Pages went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs.
Pages opened the scoring with his first career homer, taking Hayden Wesneski deep in the eighth inning. This was Pages' fourth start over the Cardinals' last five games, though he's gone just 3-for-12 in that span. All of his starts have come at catcher, which has taken a small chunk out of Ivan Herrera's playing time recently. Pages is slashing just .125/.231/.250 with seven RBI, four runs scored and one double through 39 plate appearances. With Willson Contreras (forearm) tracking toward an earlier-than-anticipated return, Pages may be on his way back to Triple-A Memphis before the end of the month.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Logs steal Friday
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Herrera went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs.
Herrera is up to four steals this season, three of which he's recorded over 11 games in June. The catcher is batting .316 (12-for-38) this month, adding five doubles, seven runs scored and one RBI. For the season, he's at a steady .273/.335/.366 slash line with three home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored and six doubles over 179 plate appearances. Herrera has started behind the dish just once in the last five games, though it's unclear why his playing time has dipped since Pedro Pages has made little impact with his bat.
Helsley worked around a pair of walks in the ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs. He struck out two.
After recording the first two outs in the ninth, Helsley issued consecutive walks to Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ before ultimately striking out Nico Hoerner to close out the shutout victory while earning his MLB-leading 23rd save of the year. Helsley has yet to blow a save since March 30, his first appearance of the season. His ERA is down to 2.61 with a 1.13 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB across 31 innings.
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Cardinals' Kyle Gibson: Stymies Chicago
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Gibson (5-2) earned the win Friday over the Cubs, allowing just two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Gibson was excellent Friday, turning in a season-high seven innings in his first scoreless outing of the year. The 36-year-old Gibson has been solid of late, working to a 2.19 ERA over his last five starts. Overall, his ERA is down to 3.44 on the campaign with a 1.20 WHIP and 73:31 K:BB across 83.2 innings. Gibson's currently scheduled to face the Marlins on the road in his next start.
Siani is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Sian started the previous four games and will receive Friday off after going 3-for-13 with four strikeouts and a stolen base during that stretch. Dylan Carlson will start in center field and bat seventh for the series opener in Chicago.
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Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Good to go Friday
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Arenado (hand) is starting at third base and batting cleanup Friday against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The 33-year-old had X-rays come back negative on his right hand after being hit by a pitch Thursday, and he's apparently fine given he's back in the lineup a day later. Arenado is 8-for-20 with two doubles and two RBI in his past five games, and he has a .273/.340/.386 slash line through 12 contests in June.
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Cardinals' Mike Siani: Grabs steal in win
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Siani went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
Siani is batting just .207 (6-for-29) over 12 games in June, which is right in line with his .206 average for the season. He's added seven steals, one home run, nine RBI and 16 runs scored over 148 plate appearances. Siani has become the Cardinals' primary center fielder over Dylan Carlson, and he should remain in that role with Lars Nootbaar (oblique) likely to be out for at least another week.
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Cardinals' Chris Roycroft: Picks up first win
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Roycroft (1-0) allowed a hit but didn't given up a run over two-thirds of an inning Thursday, earning the win over the Pirates.
Roycroft gave up four runs over six innings during his first stint on the Cardinals' roster, but he's been much better the second time around. He's on a 5.1-inning scoreless streak over his last five appearances, allowing just three hits with a 6:0 K:BB in that span. The 26-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 11.1 innings overall while serving in a low-leverage role. Roycroft has been steady, but he's at risk of losing his place in the majors soon, as Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) and Riley O'Brien (forearm) are on rehab assignments while Nick Robertson (elbow) has resumed mound work within the last week.
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Cardinals' Andrew Kittredge: Nabs first save
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Kittredge allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
The Cardinals' bullpen delivered 4.2 scoreless innings, with Kittredge closing it out since Ryan Helsley had pitched each of the two previous days. The save was Kittredge's first of the year to go with 18 holds and three blown saves over 33 appearances. He's hit a rough patch since May 25, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over his last 9.2 innings, but he remains firmly in the high-leverage mix for the Cardinals. Kittredge has a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB through 30 innings.
Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Hits go-ahead home run
Rotowire
Donovan went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win versus the Pirates.
The 27-year-old took Mitch Keller deep in the sixth inning for what turned out to be the game-deciding run. Donovan extended his hitting streak to eight contests and snapped a streak of 26 games without a homer in the process. He has gone 10-for-30 (.333) during his hitting streak and now carries a .248/.325/.380 slash line with five home runs and 29 RBI for the season.
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Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Blasts homer in win
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Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win against the Pirates.
He plated the first runs of the game, taking Mitch Keller deep in the third inning. With the long ball, Goldschmidt snapped a 14-game homerless drought. The veteran now has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, but he still has just five RBI over his last 15 contests. The first baseman has a .226/.299/.354 slash line with eight home runs and 27 RBI through 65 games this season.
Cardinals' Lance Lynn: Falls apart in fifth inning
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Lynn came away with a no-decision Thursday, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in a 4-3 win versus the Pirates.
Lynn cruised through the first four innings, allowing only three baserunners to reach before he hit a wall in the fifth. He departed with the bases loaded in the fifth, and all three baserunners would come around to score. The veteran righty has struggled going deep into games of late, as this was his third straight start of less than five frames. The 37-year-old will take a 3.75 ERA through 14 starts into his next outing, tentatively scheduled for early next week against the Marlins.
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Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: X-rays on hand negative
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X-rays on Arenado's right hand game back negative after he was hit by a pitch during Thursday's win over Pittsburgh, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Arenado struck out swinging on a pitch that hit him in the hand during the eighth inning. He immediately headed back into the Cardinals' clubhouse to get checked out, but manager Oliver Marmol said Arenado simply suffered a bone bruise and is considered day-to-day. The 33-year-old is slashing .273/.340/.386 with a home run and five RBI since the beginning of June.
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Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Could start rehab games Tuesday
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Contreras (forearm) is hoping to begin a rehab assignment around June 18, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Contreras is just five weeks into a projected 10-week timetable following surgery to repair a fractured left forearm, but Goold writes that the catcher is "eager to push the timetable for his return." He took batting practice in the cage Thursday and has been catching bullpen sessions without issue. If Contreras is indeed able to start a rehab assignment by Tuesday, he could be just a week or so away from activation.
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Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Taking full BP in cage
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Contreras (forearm) will take full batting practice in the indoor batting cage Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Contreras is barely more than a month removed from surgery to repair a fractured left forearm. He was given a 10-week timetable to return following the operation but would appear to be ahead of schedule, given that he's already taking batting practice. Before being activated from the injured list, Contreras will surely need to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment, but it's uncertain when he might be cleared to join one of the Cardinals' affiliates for game action.
