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Did you realize that the St. Louis Cardinals haven’t won a single game on a Thursday all month? So much for May being such a brilliant month for the team, eh?
Dumb joke, I know. Savvy readers will recall that the Cardinals have had a pretty cushy schedule when it comes to regular days off this month. They’ve played only once on a Thursday, opening May with a loss to the Reds.
The Cards also lost the next game on Friday, May 2. Since, they’ve rattled off wins in 18 of their last 23 games. So yes, it’s still been a brilliant month.
Believe or not, I did have a somewhat relevant point to make in referencing that the Cardinals haven’t played many Thursday games recently. The consistent day off every week has been a luxury that has kept the Cardinals—and most importantly, their pitching—fresh throughout this hot stretch of play on the field. But it’s a luxury that will soon evaporate as the calendar turns to June.
The Cardinals had this most recent Thursday off ahead of their weekend series in Arlington beginning Friday night, and they’ll get Monday off, too, before starting a nine-game home stand at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. But after that respite on Monday, June 2, the Cardinals won’t get another off-day until June 16. Then July 3 is the earliest subsequent day of rest for the Redbirds.
So after ample time to catch their breath in May, June looks a lot different. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the stretch from April 11 through May 7 that saw the Cardinals get only one scheduled off-day (April 24). The club’s response to the scheduling quirk was to take advantage of their healthy starting pitching depth, turning to Steven Matz for a couple of spot starts in order to lengthen the rotation and provide some additional cover for their five-man rotation.
Optically, it ended up being a misnomer to have constantly referred to the gambit as a ‘six-man rotation’ because it really only consisted of Matz filling in twice over that nearly four-week stretch. But regardless of how the Cardinals label it, there’s a case to be made that it would be a good idea to pull it out as a strategy again in June.
Only this time, why not let Michael McGreevy have the opportunity to serve as the occasional fill-in, leaving Matz (1.91 ERA on the season) free to continue dominating the invaluable bullpen role that he’s carved out for himself?
McGreevy’s May has been just about as good as the month being enjoyed by the parent club. It began with a dominant and clutch 5.2 innings of scoreless MLB baseball to close out Game 2 of the Cardinals’ doubleheader sweep of the Mets on May 4. That was the day that kicked off the club’s nine-game winning streak, which led into the current run of 18-5 over its past 23 games.
McGreevy’s role in covering for a beleaguered bullpen that day by entering the game in the fourth inning and going off the sheet in a tightly-contested and emotional win was a significant factor in vaulting the Cardinals toward the successful month they’ve since enjoyed.
From there, the 24-year-old right-hander has cruised in his appearances at the Triple-A level, holding the opposition to four earned runs across 22.0 innings over his past four starts (1.64 ERA). Over that stretch, McGreevy has struck out 29 batters while issuing only four walks, making the case that there’s nothing left for him to prove in the minor leagues.
The only thing keeping him there, for now, is the lack of a clear path to an MLB opportunity. Could that be changing with the calendar’s turn to June?
If the Cardinals consider deploying the modified six-man cushion again in hopes of keeping their regular five starters healthy and strong for the course of the summer, rewarding McGreevy with the opportunity this time around would make all the sense in the world.