The Cardinals wrapped up activity with one more trade before Tuesday's deadline, sending struggling outfielder Dylan Carlson to Tampa Bay in exchange for reliever Shawn Armstrong.
Armstrong, who will turn 34 in just more than a month, had one of the best seasons of his career last year, but he's regressed this season, losing both velocity and effectiveness.
Here are five things to know about the right-handed Armstrong:
Scouting report
Armstrong, basically a three-pitch pitcher, has seen his velocity decline across the board this year.
All of his three most-used pitched have lost about 1 mph from last year to this year. Along with that, his ERA went from 1.38 last year to 5.40 this year.
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He leads with his four-seam fastball, throwing it 35.1% of the time. Opponents are hitting .188 against it this year.
But his favorite pitch, as evidenced by his son's name, may be his cutter.
He throws it 29.7% of the time, and foes are hitting .283 against it, up from .191 last year, when he led with that pitch. The whiff rate against it has also plummeted from 29% to 20.7%.
"Without the cutter, I probably wouldn't be in the big leagues," Armstrong said when explaining .
Last year, that cutter rated as his best pitch, while this year, it's one of his worst.
He throws the sinker 28.7% of the time, and opponents are hitting it at a .412 clip.
He's thrown a slider and sweeper a combined 52 times this season.
Being athletic helped Armstrong unlock his best season at Tampa.
“The Rays told me I was becoming too mechanical, that I needed to be more athletic," Armstong said to . "Don’t be a robot, they said. It was great advice that really helped me become a better pitcher.â€
A slow ascent for North Carolina native
A North Carolina native who grew up in the eastern city of New Bern, Armstrong went to college at East Carolina University. That's the same college that produced Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson. The two are among five MLB players from ECU to appear in a game this season.
Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake is also a North Carolina native.
The Astros chose Armstrong in the 33rd round of the 2008 draft, but he chose to attend college instead. Cleveland picked him in 2011 in the 18th round.
Armstrong worked his way up to Double-A in 2012, his first full professional season. His progression slowed, and he made his debut for Cleveland in August 2015.
Through 2018, he pitched fewer than 60 MLB innings across four seasons, spending most of his time in Triple-A, earning regular minor league All-Star honors.
"The first year, I struggled with (being sent down)," Armstrong told in 2018. "Having a good year in the minors and thinking you should be called back up or called up for the first time, all that kind of stuff.
"You’re being sent back down to Columbus because they need something to help them win. It’s not saying that you’re not helping them win, but at that time, that’s what the front office and Tito (Cleveland manager Terry Francona) sees as beneficial."
In 2019, after a short stint with Seattle, Armstrong finally found a home as a full-time big leaguer with Baltimore, then he missed most of 2020 with sacroiliac joint inflammation.
Baltimore designated Armstrong for assignment early in the 2021 season, trading him to Tampa Bay. He's been there since, save for a short stint with Miami.
Relief for a taxed bullpen
Before Tuesday's game, the Cardinals pitched 121⅓ innings deemed late/close by , second-most in baseball and less than an inning behind No. 1 Detroit.
Three Cardinals are in the top 25 of the National League in innings pitched in late/close games: Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero.
Once a strength, the bullpen has been showing some signs of wear of late.
The team's 4.01 relief ERA in July ranks 18th in the big leagues, a dozen spots worse than June.
The hope is that Armstrong can help take some of those late-game innings off the plates of current relievers.
He'll join former Rays teammate Kittredge in the bullpen.
The mental side
Armstrong has faced difficulties with the mental side of the game, according to one report.
He credits his late grandfather with helping him improve in that area.
“I struggled with the mental side of the game a lot as a kid and even all the way up to Double-A (in the Cleveland system),†Armstrong said, according to the . “He helped me with the emotional side of things. Instead of showing emotion, channel it in other ways. He never got emotional about anything and always led by example.
“He trained me in karate when I was growing up. Martial arts are a good way of channeling emotion and is still very much a part of my life. I am very thankful for everything my grandfather did.â€
A mentor to younger players
Reports during his time in Baltimore cite Armstrong's serving as a mentor to young players and embodying the traits that make a player a good teammate.
"I think it's the most important thing about the younger guys is making sure that they're comfortable," Armstrong . "This is a game of failure.
"We do a really good job down in the bullpen communicating, scouting reports, helping each other.
"We're a very close group, not just baseball."