As noted on Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals set a new NLCS record with 10 unearned runs allowed. Two more yielded during the NLDS made the club’s 2012 post-season total 12.
I received a request to put that into team historical context. With the help of researcher Tom Orf, that detail follows.
The team’s next-closest total of unearned runs was eight in ten 1982 playoff games. Of course, the ultimate result of Whitey Herzog’s club was much better than in 2012 as they won the World Championship.
In terms of unearned runs per game, 2012’s mark of just under one was bested only in 1928, 1942 and 1943. That was an era in which the World Series was the only post-season action. The Cardinals took the 1942 title despite allowing one unearned run per game on average over five games.
Runs allowed, post-season, St. Louis Cardinals, team history
| Games | Runs | Earned runs | Unearned runs | Unearned runs/game | |
| 2012 | 13 | 54 | 42 | 12 | 0.92 |
| 2011 | 18 | 77 | 72 | 5 | 0.28 |
| 2009 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0.67 |
| 2006 | 16 | 44 | 42 | 2 | 0.13 |
| 2005 | 9 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 0.56 |
| 2004 | 15 | 67 | 65 | 2 | 0.13 |
| 2002 | 8 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0.25 |
| 2001 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2000 | 8 | 41 | 37 | 4 | 0.50 |
| 1996 | 10 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1987 | 14 | 61 | 57 | 4 | 0.29 |
| 1985 | 13 | 51 | 47 | 4 | 0.31 |
| 1982 | 10 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 0.80 |
| 1968 | 7 | 34 | 32 | 2 | 0.29 |
| 1967 | 7 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 0.43 |
| 1964 | 7 | 33 | 30 | 3 | 0.43 |
| 1946 | 7 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.57 |
| 1944 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1943 | 5 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 1.00 |
| 1942 | 5 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 1.00 |
| 1934 | 7 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 0.86 |
| 1931 | 7 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.86 |
| 1930 | 6 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0.33 |
| 1928 | 4 | 27 | 23 | 4 | 1.00 |
| 1926 | 7 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0.29 |
Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.
Another poster wondered how much money Lohse cost himself with his worst start of the season.When the Cards needed him most he delivered his worst performance of the season.He had done okay until last night.
My guess is nothing.
If Lohse had been the hero in the clutch and gone on to pitch well in the WS it would have helped.
As opposed to 2011, Lohse pitched very well in this post-season. His only bad outing was the last one. His value isn’t going to tip one way or another based on one start, IMO.
Dang, I was hoping to work into a conspiracy theory about how the Cards might afford him after all.
With all the young pitching coming along, it wouldn’t take that much to argue the wisdom of a a relatively shorter deal for a 34 year old fully recovered and back to dominance Lohse, rather than a longer deal for a 31 year old possibly not fully recovered and not really back to dominance Waino.
We will need an ace next year after all.
with 90 million tied on 8 players the Cards don`t have a lot of payroll flexibility.