The immediate outlook for the St. Louis Cardinals’ future is grim.
On Monday John Mozeliak, President of Baseball Operations for St. Louis, held a virtual press conference announcing results from the team’s recent COVID-19 testing. The Cardinals had waited to announce more test results after some of their initial tests were inconclusive. 13 individuals tested positive for St. Louis in all, a sharp jump from only two such cases on Friday. Among this grouping, seven positives came from players and six were from team staff. However, many of these positive individuals were still asymptomatic, Mozeliak said, noting that no one yet required hospitalization.
Inevitably, MLB on Monday delayed the Cardinals’ coming season series with the Detroit Tigers out of an abundance of caution. A report from The Athletic’s Mark Saxon noted players testing positive were already driving back to St. Louis from Milwaukee.
The next series for the Cardinals should begin on Friday against the Chicago Cubs back in St. Louis. Although for the current moment, the Cardinal’s season is delayed.
The Cardinals now become the third MLB team to have a major portion of their season delayed by a COVID-19 outbreak. The Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies each missed seven games before returning to action on Monday. The Cardinals’ August 13th contest at the Field of Dreams in Iowa was also cancelled on Monday, according to Ken Rosenthal. So the inaugural game will occur in 2021.
Since Friday, theories surrounding the club’s outbreak swirled all around the organization. The most prominent rumor that emerged suggested two Cardinals players had attended a casino, violating health and safety protocols. Indeed, separate reports from Jon Heyman and Jerry Hairston Jr. seemed to confirm this rumor’s validity.
“I have no factual reason to believe that is true, and I have not seen any proof of that,” Mozeliak said. He went on to add, “If they were at a casino, though, that would be disappointing.”
While stuck in hotel quarantine, some St. Louis player found ways to distract themselves. On Friday, just hours after the first reports of positive tests for St. Louis, young ace Jack Flaherty took to Twitter:
Best of all, Flaherty gave fans an inside look the next night at his impromptu hotel bullpen session.
For fans that might not have much to look forward to in the immediate future, it surely was a good sign to see players like Flaherty and Adam Wainwright in good spirits.
Featured Image Courtesy of Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
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