The 2010 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 129th season for the St. Louis Cardinals, a Major League Baseball franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the 119th season for the Cardinals in the National League and their 5th at Busch Stadium III.
The Cardinals began their season on the road against the Cincinnati Reds on April 5. St. Louis was coming off a 91–71 (.562) season and first place in the National League Central, followed by a quick playoff exit when they were swept in the NLDS versus Los Angeles. In 2010, however, the Cardinals fell back to the same record of 2008 (86–76), finishing second in the National League Central to the Reds by five games.
Offseason departures and acquisitions
Management On October 26, 2009, Tony La Russa agreed to come back for a 15th season as manager of the Cardinals, thus extending his record for longest-serving manager in Cardinal history. Pitching coach and long-time LaRussa partner Dave Duncan, who earlier in 2009 had expressed displeasure with the franchise after his son Chris was traded, also agreed to return. However, hitting coach Hal McRae was fired after five seasons with the Cardinals and replaced with former Cardinal and former home run champion Mark McGwire. McGwire's hiring as hitting coach marked the slugger's first job in baseball since his retirement eight years prior. It was also his return to the public eye following his implication as a steroids user in Jose Canseco's book and his controversial 2005 appearance at the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's inquiry into the steroid scandal.LaRussa returns
Hitters The Cardinals announced on November 30 that backup catcher Jason LaRue was signed to a third season. It was LaRue's third straight one-year deal with St. Louis.
Mark DeRosa, acquired from the Indians via an in-season trade in 2009, left St. Louis via free agency, signing with the San Francisco Giants on Dec. 28.DeRosa signs with Giants Troy Glaus, who hit 27 home runs as the third baseman for the 2008 Cardinals but was limited to 29 at-bats at the end of 2009 due to a shoulder injury, signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves on Jan 5 after passing a physical."Glaus passes physical, signs with Braves" Rick Ankiel, who started 2009 as the everyday center fielder but lost his starting job and struggled to a .285 OBP for the season, signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals on Jan. 21."Ankiel rides across I-70 to Royals" The same day, Khalil Greene, who started 2009 as the everyday shortstop for St. Louis but was sidelined with social anxiety disorder, signed a one-year deal to be a utility infielder for the Texas Rangers."Rangers, Greene complete deal"
On January 7 the Cardinals announced that they had signed their 2009 trade deadline acquisition, left fielder Matt Holliday, to a seven-year $120 mil. deal with the Cardinals. It is the largest contract in club history, surpassing Albert Pujols seven-year $100 mil. deal in 2004. The contract includes a full no-trade clause, an average $17.0M per year salary through 2016, and a $17M vesting option for 2017 which will occur if he makes the Top 10 in the 2016 MVP voting. The buyout on the vesting option is $1M, making the total contract worth $120M. His uniform number changes from 15 to 7.
On February 27 the Cardinals completed a one-year deal with infielder Felipe López. Lopez, who hit .385 in a two-month stint with the 2008 Cardinals, was anticipated to fill a utility role.Cards sign Lopez The acquisition of Lopez led the Cardinals to deal their other utility infielder, Julio Lugo, to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later.Cards deal Lugo to Orioles
Pitchers On November 4 St. Louis released Brad Thompson, who made his debut for the Cardinals in 2005 and was one of only six players remaining from the 2006 World Series champion Cardinals.Thompson released Starting pitcher Joel Piñeiro, who had a career year for the 2009 Cardinals (3.49 ERA, 1.145 WHIP), capitalized by signing with the Anaheim Angels for two years and $16 million on Jan. 20. Starter Todd Wellemeyer, who struggled badly for the 2009 Cardinals, signed a minor-league deal with the Giants in February.Wellemeyer signs with Giants
On December 8 the Cardinals announced the finalization of a deal to sign Brad Penny, who spent 2009 as a starter for the Red Sox and Giants, to a one-year deal for $7.5 million with an additional $1.5 million in incentives.Cards sign PennyCards upgrade rotation at Winter Meetings: Addition of Penny adds depth; club negotiating with Holliday, MLB.com (December 10, 2009)
Spring training The Cardinals were 15–14 (.517) in 2010 compared to 19–12–2 (.613) [Team BA: .290; Team ERA: 4.35] in 2009's spring exhibitions. Attendance at Roger Dean Stadium was 96,910 for 14 games, averaging 6,922 per game.
Jaime García, a Cardinal draft pick who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2008 after a cup of coffee with the big-league club, won the fifth-starter role in spring training.Garcia earns role in starting rotation David Freese won the starting job at third base.Freese claims third Allen Craig, Joe Mather and Nick Stavinoha filled out the Cardinal bench. On March 24, Yadier Molina suffered a right oblique muscle strain sliding into second base. Molina, batting .314 (11-for-35) at the time of his injury, missed the rest of spring training but was ready for Opening Day.Molina in starting lineup
Regular season
April The Cardinals opened 2010 on April 5, on the road at Cincinnati. St. Louis won 11–6 on six effective innings from Chris Carpenter. Albert Pujols had two home runs. Colby Rasmus had a home run, and robbed Scott Rolen of a home run. Yadier Molina hit a grand slam home run, and became only the third Cardinals ever to do so on opening day. The other two Cardinals to ever do so, Mark McGwire and Scott Rolen, were also in attendance. In the home opener on April 12, St. Louis beat Houston 5–0 behind a three-run home run from Pujols and eight shutout innings from Adam Wainwright.Home opener rocks
Jason LaRue became the first Cardinal to go on the disabled list on April 14, after suffering a strained hamstring. Bryan Anderson was called up from the minors to replace him on the roster.LaRue to DL
On April 17 the Cardinals and Mets played a memorable game at Busch Stadium lasting 20 innings. The game lasted 6 hours and 53 minutes, ending with a 2–1 Mets' victory. This was only the 42nd game in baseball history that lasted as long as 20 innings.Games of 20 innings among rarest finds: Mets' wild victory over Cardinals less common than no-hitter Backup outfielder Joe Mather took the loss after pitching and giving up a run in the 19th and 20th, after utility infielder Felipe López pitched a scoreless 18th. The Mets left 13 on-base, while the Cardinals stranded 22.In game for ages, Cards fall to Mets in 20th: Clubs were scoreless through 18; Mather allows winning runPosition players Lopez, Mather pitch: Infielder hurls scoreless 18th; outfielder gives up game-winnerMets, Cards add to history in epic duel: Scoreless contest through 18 is first such game since 1989
Lopez went on the DL on April 26. He had been suffering from elbow discomfort since April 11 but did not report the issue until two days after he pitched an inning against the Mets on April 17. Concurrent with Lopez's trip to the DL, the Cardinals sent Allen Craig to Memphis, recalled infielder Tyler Greene, and called up for his big-league debut Jon Jay, their second pick in the 2006 draft.Lopez to DL
Buoyed by excellent pitching from 4/5 of their starting rotation (Lohse's 6.55 ERA for April made him the only Cardinal starter who didn't come in under 3.50 for the month), the Cardinals only lost one series in all of April, and they finished the month at 15–8, and in first place in the Central Division.
May
The Cardinals fell into a severe slump in early May. St. Louis lost 3 of 4 on the road to the East-leading Phillies, then, after taking two of three from Pittsburgh, returned home and were swept in three games by the Houston Astros, who were the worst team in the league prior to the series.Standings as of May 10 A victory against the Reds with first place on the line included a two-run homer by Pujols, snapping a nine-game team homerless streak. However, subsequent losses to the Reds on May 15 and 16 knocked the Cardinals out of first place for the first time all season.
On May 17, Felipe López came off the DL and entered the starting lineup at shortstop. Brendan Ryan was demoted to a utility role due to a season-long slump that saw his average slide to .162 at the time he lost the starting job.Lopez activated In another effort to kickstart a stagnating offense on that same day, manager LaRussa switched Pujols and Matt Holliday in the lineup, with Holliday batting third and Pujols fourth. It was the first time Pujols had hit somewhere other than third in the lineup since May 30, 2003, but the change was short-lived, lasting only five days.
Brad Penny hit a grand slam in the third inning that proved decisive in St. Louis's 9–5 victory over the Anaheim Angels on May 21, but suffered a strained lat muscle in his back, apparently on the swing, and left the game immediately.Cards 9, Angels 5 The next day he went on the DL, and P. J. Walters was called up to take his place.Penny to DL St. Louis lost a second starting pitcher five days after Penny, when Kyle Lohse went to the DL on May 27 (retroactive to May 23), after being diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome in his right (pitching) arm. Fernando Salas was called up from Memphis to replace Lohse on the roster.Lohse to DL Shortly thereafter further roster moves resulted in the demotion of Joe Mather and Salas, and the promotion of two pitchers making their major league debuts: former Cardinals first-round draft pick Adam Ottavino and minor-league veteran Evan MacLane.Ottavino and MacLane up The roster shuffling continued on May 31, when MacLane was sent back down without appearing in a game and Allen Craig was recalled.Craig up
The Cardinals offense continued to stall. On May 25 and 26 St. Louis lost consecutive games in San Diego by scores of 1–0 and 2–1. Both games were decided on home runs by Jerry Hairston Jr., who had zero home runs in 2010 entering the series. An 8–3 Cardinal victory on May 27 in the third game of the series featured Pujols' first home run since May 14 and only his second of the month.Cards 8, Padres 3 Three days later, on May 30, Pujols exploded out of his power slump by hitting three home runs in a 9–1 victory over the Cubs in Wrigley Field. It was the fourth three-homer game of his career and his first since 2006.Cards 9, Cubs 1Three homers for Pujols
The suddenly surging Cardinal offense delivered a 12–4 victory over the Reds on May 31 that gave St. Louis a winning record for May (15–14) and put the Cardinals back into a first-place tie with Cincinnati.
June On June 1, the Cardinals promoted Aaron Miles from Memphis and sent Allen Craig down.Miles purchased Miles, who played for St. Louis from 2006 through 2008, and was a member of the 2006 World Series champion Cardinals, signed a minor-league contract with St. Louis in the spring. Further bench maneuvering took place on June 5, when the Cardinals signed veteran outfielder Randy Winn, recently designated for assignment by the Yankees. Jon Jay was sent back down to Memphis to make room, and pitcher Kyle Lohse was sent to the 60-day DL.Cards sign Winn
Adam Wainwright threw a complete game two-hitter on June 4, and the Cardinals beat the Brewers 8–0, retaking sole possession of first place. It was the first shutout of Wainwright's career.Cards 8, Brewers 0