PITTSBURGH — During the All-Star break, Giovanny Gallegos returned home for some necessary time away from a frustrating first half and some welcome time with his parents and the positives they could reinforce. He had his health, but to get back into his role, he needed more than that.
“The game is hard, bro,†Gallegos said Wednesday at PNC Park. “When you pitch really well, sometimes you don’t have the time to watch the small details. When you go through bad moments, you open your eyes, open your mind, and it’s time to work on what’s going on.â€
He got affirming innings of that work Wednesday.
Trapped beneath the headlines of the Cardinals’ 5-0 loss and series loss to Pittsburgh was Gallegos’ scoreless first appearance of the second half. He retired all six batters he faced to shoulder the final two innings of the road trip. The average velocity on all of his pitches ticked up. He didn’t get any swings and misses, but four of his six outs did not leave the reach of an infielder.
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“It’s part of the process,†Gallegos said.
The next part is jam-packed.
The route back to his former role is crowded with relievers who have moved ahead him and helped create one of the league’s top late-inning groups. That leaves Gallegos pitching now for a spot in the bullpen — and then a role, if needed.
The Cardinals’ incumbent setup man, Gallegos struggled in the first half and then spent time on the injured list with a sore shoulder. During his absence from late innings, two right-handed setup relievers, All-Star Andrew Kittredge and rookie Ryan Fernandez, solidified roles as the Cardinals’ bridge to closer Ryan Helsley. Rookie Chris Roycroft pitched three scoreless innings Wednesday, and he has been a preferred choice in both setup and chase roles. When he’s been available, right-hander Kyle Leahy has been the quick call-up from the minors and trusted in tight spots as well.
Riley O’Brien completed Tuesday his second appearance with Class AAA Memphis on a rehab assignment, and in the coming weeks, his availability will shift from a health question to a performance evaluation. The young power righty with a whip-snap slider must appear in back-to-back games without experiencing issues from his injured flexor tendon, and then the Cardinals will see where his results take him.
“That’s what good teams have — they have optionable players who you can (cycle) based on usage and have fresh arms you can still count on,†manager Oliver Marmol said. “We had a 27th man (Leahy) come up the other day and throw the eighth inning, and we didn’t blink. Should be able to do that from time to time. That depth is important. Competitive? Sure. ... Our roles are clearly defined at the moment.â€
Asked if Gallegos could yet elbow his way into the mix, Marmol was succinct.
“He threw a really good two innings today,†he said.
One of the most-used right-handers in late innings over the past five seasons — with a tidy 3.14 ERA in those 268 games — Gallegos brought a 7.41 ERA into Wednesday’s appearance. He’d allowed 31 base runners in 17 innings and saw a dip in his velocity, down to 92.2 mph on his fastball from 94.3 mph in 2022. The right-hander described how the results and the feel for his pitches led to a lack of confidence in them.
“I’ve been working a lot when I was on the IL,†said Gallegos, who is in the final year of a two-year extension he agreed to during a 2022 visit to Pittsburgh. “I was struggling early in the season, a lot of things on my mind, and I think it’s part of the game, you know? (At the All-Star break), I tried to recover my confidence.â€
In his two innings Wednesday in the Cardinals’ loss, Gallegos featured three pitches and showed a willingness to use his change-up against left-handed batters. He got a flyout and a groundout from both left-handed batters he faced. He touched 93.5 mph with his fastball, and both his average slider (83.6 mph) and change-up (86.4 mph) velocity were up over the season average. Catcher Pedro Pages described Gallegos as “in a good place (and if) he keeps throwing the ball well he’s going to get back in that role he wants.â€
It will first take making the most of the innings he gets.
“That’s part of the business,†Gallegos said. “I try to only take positives. Waiting for my time when I can help my team when it needs (me) to pitch in that game.â€
MLB Network launches direct access
As their long-running and previously fruitful broadcast model starts to unravel at the local level, Major League Baseball and its namesake network launched a direct-to-consumer option they would like to see expand through the game.
MLB Network became available Wednesday as a standalone network, available for subscriptions at $5.99 per month. The network also announced a bundle that links MLB Network with the At Bat game broadcast app for $6.99 per month. The websites for MLB and MLB Network offer , and the direct access without a cable subscription to MLB Network comes on the eve of the league’s July 30th trade deadline.
For all live games, the standalone MLB Network will still follow local blackout rules. Some owners, like the Cardinals’, want to dismantle the current blackout policies.
This past week, at the All-Star Game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the ongoing tumult in the industry caused by Bally Sports’ parent company, Diamond Sports Group, spending the past year in bankruptcy court. Diamond Sports has shed some markets, and MLB has made itself available for teams, like San Diego, to use to reach fans through direct-to-consumer streaming. Bally Sports Midwest remains one of the profitable markets due to the Cardinals, but the disrupted model has left some fans without access to the team’s games this summer.
Draft pick signs, etc.
The Cardinals announced an agreement with their third-round pick, catcher Ryan Campos, to complete the signings of their first 18 selections in this past week’s MLB draft. Campos hit .364 this past season with Arizona State, and the 21-year-old Arizona native slugged .610 with 36 extra-base hits in 58 games for the Sun Devils. The Cardinals went about 3% over their assigned bonus purse and will pay a tax of 75% on the overage of about $300,000.
- Pages extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fifth inning Wednesday.
- The Cardinals have had 14 weather delays for games this season and spent 17 hours, 26 minutes in official delays.
- Nolan Gorman’s 19 homers put him one shy of a club that has two members: him and Rogers Hornsby. Gorman and Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Hornsby are the only second basemen in Cardinals history with more than 20 homers in a season. Hornsby did it four times, including 42 in 1922. Gorman hit 27 this past season an
d is one big bop away from his second 20-homer season while playing second base.