2 days Ago
ST. LOUIS — A lackluster energy filled Busch Stadium as the St. Louis Cardinals kicked off their last homestand of the season.
The final two weeks will be focused on player progression rather than postseason aspirations, a disappointing outcome of what is shaping up to be a .500 season. Though the Cardinals have not been eliminated from the playoffs, their fate has been written on the wall for weeks.
Advertisement It’s why performances like Andre Pallante ’s on Monday are important. Pallante hurled seven innings of shutout ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates , outdueling National League Rookie of the Year candidate Paul Skenes , while setting a career-high in strikeouts (nine). The Cardinals rolled to a 4-0 victory, ensuring their final homestand began on a positive note.
Though 2024 is lost, individual outings can spark hope for 2025. Pallante’s season, which saw him optioned to the minors in April before becoming the team’s best starter in the second half, looks to be ending on a strong note. 9 strikeouts for Andre Pallante, a new career high! #ForTheLou pic.
twitter.com/TC9nkP6HcZ — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 17, 2024 “I’m definitely proud of the work I put in,” Pallante said.
“(Starting in the majors), who knows how that could have gone? I know guys on the coaching staff pushed for me to get that opportunity and to go figure it out. ..
. They gave me the opportunity and I’m just proud of the way I went down there, stayed focused and took advantage of it.” As St.
Louis prepares for another October without postseason baseball, how the club wraps up the remainder of its home schedule will be telling. Here’s what to watch for over the Cardinals’ final homestand. Will these be Paul Goldschmidt ’s final home games as a Cardinal? Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million contract with the Cardinals ends after this season.
Whether the Cardinals bring back one of their most respected faces remains to be seen. Goldschmidt has stated he would like to play next season, and St. Louis would be open to re-signing him.
Multiple people in the organization have disclosed their preference to bring Goldschmidt back for next season, but not for the $26 million he made this season. His prestige is part of the desire to retain Goldschmidt; few in the game are as lauded league-wide. His second-half turnaround, specifically in August and September, has shown that he can still produce solid numbers, even if the first half of the season marked some of the worst production in his career.
Advertisement Goldschmidt’s offensive decline began in 2023, a year after winning the National League Most Valuable Player award. He registered his lowest batting average (.268) since 2019 and his lowest OPS (.
810) since his rookie season in 2011. Still, his overall production (25 homers, a .447 slugging percentage and 159 hits in 154 games) was well above league average.
But Goldschmidt’s numbers before the 2024 All-Star break were unrecognizable. His .230/.
291/.373 line represented the worst first half of his career. As he navigated through his age-37 season, questions regarding age and decline began to surface.
After the All-Star break, however, he began to resemble his usual self. Entering play Monday, Goldschmidt owned a .280 average and .
821 OPS since July 17. He hit his stride as of late, posting an .861 OPS in September.
“You look at (Goldschmidt’s) last two months, and you have real production,” manager Oli Marmol said. “It’s been good.” Paul Goldschmidt snatches the lead right back for the @Cardinals ! pic.
twitter.com/G6F3831Z4B — MLB (@MLB) September 4, 2024 But has it been good enough to justify bringing him back, even on a team-friendly deal? Pete Alonso will headline the first baseman free-agent class, followed by Josh Bell and Christian Walker . Anthony Rizzo could join the mix if the Yankees decline their $17 million club option for 2025.
When it comes to the future of players on the Cardinals’ roster, there is no bigger question than Goldschmidt. The Cardinals could re-sign him at a lower deal, extend a qualifying offer, or choose to pivot toward one of their internal options at first base next year. It’s likely those conversations — and the club’s decision — will not take place until after the season.
Could this be Lance Lynn ’s final start? The Cardinals are using a six-man rotation again, as the team could not justify removing Pallante from the rotation after his strong second half. Advertisement “With Pallante, I just feel he’s been one of our most consistent guys,” Marmol said. “Continuing to see that and develop that is important for him and the organization.
” Steven Matz will remain in the bullpen, but the club did not rule out him starting another game before the season ends. The question centers on Lance Lynn, who threw five innings of one-run ball in his first start off the injured list last week and recorded his 2,000th career inning in the process, becoming just the sixth active MLB pitcher to notch the feat. Lynn missed roughly six weeks with a balky left knee and acknowledged in his return that he’s not 100 percent.
He’s scheduled to start on Tuesday against Pittsburgh but he and the Cardinals remain noncommittal about anything after that. Lynn says he's happy with his outing in his first start after missing the last month: "It went well. I got myself in a little trouble here and there but I was able to get out of it.
...
It's just good to be back out and compete." #STLCards pic.twitter.
com/lf0JmPKD3T — Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) September 12, 2024 When asked if it was fair to evaluate Lynn’s availability for the remainder of the year on a start-by-start basis, Marmol acknowledged that health is the leading factor. The Cardinals have a club option for $11 million for 2025 with Lynn. If they decline, Lynn will receive a $1 million buyout.
While he has not publicly acknowledged what he’d prefer after the 2024 season, it’s hard to imagine the 37-year-old finishing his accomplished career anywhere but St. Louis. “If I can pitch, I’m going to go out there and pitch,” Lynn said.
“There’s no thought of anything else. That’s always the goal, finish strong, finish with whatever you have and don’t leave anything on the table.” What will Busch Stadium’s season attendance finish at? Entering their final seven home games, the Cardinals boast the seventh-highest average official attendance at 36,060.
But one quick glance at the ballpark will tell you that the average gate revenue is far below. Busch Stadium has struggled to fill even the lower concourse during most weekday games during the second half. A wide assortment of concession stands remain closed, especially in the upper levels of the ballpark.
Since official attendance is measured by the number of tickets sold (regardless of actual attendance), we’ll focus on how those reported stats measure how drastically Busch Stadium’s numbers have fallen. Busch Stadium recorded an official attendance below 30,000 for the first time in its history (since 2006) in mid-August. St.
Louis has averaged at least 40,000 fans per game (the 2020 and 2021 COVID seasons aside) in every season dating back to 2011. They have recorded at least 3 million fans in a season in every season since Busch Stadium III opened in 2006. Both streaks look like they’ll be broken this season (the Cardinals have recorded 2,632,444 in 73 home games).
While the Cardinals outdraw most of the league by a considerable amount, they’ve fallen far short of their high expectations. Advertisement How a lack of revenue, both from an official attendance standpoint and a gate revenue perspective, will impact the club financially remains to be determined. Ownership has regularly touted high attendance as a direct correlation to team payroll.
With the team’s regional sports network, Bally Sports Midwest, also facing uncertainty in 2025, CEO Bill DeWitt II will have no shortage of risks to consider. Even though the 2023 team finished 20 games under .500, Busch Stadium posted near-capacity numbers for the final three home games last year.
The reason, of course, was Adam Wainwright’s weekend-long retirement celebration. This year, there will be no franchise legends to celebrate. The Cardinals will plod through the final two weeks, competing not for a playoff spot but simply for a winning record.
They are in danger of posting back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 162-game season was implemented. They have fallen far short of their standards for the second straight year. This year, the fans are sending a message.
(Photo of Andre Pallante: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images).
