The Latest Breaking News from Giovanny Gallegos

Major League Baseball is considering a pitch clock for next year along with shift limits, larger bases and restrictions on pickoff attempts

ST. LOUIS — On a sweltering 99-degree day at Busch Stadium Saturday, Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas, who comes from Jupiter, Fla., where it is this hot on a lot of days, had the cooling tonic for a well-ridden Cardinals bullpen. Seven innings.

Oliver Marmol's Cardinals need a little more from Ryan Helsley, along with one big save from the front office.

ST. LOUIS — When the Cardinals have talked and talked and talked some more about the potential length of their lineup — and how that will help them maintain a top offense without thunderous power — they sometimes extend that definition to reach the bench.

ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas had allowed just eight hits over his previous three games, covering 23 innings. And he had one win and two losses to show for those efforts.

What was this ump thinking?

ST. LOUIS — On the day Oliver Marmol anointed Andre Pallante as one of his rotation pitchers — for now, anyway — the right-handed Cardinals rookie confirmed his manager’s faith.

In manager Oliver Marmol’s perfect world, left-hander Packy Naughton and Andre Pallante, the relievers who were the first two hurlers for the Cardinals in Monday afternoon’s “bullpen game,” would have pitched the first six innings. The final three would belong to late-inning stalwarts Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley.

PITTSBURGH — The Cardinals recently had homered in 12 consecutive games and 14 of 15, yet netting them only a middling record of 7-8. So they switched gears, hitting 10 singles to account for all their runs Friday night en route to a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NEW YORK – It wasn’t the swing that he’s been working on or the moment that he’s been chasing during this slow start, but it was enough to get the single run the Cardinals needed.

SAN FRANCISCO — After back-to-back games when they squeezed one run from nine innings of opportunity, the Cardinals did a remix of their lineup and, as a new rhythm took hold, introduced a hitter they once thought was going to be part of their season all along.