Video: Rain Pours Down Busch Stadium Steps During Cubs-Cardinals Weather Delay
May 27, 2024
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 26: A general view of Busch Stadium during a rain delay prior to the start of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on May 26, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
There are rain delays, and there there was Busch Stadium on Sunday.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs had their game delayed for several hours, and it isn't hard to see why:
The rain at Busch Stadium ahead of Cubs-Cardinals 😮
The two teams had their Friday game postponed due to weather, so it's been that sort of weekend in St. Louis. Sunday's game eventually was able to start around 9:40 p.m. ET.
It wasn't the only major sporting event to see a delay, as the Indianapolis 500 started about four hours later than scheduled due to inclement weather. Josef Newgarden ultimately won the race for the second straight year.
St. Louis Cardinals, Nelly Unveil 2024 MLB City Connect Uniforms in New Video, Photos
May 20, 2024
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 30: Alec Burleson #41 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Paul Goldschmidt #46 and Nolan Arenado #28 after hitting a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning of game two of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on April 30, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals rolled out their new Nike City Connect jerseys Monday and enlisted the services of Nelly to help hype up the reveal.
The red tops read "The Lou" with the "STL" abbreviation for the city emblazoned on the caps.
Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III said the organization went through "a bunch of iterations" before landing on a final design, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Benjamin Hochman. DeWitt added he and team officials wanted to maintain tradition to some degree.
"Nike was pushing us to think outside the box, which is partly what this is all about, but not entirely. And so, (that was) including the birds off. And all sorts of crazy things," DeWitt said. "I think they would probably admit to pushing teams further outside their comfort zone than perhaps many wanted to go. And we see that in certain franchises, where they let (the uniforms) be a complete departure. I just didn't feel like this franchise, given its special place and kind of the hierarchy of uniforms, needed to do that. …
"At the end of the day, I just held firm, saying: 'It's got to have the birds on the bat.'"
St. Louis' City Connects are fairly tame compared to some of the others around MLB.
The Phillies' City Connect uniform is HERE 🔔
Unapologetically Philadelphia, this is an ode to the city's past, present and future pic.twitter.com/biSZLmh58j
That's not necessarily a bad thing because there's a reason the Cardinals logo has become so iconic.
Nelly provided an inspiration for the jerseys as well with his 2000 song "Country Grammar." He raps at one point, "I'm from The Lou and I'm proud."
DeWitt told Hochman the line "kind of says it all."
The Cardinals will don their City Connects for the first time Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. They're scheduled to wear the uniforms for 11 games after that.
Pirates' Paul Skenes Continues to Wow MLB Fans After Dominating Cubs, Striking out 11
May 17, 2024
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes built upon his promising MLB debut with a strong performance against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
In his second career start, Skenes struck out 11 batters compared to just one walk in six innings of work without allowing a hit. He was dominant from the beginning of the game, striking out each of the first seven batters that he faced.
MLB fans were amazed by Skenes, who now owns a 2.70 ERA through two starts.
Although the Cubs ended the Pirates' no-hit bid with a single off relief pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski in the seventh inning, it didn't make Skenes' second MLB start any less promising.
The 21-year-old became the first Pittsburgh starter to ever record 11 strikeouts in a game at Wrigley Field, doing so in a mere six innings (via MLB Stats). Of his 100 total pitches on Friday, 67 were strikes.
He was also given some run support, as the Pirates took a commanding 8-0 lead prior to his exit.
Before he was called up by the Pirates on May 8, Skenes was listed as the No. 1 pitcher and No. 4 overall prospect in Bleacher Report's April MLB prospect rankings.
Although the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft didn't have a spotless debut, he showed off the tools that have impressed fans and analysts alike. During his first career start on May 11, Skenes racked up seven strikeouts in four innings despite allowing six hits and three earned runs.
He'll look to continue his impressive play throughout his rookie season and help the Pirates potentially contend for a postseason spot, as Pittsburgh entered Friday's action at No. 3 in the NL Central with a record of 20-25.
MLB Rumors: Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols Interested in Managing amid Cardinals Buzz
May 16, 2024
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 1: Former St. Louis Cardinals players Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina during a pre-game retirement ceremony to honor Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on October 1, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals fans are surely frustrated with how the 2024 season is unfolding, but they may have the opportunity to cheer for a franchise legend in a managerial role if the National League Central team decides to make some changes.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that manager Oli Marmol "might pay the price" of his job if the struggles continue.
Heyman then suggested the Cardinals could turn toward either Yadier Molina or Albert Pujols for a managing job since both are interested in taking that step in their careers.
That doesn't mean either of the Cardinals legends are the frontrunners.
In fact, Heyman called Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker "the most obvious candidate" for the Cardinals should they make a change. Miami already agreed to drop the 2025 club option on his contract, so Schumaker will be free to go to St. Louis or somewhere else as soon as next season.
He won the Manager of the Year award last season while leading the Marlins to an 84-78 record and playoff berth. He also has a Cardinals connection considering he played the first eight years of his career in St. Louis from 2005 to 2012.
Schumaker helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series crown in 2011.
So did Pujols and Molina, who are two of the best players in franchise history. Molina spent his entire 19-year career with the franchise as a two-time World Series champion, 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glover and Silver Slugger winner.
Pujols played the first 12 years of his career with the Cardinals and was a two-time World Series champion, three-time National League MVP, NL Rookie of the Year, six-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glover and nine-time All-Star.
While neither have managerial experience in the major leagues, Molina managed the Puerto Rico team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and leads the Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela. Pujols is slated to manage the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Republic.
It would be quite the jump to the Cardinals for either of them, but they are beloved members in the history of the franchise and would surely be welcomed by the team's fans. That is especially true if the 18-25 Cardinals continue to struggle this year.
Paul Skenes Dazzles Fans With 7 Strikeouts in MLB Debut for Pirates vs. Cubs
May 11, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning of his major league debut during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Paul Skenes and his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, went viral on social media this week after learning that he was called up to the big leagues following a nap.
The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher gave up six hits, two walks and three runs while striking out seven in four innings. He only directly gave up one run, a Nico Hoerner home run, while reliever Kyle Nicolas allowed two of the runners Skenes left on base in the top of the fifth inning to score.
Paul Skenes K's the first hitter he faces in the big leagues 🔥
Watching Skenes reminds me of facing Strasburg after his call-up. I took a fastball in my first at-bat, looked up, and saw ‘100’ on the board. I thought, ‘Uh oh.’ The next pitch? The best curveball I’d ever seen—gulp. Same could be said about the changeup later. I was like, 😕.…
Paul Skenes’ splinker is nasty. It’s one thing to average 100 mph with a four-seamer. To pair that with a 95-mph hybrid with crazy vertical movement is borderline unfair. And Skenes uses it both as a strikeout pitch and to steal strikes early in the count.
"I have so many amazing memories with him. But I know how hard he has worked for this moment. All the hours. I just know what a hard worker he is. This is probably one of my favorite moments I have ever seen," Dunne said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast. "Like seriously, there's nothing that can top this. I'm just so proud."
There's no doubt that Skenes has a live arm. Hitting 100 mph with that much consistency is not common, and if he can maintain that level of velocity through a full season and throughout much of his career, he could become an excellent starter.
There's a reason he was ranked as the top pitching prospect by both B/R's Joel Reuter and MLB.com. Reuter ranked him as the No. 4 overall prospect in the sport, noting that he "has the tools to be a generational talent on the mound."
He showed as much on Saturday.
Joey Votto: Paul Skenes' MLB Debut with Pirates Reminds Me of Stephen Strasburg
May 11, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning of his major league debut during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes reminded Joey Votto of former Washington Nationals star Steven Strasburg in his MLB debut on Saturday.
"Watching Skenes reminds me of facing Strasburg after his call-up," the former Cincinnati Reds star wrote. "I took a fastball in my first at-bat, looked up, and saw '100' on the board. I thought, 'Uh oh.' The next pitch? The best curveball I'd ever seen."
Votto added: "This beautiful game keeps moving fwd."
Watching Skenes reminds me of facing Strasburg after his call-up. I took a fastball in my first at-bat, looked up, and saw ‘100’ on the board. I thought, ‘Uh oh.’ The next pitch? The best curveball I’d ever seen—gulp. Same could be said about the changeup later. I was like, 😕.…
Like Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in 2009, Skenes was selected by the Pirates at the top of the 2023 draft.
Both regularly threw over 100 miles per hour and were renowned for their control of their fastball, as noted by MLB.com's Jim Callis.
When Strasburg made his debut against the Pirates on June 8, 2010, Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter was Andrew McCutchen, the same batter leading off for the Pirates during Skenes' debut.
Skenes and Strasburg also earned similar levels of hype around their first MLB starts. After Skenes struck out seven batters in 4.0 innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs as the Pirates pulled out to a 6-1 lead, he received a standing ovation from PNC Park.
Strasburg went on to win a World Series MVP award and three All-Star nominations. The Pirates are surely hoping Skenes will be able to achieve similar accolades during his career.
Livvy Dunne: Paul Skenes' MLB Debut with Pirates vs. Cubs '1 of My Favorite Moments'
May 11, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: Livvy Dunne (R) attends as her boyfriend Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) makes his major league debut during the game against the Chicago Cubs beat PNC Park on May 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne was thrilled to see her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
"I have so many amazing memories with him. But I know how hard he has worked for this moment. All the hours. I just know what a hard worker he is. This is probably one of my favorite moments I have ever seen," she said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast. "Like seriously, there's nothing that can top this. I'm just so proud."
"Yeah, we woke up from a nap, and he had a few missed calls, and he got called up," Dunne said Saturday. "Then he was like, 'Let's pack,' and we hit the road. It was so exciting."
Skenes, 21, more than deserved his call-up. In seven starts for Triple-A Indianapolis this season he posted a 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in just 27.1 innings.
During his debut on Saturday he pitched four innings, giving up six hits and two walks and three runs while striking out seven. The lone run he directly allowed came off a Nico Hoerner homer.
When he departed, the Pirates held a 6-1 advantage. Reliever Kyle Nicolas allowed two of the runs Skenes was responsible for in the top of the fifth inning to score.
Dunne is quite the athlete in her own right. She was a member of LSU's 2024 NCAA championship team, competing throughout the season on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
She has parlayed that success into popular social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram.
Skenes, meanwhile, has the look of a pitcher who could potentially have a long and successful MLB career. He certainly got off to a solid start on Saturday.
Livvy Dunne Hypes Paul Skenes' MLB Call-Up to Pirates in IG Story: 'Here We Go!'
May 8, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 30: The number one draft pick out of LSU Indianapolis Indians pitcher Paul Skenes (10) brings the pitch to the plate during a Milb baseball game between the Buffalo Bisons and the Indianapolis Indians on April, 30, 2024 at Victory Field in Indianapolis, IN.(Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Livvy Dunne is just like all Pittsburgh Pirates fans.
She's ready to watch top pitching prospect Paul Skenes take the mound in the major leagues.
Dunne, who is dating Skenes, hyped up the pitcher by saying "here we go!" on her Instagram page.
Her post was in response to the Pirates revealing Wednesday that Skenes will make his Major League Baseball debut during Saturday's game against the division-rival Chicago Cubs:
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked Skenes as the fourth-best prospect in all of baseball last month. The right-hander is No. 3 on MLB.com's list of the top prospects.
The call-up couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the Pirates, who are struggling of late. They have fallen to 17-21 following their 9-2 start and just lost two games in a row to the Los Angeles Angels.
Pittsburgh needs a boost, and there is nobody better to provide it than a franchise cornerstone who will make his debut in front of the home fans.
He has made seven starts in Triple-A this season and has a sparkling 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. While replicating those numbers in the major leagues may be too much to ask, the Pirates will count on him to anchor the rotation.
And Dunne will surely be cheering him on as he does.
Paul Skenes Called Up by Pirates; MLB's No. 3 Prospect Will Make Debut vs. Cubs
May 8, 2024
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - MARCH 14, 2024: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park on March 14, 2024 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Paul Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, is going to make his big-league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
The Pirates announced Wednesday that they are calling up the right-handed pitcher to start against the Chicago Cubs.
MLB.com ranked Skenes as the No. 3 overall prospect coming into the 2024 season. He was the highest-ranked prospect still in the minors because Jackson Chourio (No. 2) started the year with the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackson Holliday (No. 1) was called up by the Baltimore Orioles on April 10.
Holliday has since been sent back down to the minors on April 26 after going 2-for-34 in 10 games.
Skenes was selected first overall last year after a dominant season at LSU. He won the Dick Howser Trophy given to the nation's best player, was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2023.
The 21-year-old finished his junior year with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings over 19 starts for the Tigers. He only played one season at LSU after transferring from Air Force.
The Pirates made Skenes the first pitcher to be taken with the top pick in the draft since Casey Mize went to the Detroit Tigers in 2018. He was always considered someone who could breeze through the minors quickly, but the team informed him early in spring training he wouldn't start this season in the big leagues.
Here's what general manager Ben Cherington told reporters on March 5 about Skenes' development plan:
"He has not had the benefit of the full Minor League season. We're also trying to put him in a position where he has the best chance possible to help us win games in Pittsburgh as soon as possible. We just think a little bit more time in Major League Spring Training around our staff, players, the catching group, the game-planning process, kind of everything about it, hopefully can speed that up just a little bit more. And then that'll play into how we get the season started and what the volume progression looks like going into the season."
The Pirates, like every other team with top pitching prospects, carefully managed Skenes' innings in the minors. He didn't throw more than 3.1 innings in each of his first three starts at Triple-A.
Skenes' results in those limited outings looked great with no runs, four hits allowed and 19 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
Pittsburgh finally started to loosen the reins on Skenes starting with his April 24 start against Omaha. He allowed his first run of the season in that game, but also struck out seven in 4.1 innings.
Skenes' threw a career-high six innings and had seven strikeouts on April 30 in Indianapolis' 4-3 win over Buffalo.
The upside for Skenes is astronomical with a fastball that touches 102 mph, a wipeout slider and a solid changeup. He's a terrific athlete with a 6'6" frame and commands all of his pitches very well.
It shouldn't take long for Skenes to establish himself as the best pitcher on the Pirates' staff.
Jose Siri, Abner Uribe, Freddy Peralta Suspended by MLB for Rays-Brewers Fight
May 1, 2024
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 30: Rhys Hoskins #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers holds back Jose Siri #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays who attempts to go after pitcher Abner Uribe #45 of the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning at American Family Field on April 30, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The discipline from Tuesday's brawl between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers has been handed down by MLB.
MLB announced Brewers reliever Abner Uribe received a six-game suspension, Brewers starter Freddy Peralta received a five-game suspension and Brewers manager Pat Murphy was suspended for two games. Rays outfielder Jose Siri was given a three-game ban.
All four of them were fined an undisclosed amount.
Heavy suspensions in Brewers-Rays brawl with Brewers reliever Abner Uribe getting hit the hardest with 6-game suspension pic.twitter.com/1h5jsPwFFM
There were two separate incidents between that teams that culminated with a benches-clearing brawl.
Siri, who homered in the top of the third, was hit by a pitch from Peralta on a 3-0 count in the sixth inning. Rays manager Kevin Cash seemed to think it was an intentional plunking and asked the umpires to discuss the situation.
After a brief convergence, the umpires tossed Peralta. Crew chief Chris Guccione explained the decision while speaking to reporters after the game:
"So Siri hit a home run—a pretty good home run … and it was a first-pitch home run. So OK, he ran the bases, whatever, and nothing was really said that we noticed. Then you go to the sixth inning, a 3-0 count, and the pitch that hit Siri went right at him.
"You put what happened previously in the game together, and we get together as a crew and we discuss all the events, and we determined as a crew that Peralta was intentionally throwing at Siri. And with that comes an ejection."
Murphy disagreed with the decision and voiced his objection on the field, leading to him being ejected.
Things escalated in the top of the eighth when Uribe covered first on a groundout from Siri. The two exchanged words on the diamond, leading to Uribe taking a swing at Siri. Both benches cleared, and both players were ejected from the game when all the dust had settled.
The Brewers went on two win the game 8-2 to snap their three-game losing streak. The Rays have dropped six of their last eight games.
