The St. Louis Cardinals are making moves before their series against the archrival Cubs. This one involves a bullpen shakeup with Gordon Graceffo and Ryne Stanek.
Ahead of the series, the Cardinals optioned Graceffo to Triple-A Memphis in order to clear a spot for the veteran Stanek, who had been on the paternity list.
Graceffo, although colder as of late, has been one of the Cardinals’ most steady arms this season.
Through 40.1 innings, the right-hander has a 6-1 record, 0.5 Baseball Reference WAR, and a 3.35 ERA. His strikeout numbers and expected data aren’t pretty, but he’s managed to get the job done.
Stanek, on the other hand, has been about as unsteady as it gets. The former star of the Astros’ bullpen has a 5.12 ERA this year and has been bitten by the home run bug.
The Cardinals bullpen has been a major weakness in the last month, and this move goes to show that there aren’t any immediate answers.
Graceffo did just throw, and the move was likely to give him rest more so than to demote him, but even so, the Cardinals are in trying times when it comes to their arm barn.
St. Louis fans are bewildered by the decision.
Social Media Reacts to Cardinals’ Bullpen Shakeup
Here’s what people are saying:
Adam Akbani: “Game 84 notes: -Masyn Winn was 3-for-4 with a BB; great to see him have a spark offensively -Jordan Walker was 2-for-4 and socked his 19th HR. He leads the NL in RBI with 63 -Nathan Church launched his 7th HR -The bullpen hurled 8.1 scoreless IP, allowing just 3 H and 1 BB.
Derrick Goold: “Gordon Graceffo optioned to make room for Ryne Stanek’s return to the bullpen today. That means … Dustin May avoids the IL. #stlcards.”
L33_VI: “Why would they send him down? He’s been one of the most consistent arms in this bullpen. Svanson’s been struggling; it would have been an obvious choice, don’t you think?”
Dani Wexelman: “Last night in ATL, the Cardinals bullpen covered 8.1 innings after Dustin May took a 91.6 mph line drive off his right ankle from Dom Smith. May stayed in for a second out and was removed after another Braves hit. He has an R ankle contusion. Cardinals Pen: 8.1, 3h, 0r, bb, 5k.”
Seasons Sports: “Guessing because others are out of options and graceffo can wait until trade deadline for return? Either way, this is very questionable…”
Just Baseball: “St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore has hit a proverbial wall. Our @byajstone has more on how the front office will handle his recent skid.”
Cardinals Right Now
The Cardinals will face the Chicago Cubs over the holiday weekend, marking a huge series for both teams.
As it stands, the Cubs are 2.5 games up on the Cardinals before game one of the series.
The Cardinals will send Andre Pallante to the mound to face newly acquired starter David Peterson for Chi-Town.
St. Louis just managed to nab a series from the Braves. Stacking another one over the Cubs would mount serious momentum heading into the deadline.
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