnegan (4–3) Hicks (1–6) Harvey (9) 42,042 38–53 L1 92 July 15 (2) Nationals 9–6 Hudson (1–0) Willingham (0–1) — 41,900 39–53 W1 93 July 16 Nationals 8–4 Flaherty (7–5) Gray (6–8) — 42,626 40–53 W2 94 July 17 Marlins 6–4 Mikolas (6–5) Floro (3–5) Hicks (8) 35,619 41–53 W3 95 July 18 Marlins 5–2 (10) Romero (2–0) Puk (4–4) — 38,490 42–53 W4 96 July 19 Marlins 6–4 Thompson (2–2) Alcántara (3–9) Stratton (1) 35,906 43–53 W5 97 July 20 @ Cubs 7–2 Matz (1–7) Stroman (10–7) — 34,251 44–53 W6 98 July 21 @ Cubs 3–4 Steele (10–3) Flaherty (7–6) Alzolay (8) 38,819 44–54 L1 99 July 22 @ Cubs 6–8 Palencia (2–0) Thompson (2–3) Alzolay (9) 40,425 44–55 L2 100 July 23 @ Cubs 2–7 Taillon (4–6) Montgomery (6–8) — 38,223 44–56 L3 101 July 24 @ Diamondbacks 10–6 Gallegos (2–4) Chafin (2–3) — 23,184 45–56 W1 102 July 25 @ Diamondbacks 1–3 Nelson (5–2) Romero (2–1) Ginkel (3) 23,572 45–57 L1 103 July 26 @ Diamondbacks 11–7 Pallante (3–1) Gallen (11–5) — 22,457 46–57 W1 104 July 27 Cubs 3–10 Steele (11–3) Mikolas (6–6) — 44,584 46–58 L1 105 July 28 Cubs 2–3 Smyly (8–7) Montgomery (6–9) Alzolay (12) 43,424 46–59 L2 106 July 29 Cubs 1–5 Taillon (5–6) Wainwright (3–5) — 44,877 46–60 L3 107 July 30 Cubs 3–0 Matz (2–7) Hendricks (4–5) Romero (1) 43,670 47–60 W1
August: 11–16 (Home: 7–9; Away: 4–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 108 August 1 Twins 2–3 López (6–6) Mikolas (6–7) Durán (18) 37,162 47–61 L1 109 August 2 Twins 7–3 Hudson (2–0) Ryan (9–8) — 34,332 48–61 W1 110 August 3 Twins 3–5 Gray (5–4) Liberatore (1–4) Durán (19) 36,949 48–62 L1 111 August 4 Rockies 4–9 Flexen (1–5) Wainwright (3–6) — 38,559 48–63 L2 112 August 5 Rockies 6–2 Matz (3–7) Blach (1–1) — 38,121 49–63 W1 113 August 6 Rockies 0–1 Gomber (9–8) Thompson (2–4) Lawrence (9) 40,051 49–64 L1 114 August 8 @ Rays 2–4 Adam (3–2) Mikolas (6–8) Fairbanks (15) 15,522 49–65 L2 115 August 9 @ Rays 6–4 Hudson (3–0) Kelly (4–2) Gallegos (9) 11,203 50–65 W1 116 August 10 @ Rays 5–2 Liberatore (2–4) Littell (2–3) — 11,990 51–65 W2 117 August 11 @ Royals 8–12 Zerpa (1–1) Wainwright (3–7) — 26,271 51–66 L1 118 August 12 @ Royals 5–4 Matz (4–7) Ragans (3–4) Romero (2) 37,016 52–66 W1 119 August 14 Athletics 7–5 Romero (3–1) Felipe (1–1) — 34,793 53–66 W2 120 August 15 Athletics 6–2 Hudson (4–0) Watkins (0–1) — 32,528 54–66 W3 121 August 16 Athletics 0–8 Blackburn (3–3) Liberatore (2–5) — 33,146 54–67 L1 122 August 17 Mets 2–4 Quintana (1–4) Wainwright (3–8) Gott (1) 36,155 54–68 L2 123 August 18 Mets 1–7 Lucchesi (2–0) Thompson (2–5) — 42,076 54–69 L3 124 August 19 Mets 2–13 Senga (10–6) Mikolas (6–9) — 40,303 54–70 L4 125 August 20 Mets 7–3 Hudson (5–0) Carrasco (3–7) — 37,470 55–70 W1 126 August 21 @ Pirates 1–11 Falter (1–7) Rom (0–1) — 12,270 55–71 L1 127 August 22 @ Pirates 3–6 Oviedo (7–13) Wainwright (3–9) Bednar (27) 11,823 55–72 L2 128 August 23 @ Pirates 6–4 Thompson (3–5) Ortiz (2–4) Romero (3) 11,504 56–72 W1 129 August 25 @ Phillies 2–7 Sánchez (2–3) Mikolas (6–10) — 34,118 56–73 L1 130 August 26 @ Phillies 1–12 Wheeler (10–6) Hudson (5–1) — 44,097 56–74 L2 131 August 27 @ Phillies 0–3 Nola (12–8) Rom (0–2) Kimbrel (20) 41,141 56–75 L3 132 August 28 Padres 1–4 Snell (11–9) Wainwright (3–10) Hader (28) 35,917 56–76 L4 133 August 29 Padres 6–5 (10) Romero (4–1) Hader (0–2) — 36,851 57–76 W1 134 August 30 Padres 5–4 Pallante (4–1) Hader (0–3) — 32,583 58–76 W2
September/October: 13–15 (Home: 5–8; Away: 8–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Box / Streak 135 September 1 Pirates 2–4 (10) Selby (2–0) Romero (4–2) Bednar (30) 33,842 58–77 L1 136 September 2 Pirates 6–7 Bolton (1–0) VerHagen (4–1) Bednar (31) 38,276 58–78 L2 137 September 3 Pirates 6–4 Thompson (4–5) Oviedo (8–14) Gallegos (10) 35,856 59–78 W1 138 September 5 @ Braves 10–6 Mikolas (7–10) Soroka (2–2) — 33,553 60–78 W2 139 September 6 @ Braves 11–6 Hudson (6–1) Strider (16–5) — 35,514 61–78 W3 140 September 7 @ Braves 5–8 Fried (7–1) Wainwright (3–11) — 34,349 61–79 L1 141 September 8 @ Reds 9–4 Liberatore (3–5) Abbott (8–5) — 29,870 62–79 W1 142 September 9 @ Reds 4–3 Thompson (5–5) Moll (1–4) Helsley (8) 40,810 63–79 W2 143 September 10 @ Reds 1–7 Greene (4–6) Mikolas (7–11) — 31,190 63–80 L1 144 September 11 @ Orioles 5–11 Hall (1–0) Hudson (6–2) — 15,485 63–81 L2 145 September 12 @ Orioles 5–2 Wainwright (4–11) Means (0–1) Helsley (9) 15,526 64–81 W1 146 September 13 @ Orioles 1–0 Rom (1–2) Gibson (14–9) Helsley (10) 14,442 65–81 W2 147 September 15 Phillies 4–5 Strahm (9–4) Thompson (5–6) Alvarado (8) 42,166 65–82 L1 148 September 16 Phillies 1–6 Suárez (3–6) Mikolas (7–12) — 42,817 65–83 L2 149 September 17 Phillies 6–5 King (2–1) Domínguez (4–5) Helsley (11) 40,996 66–83 W1 150 September 18 Brewers 1–0 Wainwright (5–11) Peralta (12–9) Helsley (12) 33,176 67–83 W2 151 September 19 Brewers 3–7 Rea (6–6) Rom (1–3) — 35,760 67–84 L1 152 September 20 Brewers 2–8 Houser (7–4) Thompson (5–7) — 37,008 67–85 L2 153 September 21 Brewers 0–6 Miley (9–4) Mikolas (7–13) — 37,105 67–86 L3 154 September 22 @ Padres 2–4 Suárez (4–2) Liberatore (3–6) — 42,983 67–87 L4 155 September 23 @ Padres 5–2 (11) Lawrence (1–0) Barlow (2–5) — 42,525 68–87 W1 156 September 24 @ Padres 2–12 Wacha (13–4) Rom (1–4) — 42,505 68–88 L1 157 September 26 @ Brewers 4–1 Mikolas (8–13) Houser (7–5) Helsley (13) 36,755 69–88 W1 158 September 27 @ Brewers 2–3 Payamps (7–5) Barnes (0–1) Williams (36) 31,256 69–89 L1 159 September 28 @ Brewers 0–3 Teherán (3–5) Hudson (6–3) Small (1) 29,185 69–90 L2 160 September 29 Reds 2–19 Williamson (5–5) Woodford (2–3) Spiers (1) 38,964 69–91 L3 161 September 30 Reds 15–6 VerHagen (5–1) Phillips (1–1) — 39,923 70–91 W1 162 October 1 Reds 4–3 Mikolas (9–13) Greene (4–7) Helsley (14) 44,614 71–91 W2

Season standings

National League Central

NL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Milwaukee Brewers	92	70	.568	—	49‍–‍32	43‍–‍38
Chicago Cubs	83	79	.512	9	45‍–‍36	38‍–‍43
Cincinnati Reds	82	80	.506	10	38‍–‍43	44‍–‍37
Pittsburgh Pirates	76	86	.469	16	39‍–‍42	37‍–‍44
St. Louis Cardinals	71	91	.438	21	35‍–‍46	36‍–‍45

National League Wild Card

Division leaders

Team	W	L	Pct.
Atlanta Braves	104	58	.642
Los Angeles Dodgers	100	62	.617
Milwaukee Brewers	92	70	.568

Wild Card teams
(Top 3 teams qualify for postseason)

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Philadelphia Phillies	90	72	.556	+6
Miami Marlins	84	78	.519	—
Arizona Diamondbacks	84	78	.519	—
Chicago Cubs	83	79	.512	1
San Diego Padres	82	80	.506	2
Cincinnati Reds	82	80	.506	2
San Francisco Giants	79	83	.488	5
Pittsburgh Pirates	76	86	.469	8
New York Mets	75	87	.463	9
St. Louis Cardinals	71	91	.438	13
Washington Nationals	71	91	.438	13
Colorado Rockies	59	103	.364	25

Record vs. opponents

Record vs. National League

2023 National League record Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2023
Team	AZ	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	LAD	MIA	MIL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	WSH	AL
Arizona	—	3–3	6–1	3–4	10–3	5–8	2–4	4–2	1–6	3–4	4–2	7–6	7–6	3–3	5–1	21–25
Atlanta	3–3	—	4–2	5–1	7–0	4–3	9–4	5–1	10–3	8–5	4–3	3–4	4–2	4–2	8–5	26–20
Chicago	1–6	2–4	—	6–7	4–2	3–4	2–4	6–7	3–3	1–5	10–3	4–3	5–1	8–5	3–4	25–21
Cincinnati	4–3	1–5	7–6	—	4–2	4–2	3–3	3–10	4–2	3–4	5–8	3–3	3–4	6–7	4–3	28–18
Colorado	3–10	0–7	2–4	2–4	—	3–10	5–2	4–2	4–2	2–5	2–4	4–9	4–9	3–3	3–4	18–28
Los Angeles	8–5	3–4	4–3	2–4	10–3	—	3–3	5–1	3–3	4–2	4–3	9–4	7–6	4–3	4–2	30–16
Miami	4–2	4–9	4–2	3–3	2–5	3–3	—	3–4	4–8	7–6	5–2	2–4	3–3	3–4	11–2	26–20
Milwaukee	2–4	1–5	7–6	10–3	2–4	1–5	4–3	—	6–1	4–2	8–5	6–1	2–5	8–5	3–3	28–18
New York	6–1	3–10	3–3	2–4	2–4	3–3	8–4	1–6	—	6–7	3–3	3–3	4–3	4–3	7–6	19–27
Philadelphia	4–3	5–8	5–1	4–3	5–2	2–4	6–7	2–4	7–6	—	3–3	5–2	2–4	5–1	7–6	28–18
Pittsburgh	2–4	3–4	3–10	8–5	4–2	3–4	2–5	5–8	3–3	3–3	—	5–1	2–4	9–4	5–2	19–27
San Diego	6–7	4–3	3–4	3–3	9–4	4–9	4–2	1–6	3–3	2–5	1–5	—	8–5	3–3	3–3	28–18
San Francisco	6–7	2–4	1–5	4–3	9–4	6–7	3–3	5–2	3–4	4–2	4–2	5–8	—	6–1	1–5	20–26
St. Louis	3–3	2–4	5–8	7–6	3–3	3–4	4–3	5–8	3–4	1–5	4–9	3–3	1–6	—	4–2	23–23
Washington	1–5	5–8	4–3	3–4	4–3	2–4	2–11	3–3	6–7	6–7	2–5	3–3	5–1	2–4	—	23–23

Updated with the results of all games through October 1, 2023.

Record vs. American League

2023 National League record vs. American League Source: MLB Standings
Team	BAL	BOS	CWS	CLE	DET	HOU	KC	LAA	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TB	TEX	TOR
Arizona	1–2	1–2	2–1	2–1	3–0	0–3	2–1	2–1	0–3	1–2	2–1	1–2	1–2	3–1	0–3
Atlanta	2–1	1–3	1–2	2–1	2–1	0–3	3–0	2–1	3–0	3–0	1–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	0–3
Chicago	2–1	1–2	3–1	1–2	2–1	0–3	2–1	0–3	1–2	2–1	3–0	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1
Cincinnati	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–2	2–1	3–0	3–0	3–0	1–2	0–3	2–1	2–1	1–2	3–0	1–2
Colorado	1–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–3	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	0–3	0–3	0–3	1–2
Los Angeles	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	1–2	4–0	2–1	1–2	3–0	3–0	1–2	2–1	1–2
Miami	0–3	3–0	2–1	2–1	2–1	1–2	3–0	3–0	2–1	2–1	3–0	1–2	1–3	0–3	1–2
Milwaukee	2–1	1–2	3–0	2–1	1–2	2–1	3–0	2–1	2–2	2–1	0–3	3–0	1–2	3–0	1–2
New York	0–3	1–2	2–1	3–0	0–3	1–2	0–3	1–2	1–2	2–2	3–0	2–1	2–1	1–2	0–3
Philadelphia	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	3–0	2–1	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	3–0	2–1	3–0	0–3	3–1
Pittsburgh	1–2	3–0	2–1	1–2	2–2	1–2	3–0	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–2	0–3	1–2	0–3
San Diego	2–1	1–2	3–0	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	3–0	1–2	1–2	3–0	1–3	2–1	3–0	2–1
San Francisco	1–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	0–3	2–1	1–2	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–2	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–2
St. Louis	2–1	3–0	2–1	1–2	1–2	1–2	2–2	0–3	1–2	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–1
Washington	0–4	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–1	2–1	3–0	2–1	0–3	2–1	1–2

Updated with the results of all games through October 1, 2023.

Roster

See also: St. Louis Cardinals all-time roster and List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches

2023 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers 61 Jacob Barnes 92 Génesis Cabrera 22 Jack Flaherty 65 Giovanny Gallegos 56 Ryan Helsley 12 Jordan Hicks 43 Dakota Hudson 47 John King 72 Casey Lawrence 64 Kyle Leahy 52 Matthew Liberatore 32 Steven Matz 39 Miles Mikolas 47 Jordan Montgomery 68 James Naile 70 Packy Naughton 53 Andre Pallante 38 Drew Rom 59 JoJo Romero 30 Chris Stratton 31 Andrew Suárez 38 Ryan Tepera 57 Zack Thompson 34 Drew VerHagen 50 Adam Wainwright 44 Jake Woodford 60 Guillermo Zuñiga		Catchers 63 Tres Barrera 40 Willson Contreras 48 Iván Herrera  7 Andrew Knizner Infielders 28 Nolan Arenado 26 Luken Baker 11 Paul DeJong 33 Brendan Donovan 19 Tommy Edman 35 José Fermín 46 Paul Goldschmidt 16 Nolan Gorman 55 Irving Lopez 55 Taylor Motter 62 Juniel Querecuto  0 Masyn Winn		Outfielders 41 Alec Burleson  3 Dylan Carlson 54 Óscar Mercado 21 Lars Nootbaar 27 Tyler O'Neill 67 Richie Palacios 63 Michael Siani 18 Jordan Walker 13 Juan Yepez		Manager 37 Oliver Marmol Coaches 87 Brandon Allen (assistant hitting) 90 Dusty Blake (pitching) 82 Stubby Clapp (first base) 88 Packy Elkins (game planning) 77 Joe McEwing (bench) 51 Willie McGee (assistant coach) 94 Jamie Pogue (bullpen catcher/assistant coach/bullpen) 74 Julio Rangel (assistant pitching/bullpen) 76 Kleininger Teran (bullpen catcher) 49 Turner Ward (hitting) 75 Ron 'Pop' Warner (third base)

Player statistics

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; OBP = On-base percentage; SLG = Slugging percentage
* = bats left-handed
# = bats both (switch-hitter)
TEAM .742 OPS (On-base + Slugging percentages; 6th of 15 NL teams), 101 OPS+ (adjusted for the team's ballpark)

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
Paul Goldschmidt	154	593	89	159	31	0	25	80	11	87	161	.268	.363	.447
Nolan Arenado	144	560	71	149	26	2	26	93	3	41	101	.266	.315	.459
Tommy Edman#	137	479	69	119	25	4	13	47	27	35	84	.248	.307	.399
Willson Contreras	125	428	55	113	27	0	20	67	6	51	111	.264	.358	.467
Lars Nootbaar*	117	426	74	111	23	1	14	46	11	72	99	.261	.367	.418
Jordan Walker	117	420	51	116	19	2	16	51	7	37	104	.276	.342	.445
Nolan Gorman*	119	406	59	96	17	0	27	76	7	53	148	.236	.328	.478
Brendan Donovan*	95	327	48	93	10	1	11	34	5	33	53	.284	.365	.422
Alec Burleson*	107	315	34	77	20	1	8	36	3	23	45	.244	.300	.390
Paul DeJong	81	279	38	65	11	0	13	32	4	21	87	.233	.297	.412
Tyler O'Neill	72	238	27	55	14	0	9	21	5	28	67	.231	.312	.403
Andrew Knizner	70	224	30	54	11	0	10	31	2	12	62	.241	.288	.424
Dylan Carlson#	76	219	27	48	8	1	5	27	3	26	49	.219	.318	.333
Masyn Winn	37	122	8	21	2	0	2	12	2	10	26	.172	.230	.238
Richie Palacios*	32	93	9	24	6	0	6	16	2	6	11	.258	.307	.516
Luken Baker	33	86	9	18	3	0	2	10	0	13	31	.209	.313	.314
Taylor Motter	29	76	3	13	3	0	0	2	0	5	31	.171	.232	.211
Juan Yepez	28	60	5	11	1	0	2	2	0	4	20	.183	.246	.300
José Fermín	21	51	5	12	1	0	0	4	0	6	8	.235	.339	.255
Iván Herrera	13	37	6	11	2	0	0	4	0	5	11	.297	.409	.351
Óscar Mercado	20	31	3	9	3	0	0	5	2	1	4	.290	.313	.387
Juniel Querecuto#	9	20	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	.100	.143	.150
Irving Lopez*	5	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000
Michael Siani*	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	.000	.000	.000
Tres Barrera	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Adam Wainright	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000
Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
Totals	162	5,510	719	1,376	264	12	209	697	101	570	1,326	.250	.326	.416
Rank in NL	—	5	10	7	11	15	5	8	12	4	6	7	7	6

Source:[1]

Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; WHIP = Walks plus hits per inning pitched
* = throws left-handed
TEAM BF = 6,273; ERA+ = 90

Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
Miles Mikolas	9	13	4.78	35	35	0	201.1	226	110	107	26	39	137	1.32
Jordan Montgomery*	6	9	3.42	21	21	0	121.0	116	54	46	12	35	108	1.25
Jack Flaherty	7	6	4.43	20	20	0	109.2	116	56	54	10	54	106	1.55
Steven Matz*	4	7	3.86	25	17	0	105.0	108	48	45	9	32	98	1.33
Adam Wainwright	5	11	7.40	21	21	0	101.0	151	89	83	20	41	55	1.90
Dakota Hudson	6	3	4.98	18	12	0	81.1	88	46	45	9	34	45	1.50
Andre Pallante	4	1	4.76	62	0	0	68.0	76	37	36	6	30	43	1.56
Zack Thompson*	5	7	4.48	25	9	0	66.1	69	35	33	8	25	72	1.42
Matthew Liberatore*	3	6	5.25	22	11	0	61.2	66	42	36	5	25	46	1.48
Drew VerHagen	5	1	3.98	60	0	0	61.0	52	30	27	9	26	60	1.28
Giovanny Gallegos	2	4	4.42	56	0	10	55.0	54	28	27	11	12	59	1.20
Chris Stratton	1	1	4.19	42	0	1	53.2	45	28	25	4	17	59	1.16
Jake Woodford	2	3	6.23	15	8	0	47.2	61	34	33	11	22	29	1.74
Jordan Hicks	1	6	3.67	40	0	8	41.2	39	21	17	2	24	59	1.51
Ryan Helsley	3	4	2.45	33	0	14	36.2	22	11	10	1	17	52	1.06
JoJo Romero*	4	2	3.68	27	0	3	36.2	29	17	15	1	10	42	1.06
Drew Rom*	1	4	8.02	8	8	0	33.2	51	34	30	7	19	32	2.08
Génesis Cabrera*	1	1	5.06	32	0	0	32.0	32	18	18	6	18	38	1.56
Andrew Suárez*	0	0	7.16	13	0	0	27.2	33	27	22	7	15	17	1.74
Casey Lawrence	1	0	6.59	15	0	0	27.1	32	20	20	7	10	20	1.54
John King*	1	0	1.45	20	0	0	18.2	19	3	3	1	6	10	1.34
James Naile	0	0	8.80	10	0	0	15.1	27	19	15	1	9	7	2.35
Jacob Barnes	0	1	5.93	13	0	0	13.2	18	11	9	1	3	8	1.54
Packy Naughton*	0	0	0.00	4	0	0	5.0	2	0	0	0	1	5	0.60
Ryan Tepera	0	0	9.00	2	0	0	2.0	3	2	2	1	1	1	2.00
Guillermo Zuñiga	0	0	4.50	2	0	0	2.0	2	1	1	0	0	4	1.00
Alec Burleson*	0	0	21.60	2	0	0	1.2	8	4	4	1	0	1	4.80
Kyle Leahy	0	1	21.60	3	0	0	1.2	4	4	4	1	5	2	5.40
Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
Totals	71	91	4.79	162	162	36	1,428.1	1,549	829	760	179	530	1,215	1.456
Rank in NL	13	2	12	—	—	11	12	14	13	12	3	8	14	—

Source:[2]

Minor league system and first-year player draft

Teams

See also: List of St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates, St. Louis Cardinals minor league players, and Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Division	Manager	W–L/Stats	Standing	Refs
Triple-A	Memphis Redbirds	International League	West	Ben Johnson	7–8
Double-A	Springfield Cardinals	Texas League	North	José Leger	9–0
High-A	Peoria Chiefs	Midwest League	West	Patrick Anderson	5–4
Single-A	Palm Beach Cardinals	Florida State League	East	Gary Kendall	64–63
Rookie	FCL Cardinals	Florida Complex League	East	Roberto Espinoza	17–33
Foreign Rookie	DSL Cardinals	Dominican Summer League	South	Fray Peniche	17–36

Major League Baseball draft

Main article: 2023 Major League Baseball draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft took place on July 9–11, 2023, in Seattle. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams.

2023 Draft Order

2023 Draft Tracker (STL Cardinals)
Cardinals Draft Signings Tracker

2023 St. Louis Cardinals complete draft list

Round Pick Name, Age Pos / Bats (P throws) School (State) Signing bonus 1 21 Chase Davis, 21 OF / L University of Arizona (AZ) $6.3 million 2 No pick due to the signing of Willson Contreras 3 90 Travis Honeyman, 21 OF / R Boston College (MA) $700,000 4 122 Quinn Mathews, 22 P / L Stanford University (CA) $600,000 5 158 Zach Levenson, 21 OF / R University of Miami (FL) $381,300 6 185 Jason Savacool, 21 P / R University of Maryland (MD) $302,300 7 215 Charles Harrison, 21 P / R UCLA (CA) $236,700 8 245 Ixan Henderson, 21 P / L Fresno State University (CA) $230,000 9 275 Christian Worley, 21 P / R Virginia Tech (VA) $200,000 10 305 Caden Kendle, 21 OF / R University of California-Irvine (CA) Did not sign 11 335 Dakota Harris, 21 SS / S University of Oklahoma (OK) $150,000 12 365 Brayden Jobert, 22 OF / L LSU (LA) $150,000 13 395 William Sullivan, 22 1B / L Troy University (AL) $150,000 14 425 Jacob Odle, 19 P / R Orange Coast College (CA) $150,000 15 455 Tre Richardson, 21 SS / R Texas Christian University (TX) $150,000 16 485 Tyler Bradt, 22 P / R East Carolina University (NC) $75,000 17 515 Trey Paige, 22 3B / L Delaware State University (DE) $150,000 18 545 Hunter Kublick, 20 P / R Umpqua Community College (OR) $150,000 19 575 Graysen Tarlow, 22 C / R California State-Northridge (CA) $125,000 20 605 Cameron Johnson, 18 P / L IMG Academy HS (FL) Did not sign

External links

• St. Louis Cardinals 2023 schedule at MLB.com
• 2023 St. Louis Cardinals schedule at ESPN
• 2023 St. Louis Cardinals season at Baseball Reference