Gallegos suffers through tough game with Deadline approaching

ST. LOUIS -- Giovanny Gallegos, a durable and trusted reliever who was at the center of so many high-leverage moments for the Cardinals over the previous six seasons, saw ineffectiveness and injury push him into a role this season where he’s primarily been used only in mop-up duty or lopsided losses.

With Tuesday’s Trade Deadline approaching, it might be only natural for Gallegos to get a wandering eye and try to maneuver himself to a different squad that would put him in big spots again and ask him to use his wipe-out slider to record game-saving outs.

Just the opposite, Gallegos said with conviction. When he left the Busch Stadium mound with two outs in the eighth inning on Saturday night, he hoped it wasn’t the final time he pitched there as a member of the Cardinals.

“This is my home. This is my team,” Gallegos told MLB.com following the Cards’ forgettable 14-3 loss to the Nationals. “I like the city and I like the people, and I play for them. I’ve always enjoyed the game and I’ve always tried to be better for the people of this city.”

The cold, harsh reality of professional sports might not present the 32-year-old Gallegos with the opportunity to keep pitching for the Cardinals with the considerable cracks showing all over the ballclub. Saturday’s loss was their second straight to the Nats and the ninth defeat in the last 14 games.

Remarkably, the Cards have stayed in the race despite a minus-49 run differential -- the third-worst mark in the National League behind only the Rockies and Marlins.

The most recent skid has knocked St. Louis out of a potential NL Wild Card spot, and it could lead to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak making major moves to shake up the club in the coming days.

Mozeliak told MLB.com earlier this week that the club would not only be buyers at the Deadline, but also will be looking to be aggressive in adding pitching.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol understands full well the damage of a losing skid hitting at the wrong time. He knows the optics of dropping two straight to the youthful Nats aren’t good and he sees his team’s razor-thin margin for error practically withering away before his eyes. Still, the skipper said resolve is present with the club.

“They’re convicted in doing what we’ve always talked about -- we want to win the [NL Central] division,” Marmol said.

Gallegos, one of the longest-tenured players on the Cardinals, has felt the urgency to try and get his career back on track. One of the game’s most durable pitchers since growing into a top spot in St. Louis’ bullpen, Gallegos went into 2024 leading the NL in appearances (268) and innings thrown as a reliever (283 1/3) since 2019, per MLB research.

Gallegos racked up double-digit saves from 2021-23 but being worked so much seemed to take the starch out of his slider and sap the velocity on his fastball. He finished 2023 on the injured list. This season, he recorded a save against the Dodgers in the Cardinals’ first victory of the season, but he’s since seen his ERA balloon to 6.53.

Marmol said his opinion of Gallegos hasn’t changed even though the right-hander has struggled mightily, especially against left-handed hitters.

“I like this guy a ton,” Marmol said of Gallegos, who struck out four hitters over 1 2/3 innings on Saturday. “You look at this guy’s workload over the last few years and he’s been a horse for us. So, whenever someone has a down period, it’s easy to throw them aside, but I think highly of Gio.”

Gallegos, a tough-minded reliever who didn’t mind working on consecutive days or three times in four-day stretches, led the Cardinals in appearances in 2021 (73) and ‘22 (57) before falling to third in ‘23 (56). A native of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, Gallegos said it was always his dream to pitch in the big leagues and he just wanted to compete -- even if he might be paying for it now with shoulder trouble the past two seasons.

“I tried to never just think too much about that and just come to the field with a positive mind and compete,” Gallegos said. “This is my dream, pitching in the big leagues. That’s the reason I’ve always wanted to compete.”

Gallegos is hopeful that he’s still competing in St. Louis after Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Deadline.

“I’m happy here,” he said. “This is the team that had the confidence in me, bringing me here from the Yankees, and this has become my home. I’m still working every day to try and be ready for my team.”