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As the Cardinals approach the onrushing July 31 trade deadline, what if the moves made (or not made) are just prelude to a larger overhaul of the organization in the opening months of Chaim Bloom's tenure leading baseball operations.

A simple, direct, but essential question about whether the Cardinals four months into their "runway" season have identified the core of their next contending team prompts a lengthy discussion about what's still missing, what hasn't emerged, and what players have made their best case to be part of the foundation upon which Bloom is expected to build a contending team? 

That is where the conversation between ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and KMOX/104.1 FM host Kevin Wheeler  continues, and where it goes touches on future talents, the need for stars, and even the environment at the ballpark. 

In its 13th season as one of the first and most popular Cardinals-related podcasts, the Best Podcast in Baseball in sponsored by Closets by Design of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. BPIB is a production of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Post-Dispatch, , and Derrick Goold.

By removing Erick Fedde, focusing toward 2026 starters, can Cardinals improve in 2025?

Starting candidates for next season are surfacing in Michael McGreevy and reliever Kyle Leahy, even as their performance could help steady this season.

Deadline days vs. San Diego begin stretch to reveal if mile-high zero was Cardinals’ low point

With 7 games in their next 10 against the Padres, the team they're chasing in the NL wild card race, and potential roster-stripping trades, Cardinals are teetering on the edge.

ÌýÌý

In a position to take the bulk of his at-bats this season from the designated hitter spot, Cardinals slugger Ivan Herrera’s production in his return from his second stint on the injured list is one he said, “wasn’t easy.�

Sidelined for nearly a month between June and July because of a left hamstring strain, Herrera returned to the Cardinals’ starting lineup on the last day before the All-Star break and made his return with a single on a ball he lined 105.1 mph to center field. He has since collected 10 hits, including a homer, and continued to produce hard contact in eight games to begin the second half of a season hampered by two injuries in his left leg.

“It’s just an everyday thing. You don’t know when you’re going to get that timing back,� Herrera said on Saturday before starting at designated hitter. “Like in the first couple of games, I could not see the ball well. I was swinging at everything. I was trying to work on the approach, trying to hit the ball the other way. Little by little, you’ll build that confidence back. That’s what I tried to do. It worked in the end.�

In nine games since he was activated from the IL near the middle of July, the 25-year-old Herrera has a .314 batting average and an .800 on-base plus slugging percentage. That production includes his three-hit performance in a Thursday win where he collected two RBIs, one of which came on a solo homer that had a 111.5 mph exit velocity, per Statcast. The 25-year-old continued to produce with two hits on Friday that marked his 18th multi-hit hit showing in 51 games this year.

For the year, Herrera owns a .319 batting average and a .393 on-base percentage. He is slugging .508 with eight doubles, nine homers, and 39 RBIs in 185 at-bats.

“Some guys have a lot of moving parts and need more games from a timing standpoint, but (Herrera is) a guy that got, I don’t know how many (rehab) at-bats, not many, and felt like he was ready to go,� Cardinal manager Oliver Marmol said on Saturday. “Even in his first game back, he squared up four straight balls. There are certain guys that … have that in them. He’s one of them.�

Herrera has remained at designated hitter in all nine of the games he’s played in his return from injury. With Pedro Pages assuming regular starting duties and Yohel Pozo as the immediate back at the catching spot, Herrera’s innings at catcher will be limited through as the Cardinals look to keep Herrera healthy through the rest of the season.

Could his run as a designated hitter amplify his offensive performance?

“Maybe,� Marmol said.

The Cardinals’ starting catcher on opening day this year, Herrera, made seven appearances at catcher across May and June after he had missed over a month because of a bone bruise in his left knee he sustained while running the bases.

Herrera said the two injuries in his left leg caused some added stress to his right leg and back as he tried to keep less weight off his left side. While he’s remained in a role as primarily a hitter, Herrera said the break from catching has allowed for a bit more focus on hitting and allowed his body to recover more efficiently.

“If I’m not catching it, it’s better for my body to recover, but it feels good,� Herrera said of his lower half. “I play wherever they tell me to play.�

When healthy, Herrera has produced a .400 batting average in 50 at-bats when hitting with a runner in scoring position and is batting .369 when he’s hit with runners in scoring position and two outs. On a Cardinals club that has hit .237 when facing left-handed pitchers, Herrera leads his team in batting average (.360) and homers (six) when facing lefties.

As he maintains a regular role in the Cardinals’ lineup, how much more could Herrera continue to grow?

“I think as he (Herrera) gets more and more at-bats, you’re going to see a guy that can use the whole field, who can hit for power,� Marmol said. “I think we’ll see more power come, but he just understands what the opposition is trying to do to him. He’s really good at that, and he has a swing path that can solve for a lot of different styles of pitching.�

Extra bases

Willson Contreras’ double to center field in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ 3-0 win over the Padres on Friday marked the 28th double of the first baseman’s season, marking a single-season high. Contreras, who began Saturday leading all National League hitters in doubles, produced 27 doubles in 125 games during the 2023 season and reached that same mark in 138 games in 2018 when he was with the Cubs. He’s set a new career high in his first 99 games this year.

Starter Miles Mikolas’ five innings on Friday moved him ahead of former teammate Lance Lynn for the second-most innings at Busch Stadium III. Mikolas has totaled 553 innings in the Cardinals’ home ballpark.

The Padres’ loss on Friday marked the first time since 1998 that they were shut out despite having 11 or more hits in a game. The last time they were held scoreless on 11 or more hits came in a 6-0 loss to the Florida Marlins on Aug. 19, 1998.

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Entering Saturday tied for the most times a batter in the National League had been hit by a pitch, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras had his bruising total climb by two on a night when benches were emptied once Padres third baseman Manny Machado was hit by a pitch for a second time.

Hit on his left elbow on Friday by a fastball from starter Nick Pivetta that caused benches and bullpens to empty, Contreras was plunked on his left wrist by a 95.2 mph fastball from Saturday’s starter Randy Vasquez. The second hit by pitch in as many days drew some frustration from Contreras while he walked down the first base line.

“I'm pretty much fed up,� Contreras said. “Like I said earlier today, I'm not trying to get injured or a broken hand, broken finger. I think nobody will feel sorry for me, but that's enough. I know they're not trying to hit me on purpose, but when you get hit around the wrist, like I did tonight, it's really scary.�

The moment between Contreras and Vasquez did not escalate as it appeared to be unintentional by the righty. Tensions rose in the fifth inning when Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore’s first pitch of the frame hit Machado on the left elbow, leading warnings to be issued to both teams. In the ninth inning, an 0-2 fastball from rookie Andre Granillo that hit Machado led dugouts and bullpens to flow onto the field, and Cardinals assistant coach Jon Jay’s ejection after he and Machado, a fellow Miami-area native and once friend, exchanged words.

“Having everybody's back like we did tonight, I think that's the right way. Hopefully it ends there,� Contreras, who was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning, said of his team’s handling of the multiple hit by pitches. “In the last at-bat, I got hit again. I knew it was going to happen, but I guess it's part of the game and MLB will have to do something about it.�

A season ago, Contreras missed about a week in April because of a bone bruise in his left hand after Padres starter Joe Musgrove hit him with a pitch, marking the second time he was hit in a span of three games during a series in San Diego. Contreras also had his season cut short in the final week of August because of a fractured right middle finger sustained on a pitch that hit him during a road trip to Minnesota.

The two hit by pitches on Saturday gave Contreras 17 on the season. He ended Saturday tied for the second most across the majors and with the most in the NL.

“At the end of the day, you've just got a bunch of dudes playing baseball with a lot of passion,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “… It's going to happen from time to time, but I think you've got two teams that are fighting hard for what's next, and I don't have an issue with it.�

When Contreras was hit with Vasquez’s fastball in the fourth inning, the Cardinals trailed 2-1 after San Diego scored runs off Liberatore, who tossed 4 1/3 innings in his first start of the second half. The Padres pushed across a run in the second inning on a single from Bryce Johson that scored Jake Cronenworth from first base, who was running on the pitch with two outs and Johnson in a 3-2 count and who took advantage of a fielding error in center field by Victor Scott II.

A Padres’ lead erased by an RBI double Jordan Walker hit to center field was regained in the fourth inning on a bunt hit from Johnson that allowed Cronenworth to score from third base.

The Cardinals (54-52) were held to two singles and a walk by Padres relievers following Vazquez’s exit with two outs in the fifth inning. Contreras’ hit by pitch in the ninth inning brought the game-tying run to the plate with no outs against closer Robert Suarez. The Cardinals' opportunity to tie the game evaporated on a flyout by Arenado and a forceout from Winn.

The loss dropped the Cardinals to 2.5 games behind the Padres in the standings for the third NL Wild Card spot. The on-field fracas showed a glimpse of the club’s unity as they look to continue charging in the playoff chase.

“It's really good, especially right now, where we've been going through a tough stretch. It seems like everybody has everybody's back here, and it's good to see that tonight,� Contreras said.

Liberatore, whose first outing of the second half was pushed back to protect his workload, said the fastball he hit Machado with was unintentional. Pitching with a game-time temperature of 93 degrees, Liberatore referenced his frequent use of the rosin bag behind to mound in search of a consistent grip on the baseball.

Liberatore said he attempted to pitch Machado inside and noted his success in doing so during their first encounter in the loss, which resulted in a flyout by Machado on a 1-1 fastball thrown in on the right-handed slugger.

“Machado was another guy that you've got to make some noise in on,� Liberatore said. “The first at-bat of the game against him tonight, I was able to get something in there, and it was a good result. I tried to go back to that, and the ball slipped a little bit.�

When players and coaches flooded the infield in the ninth inning, Machado and Jay could be seen exchanging what appeared to be heated words that led to some pushing and shoving between players and coaches of both teams as the two were separated.

Contreras could be seen holding back Machado and walking with him down to first base to deescalate the tension and prevent a brawl that could result in injuries, Contreras said. Once Contreras ushered Machado down to first base and players and coaches returned to the benches, only Jay was ejected before the game resumed.

“I was just talking to Manny and saying that was not on purpose,� Contreras said. “It was the second time he got hit there. But it was an 0-2 count. I got hit in an 0-2 count (by Suarez). … It clearly seemed that they're trying to go up and in with two strikes and they don't care if they're going to hit me or not.�

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Photos: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cardinals lose to the San Diego Padres at home

It’s remarkable to look back and realize how CC Sabathia cemented one of the lasting memories of his Hall of Fame career while he was only halfway through it. Sabathia’s relatively brief tenure competing in the NL Central as the ace of the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching staff underscores what I’d argue formed the core of his legacy.

Despite the personal demons he sparred with throughout his career, he accomplished things others simply weren’t built to do, and he made an undeniable and prominent impact everywhere he played as an ace atop the rotation and a tone-setter for the entire ballclub. That’s Sabathia’s legacy.

Sabathia, the 6-foot-6 left-hander who toed the rubber at approximately 300 pounds during his playing days, enters the Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside international icon and Japanese superstar outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and former relief pitcher Billy Wagner.

All three were voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America, while sluggers Dave Parker and former Cardinal Dick Allen were selected for induction via the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

The summer of 2008, the Summer of CC, saw Sabathia at the center of one of the best in-season trades in Major League Baseball history.

Sabathia, who’d already won a Cy Young Award and been a three-time all-star during his time with the Cleveland Indians, joined the Brewers and led — yes, as starting pitcher, he led — them to their first postseason berth since 1982.

He made 17 starts with the Brewers after the trade, and the Brewers won 14 of those games. Sabathia threw seven complete games in that span, including a stretch of three consecutive complete games that wrapped up with a 3-0 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on July 23.

Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 128 strikeouts and 25 walks in 130 2/3 innings. More impressively even than that, Sabathia threw caution to the wind and made each of his final three starts on three days rest instead of four.

With free agency just weeks away and a sure-fire life-changing payday in the offing, Sabathia chose to take the ball and continue to give his club their best chance to win as they chased a playoff spot.

Even though Sabathia made more starts for Cleveland (18) than with the Brewers (17), he placed fifth in the NL Cy Young voting and sixth in the NL MVP voting (Albert Pujols won the award) that year.

The New York Yankees still haven’t won a World Series since 2009, the title that Sabathia helped carry them to when he went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts. He earned ALCS MVP honors along the way.

In the end, Sabathia pitched 19 seasons in the majors and posted a 251-161 record with a 3.74 ERA in 561 regular season games (560 starts). His 3,093 strikeouts are the third-most of any left-handed pitcher and 18th-most all-time. He’s one of just six pitchers ever with 250 wins, a .600 winning percentage and at least 3,000 strikeouts.

Sabathia, who recently turned 45, also went through a very public battle with alcoholism. He left the Yankees and ended his season, on the doorstep of the playoffs in 2015, in order to check into an alcohol rehabilitation center. That came a month after a video went viral of Sabathia in a verbal altercation with a heckler outside of a nightclub in Toronto.

Sabathia, who has been open about his issues with addiction, returned to the club and pitched four more years before he retired following the 2019 season.

Sabathia in numerous interviews as well as his book “Till The End� and an HBO documentary “Under the Grapefruit Tree: The CC Sabathia Story� discussed that he spent most of his career battling his alcohol addiction. He’s become an advocate in that regard, sharing his story and urging other to get the help they need.

In retirement, Sabathia also embraced an ambassador role for MLB. He’s been one of the former players front and center in initiatives aimed at spreading the game to more Black players and youth, including serving as a board member of The Players Alliance, participation in events recognizing the Negro Leagues such as the East-West Classic in Cooperstown N.Y.

He’s also spoken about his election to the Hall of Fame in that context. He joins Cardinals legend Bob Gibson as well as Ferguson Jenkins, Satchel Paige, Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez as the only Black pitchers in the Hall of Fame.

“The one thing that keeps crossing my mind though is who’s next,� Sabathia . “I feel like through the Players Alliance and through some of the efforts that we’re putting together for this next generation, I almost feel even more responsible to be on guys to be that next Black Ace.�

Former major-league pitcher Mudcat Grant, also former Cleveland pitcher, popularized the term “Black Ace� to designate Black pitchers who’ve won 20 games or more in a season. Grant died in 2021. He and Sabathia struck up a relationship during Sabathia’s time with the Indians.

Sabathia in some ways has taken up the mantle Grant once held as the godfather to many young Black pitchers. Once again, Sabathia embraces a role that he’s uniquely suited to handle.

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Lynn Worthy

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Winners on back-to-back nights to open a four-game series vs. the Padres, the Cardinals responded to the first run they allowed to San Diego but could not muster enough offense to close the gap they faced Saturday night at Busch Stadium.

Tied at one run apiece through the first three innings, the Padres took a one-run lead in the fourth inning against Cardinal starter Matthew Liberatore when Bryce Johnson’s bunt scored Jake Cronenworth from third base. The Cardinals were held to two hits and a walk through the fourth inning through the eighth in a 3-1 loss to the Padres.

The Cardinals (54-52) threatened a comeback in the ninth inning by getting the game-tying run at the plate with one out. A force out at second base of Willson Contreras ended their comeback threat.

Though the two clubs combined for four runs, Saturday’s contest did not lack fireworks.

Following a benches and dugouts-clearing moment in the second inning on Friday, the Cardinals and Padres benched and dugouts cleared in the ninth inning on Saturday.

After starter Randy Vasquez’s fastball that hit Willson Contreras’ left wrist in the fourth inning caused some emotions to flare, an inside pitch from starter Matthew Liberatore in the next half inning that clipped Manny Machado drew warnings for both teams. In the ninth inning, an 0-2 fastball from rookie Andre Granillo drew frustration out of Machado and caused both benches and dugouts to empty onto the field.

Cardinals assistant coach Jon Jay was the only player or coach who was ejected following the on-field fracas.

Making his first start in just over two weeks, Liberatore allowed two runs (one earned), five hits, and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. Liberatore reached 77 pitches in the outing.

Tensions flare in the fourth

Frustrated when he was hit by Nick Pivetta’s hit by pitch on Friday, Contreras fell to the ground to avoid an inside fastball from Vasquez early in their encounter in the fourth inning. The six-pitch at-bat ended when Vasquez’s 95.2 mph fastball hit Contreras on his left wrist.

Contreras threw his hands down in frustration and began walking down the first base line. While the umpire met on the infield grass, Contreras was visited by manager Oliver Marmol and a team trainer to check on his wrist. Contreras remained in the game, as did Vasquez. No warnings or ejections were issued at that time.

The tension between the two clubs flowed into the top of the fifth inning when Liberatore’s first pitch to Machado was thrown inside and seemingly caught his elbow. Warnings were issued to both clubs, and Liberatore remained in the game to face one more batter before being relieved by Leahy.

Small ball Pads

To push across their second run against Liberatore, the Padres received a double from Cronenworth to begin the fourth inning and moved him around the base with the contact that not only didn’t leave the infield, but also didn’t roll past the pitcher’s mound.

With Cronenworth standing on second base following a ground out to first base by Jose Iglesias, Johnson collected his second RBI of the game on a bunt to first base that Contreras fielded on the run nearly halfway down the first base line.

Although he delivered an accurate throw to catcher Pedro Pages, Contreras’s throw was not in time to nab Cronenworth.

Defensive gems

From a pair of leaping plays by Brendan Donovan, to a sliding grab by Masyn Winn, and to an off-balance throw from Nolan Arenado on a ball he ranged to his right to haul in, the Cardinals’ infield proved beneficial to their pitching.

In the fourth inning, Donovan’s timed leap helped Liberatore limit the Padres to one run in the frame. On a ball Fernando Tatis Jr. lined up the middle, Donovan left his feet to snag a flaring line drive that looked as if it was going to sail over the 5-foot-11 second baseman’s head. The timed leap recorded the second out of the inning and kept runners at first and third base as the Padres led 2-1.

Donovan provided another well-timed play in the eighth inning to steal a hit from Xander Bogaerts.

Bogaerts’s line drive that jumped off his bat at 107.6 mph caromed off the pitcher’s mound and was on a trajectory to center field. With his momentum taking him behind the second base bag, Donovan leapt to haul in the redirected line drive and made a quick, accurate throw to first to beat Bogaerts.

In between Donovan’s two leaping grabs, the Cardinals received a slick play from Arenado in the fifth inning and another from Winn in the seventh.

On Arenado’s grab, the multi-time Gold Glover ranged toward the third base line to make a backhanded pick on a groundball pulled by Bogaerts with a runner on first base and one out in the fifth inning. With his momentum taking him into foul territory, Arenado made a leaping throw across his body to retire the lead runner.

Two innings later, Winn made a sliding grab on a ball Luis Arraez hit toward left field, popped up to his feet, and threw out Arraez at first base.

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As Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline rapidly approaches, so does another opportunity for the Cardinals to choose a side. Are they riding this "runway" toward the future, or are they going to tighten the race for the National League's third wild card to a point that they stand pat or add on the edges of the roster?

The Cardinals' trends of risk aversion and playing it down the middle is about to be challenged.

And, at the same time, the trade deadline may invite more questions than they have answers.

In Part 1 of an extended conversation about the Cardinals at the trade deadline (Part 1) and the Cardinals nearing the Chaim Bloom takeover (Part 2), KMOX/104.1 FM's Kevin Wheeler joins ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss all the implications of moves the Cardinals could make, and why a "soft buy" or "slight sell" may be more of the same even if either is the right move for 2025.

This episode ends with a provocative question about what have the Cardinals really learned about their next generation of contenders from the season.

In its 13th season as one of the first and most popular Cardinals-related podcasts, the Best Podcast in Baseball in sponsored by Closets by Design of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. BPIB is a production of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Post-Dispatch, , and Derrick Goold.

Welcome to Trader Mo's: Checking receipts on John Mozeliak's deadline deals for Cardinals

An excerpt from the Post-Dispatch's weekly baseball newsletter, Write Fielder, that looks at hits, misses, and huhs of 17 trade deadlines with departing baseball executive.

Deadline days vs. San Diego begin stretch to reveal if mile-high zero was Cardinals’ low point

With 7 games in their next 10 against the Padres, the team they're chasing in the NL wild card race, and potential roster-stripping trades, Cardinals are teetering on the edge.

ÌýÌý

By removing Erick Fedde, focusing toward 2026 starters, can Cardinals improve in 2025?

Starting candidates for next season are surfacing in Michael McGreevy and reliever Kyle Leahy, even as their performance could help steady this season.

Before the Cardinals took the lead they did not let go of Friday night against the Padres, the manner in which their first runner reached base stirred some emotion between the two clubs in the thick of the National League Wild Card race.

Facing Padres starter Nick Pivetta, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was hit on the left elbow by a fastball from Pivetta to lead off the second inning. The hit by pitch was followed by an exchange of words between Contreras and Pivetta and the emptying of both dugouts and bullpens.

“Nothing. I think it was just part of the game,� Contreras said of the exchange. “A couple of words were exchanged there. Nothing major. I think when the benches clear, it makes everything worse. I don’t think it was that bad. He’s a competitor. I’m a competitor. We exchanged words. That was it.�

Once the field cleared and Contreras reached base, the Cardinals capitalized on their first opportunity to hit with a runner on base as Contreras advanced to third later that inning and scored on Yohel Pozo’s groundout for the game’s first run. The lead widened when Masyn Winn produced two runs on a double in the fourth inning and was held steady as Cardinals pitchers, led by starter Miles Mikolas’ five-plus innings, shut out the Padres for a 3-0 win at Busch Stadium.

The result secured back-to-back wins for the Cardinals (54-51) for the first time since they swept the Guardians in a three-game series during the final weekend of June and kept them climbing up the NL Wild Card standings. The Cardinals ended Friday trailing the Padres by 1.5 games for the third NL Wild Card spot with two more games left vs. the Padres this weekend and three scheduled in San Diego to kick off August after the July 31 trade deadline passes.

“They’re ahead of us. We’re chasing them. We need every game,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.

The Cardinals received scoreless relief work from four relievers, an effort capped by Ryan Helsley’s 21st save of the year, in a shutout that marked their 11th of the season. Mikolas received a timely double play in the fourth inning that included an outfield assist from right fielder Jordan Walker that capitalized on Xander Bogaerts’ poor read in his attempt to tag up from first base to second base on a fly out. The Cardinals turned a second double play in the sixth inning on a comeback grounder left-hander Steven Matz reached across his body to snag before throwing to Winn, who covered second base, to nab the lead runner in an at-bat that began with runners at first and second base.

The shutout after allowing 11 hits marked the first time in over 80 years the Cardinals kept an opponent scoreless despite giving up 11 or more hits. The last such effort came against the Boston Braves on August 24, 1943.

“We definitely dodged it,� Marmol said of the traffic his pitching staff navigated on Friday. “We did a nice job of it. ... They scattered some hits, but (Mikolas) had everything working. He mixed it. Kept them off balance. We made some nice plays as well in the outfield, but overall solid.�

A day after scoring nine runs on 12 hits to claim a series-opening win, the Cardinals pushed across three runs on three hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch from Pivetta. The hit by pitch gave the Cardinals their first base runner and was Contreras’ NL-leading 15th hit by pitch of this season.

It drew some frustration after Contreras was hit twice in a span of three games vs. San Diego in April of last season.

“I’m not trying to get any fractures, because last year we played them, and they took me out for a week,� said Contreras, who dealt with a bone bruise in his left hand last season when Padres starter Joe Musgrove hit him with a pitch. “This year is nothing different. None of them are going to feel sorry if I get a broken hand or a broken finger. None of them. ... That’s why I take an exception of that.�

When Contreras began removing his elbow guard and walked down to first base following Pivetta’s inside pitch, he appeared to respond to comments from the righty. Padres catcher Elias Diaz stepped in front of Contreras and walked with him as Contreras continued to exchange words with the Padres starter.

“I know what he said. But nothing, it was just that,� Contreras said.

“I think (Contreras) thinks that he owns a certain part of the plate,� Pivetta said to reporters. “I mean, it’s a fastball, and I don’t hit very many guys. For him to, like, stare at me and try, at least I feel from my side, he’s trying to intimidate me into trying to do stuff. That’s the player that he is. Doesn’t mean that he’s a bad player. He’s a great player. He does play baseball very well, but I’m not going to back down. I’m going to go out and do my thing.�

“I’m going to control the inside part of the plate, which I have been doing,� Pivetta continued. “I hit him on the elbow guard. I mean, I haven’t gone back and looked at it, but I could probably guess that he was probably diving over the plate a little bit.�

Warnings were issued to both sides. There were no ejections and no further escalations from the hit by pitch through the rest of Friday’s game.

“We exchanged words. He was competing. I hate getting hit. I’m a competitor,� Contreras said. “Thankfully, that (situation) dies right there.�

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Photos: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cardinals win 3-0 as they get the first two of four against the San Diego Padres

A fresh set of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects released Thursday, and four Cardinals made the list. 

JJ Wetherholt checked in at No. 16, while Quinn Mathews ranked No. 54. Leonardo Bernal slotted in at No. 79, and Rainiel Rodriguez is 10 spots further down at No. 89. 

The three hitters in that group — Wetherholt, Bernal and Rodriguez — each had notable performances over the past week. But they were far from the only ones with shiny highlights in recent games. 

Updates on top 10 prospects

JJ Wetherholt, SS, Class AAA Memphis: Wetherholt has put together some sizzling offensive performances lately. On July 18, he collected four hits against Toledo. On Tuesday, he hit a solo home run in the series opener against Gwinnett, and his encore the next day featured a pair of solo home runs. In the month of July, Wetherholt is slashing .327/.421/.816 with a 1.237 OPS. His six home runs since July 1 are one more than he hit in April, May and June combined. 

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Class AAA Memphis: On Sunday, Mathews picked up a loss against Toledo. Despite logging seven strikeouts in just 3 2/3 innings pitched, Mathews gave up three hits, two earned runs and five walks. It marked his fourth outing of the season with at least five walks.

Leonardo Bernal, C, Class AA Springfield: Entering Thursday, Bernal had a 10-game hit streak. It was snapped when Bernal was ejected in the bottom of the first inning against Tulsa for arguing a ball call. In his only at-bat in the top of the first, Bernal grounded into an inning-ending double play. 

Rainiel Rodriguez, C, Low-A Palm Beach: Rodriguez hit an impressive home run Thursday against Jupiter, taking a pitch above his shoulders over the fence in left field. Entering Friday, Rodriguez is slashing .268/.415/.610 in July, and each of those numbers are vastly improved from June. Seven of his 11 hits this month have gone for extra bases. 

Jimmy Crooks, C, Class AAA Memphis: Crooks had a 13-game hit streak snapped July 18, but he bounced back by collecting four hits over his next two appearances, all of which were singles. 

Tekoah Roby, RHP, Class AAA Memphis: After allowing just two earned runs and tallying 21 strikeouts over his last four starts (which spanned 21 innings), the right-hander was placed on the 7-day injured list July 15. No specifics were given on what landed him on the IL. 

Tink Hence, RHP, Class AA Springfield: Hence hasn't pitched since July 3. He was placed on the 7-day IL on July 12. 

Yairo Padilla, SS, FCL Cardinals: Hasn't played since July 5. 

Joshua Baez, Class AA Springfield: After going 1 of 10 against Wichita and 0 of 3 in the series opener against Tulsa, he hit an opposite-field home run Wednesday and had two hits Thursday.

Cooper Hjerpe, Class AA Springfield: Hasn't appeared in a game in 2025. 

Other standouts

Matt Koperniak (Class AAA Memphis) had quite a day on Thursday. After hitting a solo home run Wednesday, Koperniak hit two round trippers Thursday along with a double. 

Aaron Wilkerson (Class AAA Memphis) pitched eight shutout innings in his Memphis debut Wednesday, giving up just four hits. 

Nathan Church (Class AAA Memphis) had a productive three-game series against Toledo, registering four hits and three RBI. That included a two-run home run in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday. 

Brycen Mautz (Class AA Springfield) struck out eight batters while allowing just one earned run in four innings pitched Tuesday. 

Pete Hansen (Class AA Springfield) pitched a shutout over 6 1/3 innings Thursday. He allowed just four hits while striking out six batters.

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At some point Sunday afternoon, Richard Allen Jr. will stand at the dais, the cadre of living Baseball Hall Famers sitting on the stage behind him, and deliver the acceptance speech for his late father, Dick, who will join those immortals with a plaque in Cooperstown, New York.

Thankfully.

Finally.

And sadly.

It took more than 40 years for the former Philadelphia Phillies star and one-time ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cardinal to earn his place among the game's all-timers, for voters to recognize Allen's greatness and come to terms with all he had to endure and overcome.

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Unfortunately, it seems way too fitting that Allen, who died of cancer in December 2020 at the age of 78, won't be there to experience it.

As William C. Kashatus wrote in his book "September Swoon: Richie Allen, the '64 Phillies and Racial Integration," Allen was "the wrong player in the wrong place at the wrong time."

There's little doubt about that. Throughout his life, he never really got his due.

He has been misunderstood and/or misinterpreted. He didn't always get along with the mainstream media, which was almost exclusively white. Even the Phillies began by referring to him as Richie instead of his preferred name, Dick, and it stuck for years.

"It makes me sound like I'm 10 years old," he once said to George Kiseda of the Philadelphia Bulletin.

There's no denying that controversy seemed to follow Allen.

People remember his altercation with Frank Thomas in 1965, when Allen punched Thomas following a likely racially charged remark — reports over time vary — then Thomas responded by hitting Allen with a bat in the left shoulder.

People remember the messages he wrote with his spikes in the infield dirt at Connie Mack Stadium in 1969, when he wanted out of Philadelphia.

Or the time he injured his hand putting it through a headlight or ... the list goes on.

Overlooked — ignored? — have been the extenuating circumstances that led to Allen's behavior.

In 1963, just three years after graduating from Wampum High School in western Pennsylvania — "a community known for being relatively free of racial strife," according to Bruce Markusen in article on the Hall of Fame's website — and five after playing Columbia for the PIAA Class B boys basketball title, Allen found himself in the middle of a maelstrom not of his making.

He was the first Black man to play professionally in Little Rock, Arkansas, home of the Arkansas Travelers, which was in its first season as the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate.

On opening night, protesters outside the ballpark carried signs, a more tame one saying, "Don't Negro-ize baseball." Arkansas Gov. Orville Faubus threw out the first pitch, less than six years after he tried to block the integration of Little Rock's Central High School.

Following the game, Allen, in his 1989 autobiography "Crash," co-authored with Tim Whitaker, said he found a note on the windshield that began "Don't come back ..." and ended with a racial epithet.

He was the target of death threats that season. There were many places he couldn't go or eat in the city. He fought loneliness and the urge to quit.

In "Crash" Allen said: "There were two sets of rules in Little Rock, one for the Arkansas Travelers and one for Dick Allen ... That didn't go with me. From that day on, I decided if there was ever a double standard again, I would be the beneficiary, and not the other way around."

The next summer, Allen became the first Black star for the Phillies and emerged at a time of racial unrest in the city, which included riots near Connie Mack Stadium.

The Phillies' collapse in 1964, when they blew a 6.5-game lead with 12 to play, didn't help people's attitudes, either.

Eventually, Allen was the target of merciless booing.

He also earned a reputation for being a divisive force in the clubhouse and for not helping his teams win. Never mind that none other than the greatest player in Phillies history, Mike Schmidt, considered Allen, his teammate in 1975-76, one of his mentors and a guy who helped teach that young team how to win.

Yet through all the difficulties, Allen hit .292 with 351 home runs and a .912 OPS in his 15 major league seasons. He was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year as a third baseman with the Phillies and the 1972 AL MVP as a first baseman with the Chicago White Sox.

Allen led the 1970 Cardinals in home runs (34), RBIs (101) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.937) in his one year here.

"He had a real intestinal fortitude to go along with that natural talent," his younger brother, Ron, said in a phone interview.

During a stretch of 11 seasons, 1964-74, Allen's .940 OPS and .554 slugging percentage trailed just Hank Aaron's .941 and .561. Allen's 165 OPS-plus was the highest among players with at least 4,000 plate appearances.

"He really, really had that enthusiasm," Ron Allen said. "He had more passion I wish that I had. If I had the passion that he had and anger; you just couldn't tell him that he couldn't do anything. He proved it to you. If I had that, ain't no telling where I'd have ended up. Hall of Fame. I might have been there myself."

Allen's journey to Cooperstown was a long one. In his 15 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, he never received more than 18.9% of the vote. Then twice he fell one vote short on Veterans Committee ballots — in Golden Era Committee voting in 2014 and 2021 — before finally making it this year through the Classic Era Committee.

When Richard Jr. makes his speech Sunday, it surely will be a bittersweet moment.

"I remember we were at a Hall of Fame banquet here in Lawrence County, and they were honoring my mother (Era)," Ron Allen said. "And my mother got up to speak, and she gave this speech on the greatest Hall of Fame that she had ever seen. And she said the Baseball Hall of Fame doesn't compare to my Hall of Fame. My Hall of Fame is in heaven.

"This is what we were always taught, because we had a Christian mother, and she taught us Christian values, and she instilled that in Dick.

"You know, the Hall of Fame is great — which we are really proud of, and like my nephews and nieces, they are over the moon over this thing — but being here to smell the roses, it takes a different plane with me, because it hurts my heart that he didn't get to see it, because he certainly deserved it.

"Even with the difficulties he had to go through, he withstood it, and I'm thankful for it, and I pray to God for it, and that's what I'll look at when I get there."

A look at the 2025 inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki

Position: RF.

Teams: Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins.

How elected: Selected on 393 of 394 ballots (99.7%) by the Baseball Writers Association of American in his first year of eligibility, nearly becoming the first position player to be unanimous.

Notable: Finished his 19-year (2001-19) major league career batting .311 with 3,089 hits and 509 stolen bases despite not debuting until the age of 27. Spent the first nine seasons of his pro career in his native Japan, batting .353 with 1,278 more hits. ... American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001. ... Was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and won three Silver Slugger awards. ... Won two batting titles (.350 in 2001 and .372 in 2004). ... Set a major league single-season record with 262 hits in 2004.

CC Sabathia

Position: Left-handed starting pitcher.

Teams: Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees.

How elected: Received 86.8% in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of American in his first year of eligibility. Candidates need 75% to earn induction.

Notable: Went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA in 561 games over 19 seasons (2001-19). Struck out 3,093, ranking 18th all-time, in 3,577.1 innings. ... AL Cy Young Award winner in 2007. ... Six-time All-Star. ... Won the World Series in 2009 with the Yankees; he was MVP of the AL Championship Series that season.

Billy Wagner

Position: Left-handed relief pitcher.

Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves.

How elected: Received 82.5% of votes in his 10th and final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot.

Notable: Hard thrower was a seven-time All-Star who finished his career with 422 saves, ranking eighth all-time. ... Finished 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 1,196 strikeouts in 903 innings in 16-year career (1995-2010). ... Seven-time All-Star. ... Won the NL Rolaids Relief Man award in 1999.

Dave Parker

Position: OF, DH.

Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays.

How elected: Received 14 of 16 votes by the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee; 12 votes were needed for election.

Notable: Hit .290 with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs in 19 seasons (1973-91), the first 11 as a feared slugger for Pittsburgh. ... NL MVP in 1978, when he hit .334 with 30 homers, 117 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and a .979 OPS. Also won one of his three Gold Gloves that season. ... Seven-time All-Star who was the game's MVP in 1979. ... Won two batting titles (.338 in 1977, 1978). ... Won World Series titles in 1979 with Pittsburgh and 1989 with Oakland. ... Died on June 28 at the age of 74 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Dick Allen

Position: 3B, 1B, OF.

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics.

How elected: Received 13 of 16 votes by the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee; 12 votes were needed for election.

Notable: Hit .292 with 351 homers and 1,119 RBIs in 15 seasons (1963-77). ... Seven-time All-Star. ... Won the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award. ... AL MVP in 1972. ... Died on Dec. 7, 2020, at the age of 78 due to cancer.