Looking back at the time he spent in the Cardinals organization before his time as the club’s manager ended abruptly in 2021, Mike Shildt doesn’t recall spending much time in the visitors clubhouse.
He recalls making a trips into that part of the ballpark just a few times during the pandemic-altered 2020 season.
Monday provided a different look for the manager of the San Diego Padres, but it still held some of the same emotions that come with being in the majors.
“Yeah, it’s a different clubhouse, but it’s always good to be in any clubhouse,†Shildt said.
A member of the Cardinals for parts of 18 seasons, Shildt rose from area scout in 2004 to manager in 2018. He scouted and signed Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, who served as a bench coach to Shildt and later became his successor as manager. He joined the Cardinals’ major league coaching staff in 2017 before becoming manager in the middle of the 2018 season after Mike Matheny was fired.
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As manager of the Cardinals, Shildt had a 252-199 record and guided the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He was named National League manager of the year in 2019.
His time as manager came to an abrupt end after the Cardinals were eliminated from the 2021 postseason following a National League Wild Card game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I mean look, we don’t get a lot of mulligans in life,†Shildt said from inside the visitors dugout at Busch Stadium ahead of the opener of a four-game series between the Padres and Cardinals. “I haven’t lost any sleep with how I did things for 18 years here. I can rest comfortably knowing that I did my best to be a caretaker of the organization, but (as) Tony (La Russa) would say, I got to do my part. Put my little piece in. As I got more opportunities, the piece became a little bit bigger, but I always wanted to do the very best I could. I had a pure heart for making sure this organization moved forward, and I have a lot of peace with that.â€
Following his exit, Shildt joined the Padres in 2022 as a consultant. He returned to a managerial role this past winter after Bob Melvin was hired away from the Padres by the San Francisco Giants. Shildt and his Padres entered Monday’s series opener with a 74-58 record. The Padres held a three-game lead for the second NL wild-card spot and trailed the Dodgers by 4½ games for first place in the NL West standings.
In his return to Busch Stadium, Shildt didn’t single out a particular memory that stood out from his time as Cardinals manager. His time as manager provided options including a trip to the National League Championship Series in 2019 and a franchise-record 17-game winning streak in 2021 that helped the Cardinals clinch a wild-card spot.
“There are definitely memories taking place,†Shildt said. “But again, there was a time and place for those memories, and I’m trying to compartmentalize those. I have a smile on my face, which I have with those memories and my time here, because without the time here and the people here — and the other thing I want to make sure I represent is just how much support I was always grateful for from the fan base. The people here treated me well in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. The fan base treated me well. Treated me well since I’ve left. ... It’s a lot of good memories. There are multiple ones that stand out. We had some good runs here. It’s really ultimately about the people.â€
Memphis rehab assignments
Pitchers Lance Lynn and Steven Matz and outfielder Michael Siani are expected to appear in rehab games this week with Class AAA Memphis.
Siani (right oblique strain) is slated to join Memphis on Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa, for the start of its six-game series against the Cubs’ Class AAA affiliate. Siani is expected to play five innings in center field on Tuesday and will increase his workload to seven innings in the field in his second game with the club.
Matz (lower back strain) is expected to make a rehab start for Memphis on Tuesday. He is scheduled to throw around 65 pitches. Matz threw 85 pitches in a rehab start for Memphis on Aug. 21. That start was Matz’s fifth rehab outing since the beginning of August. Marmol said lowering Matz’s pitch count allows for “flexibility†in bringing the left-hander back with a more flexible role, which would be “depending on what our need is at the moment.â€
Lynn (right knee inflammation) threw live batting practice on Monday to a group of hitters that included Siani, Tommy Pham, Jose Fermin and Luken Baker. Lynn reached around 70 pitches and simulated five innings of work with the session. Lynn is slated to pitch on Sunday for Memphis in Des Moines. He will target 80-85 pitches in the outing.
“Whenever you get a chance to get back to play, that’s what you work for,†Lynn said following his live batting practice session. “I’m in a happy spot right now. Hopefully, everything goes well, and then we can get out there.â€
Extra bases
Brandon Crawford, who was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Aug. 20, reflected on his time with the Cardinals in a thank you message and photo slideshow posted to his Instagram account. Crawford thanked the Cardinals organization, his former teammates, coaches and fans in the post.
“In what was a very different season for me in so many ways, you guys all made me feel at home,†Crawford wrote.
- Former Cardinal and 2011 World Series winner Allen Craig returned to Busch Stadium as a member of the Padres. The former Cardinals draft pick and 2013 National League All-Star joined the Padres in a player development role this past winter.