Pending free agent, club record holder Andrew Kittredge open to potential return: Cardinals Extra

When Cardinals reliever Andrew Kittredge secured his 35th hold of the season on Saturday night, he knew he had set a single-season franchise record with the outing.

That's because Kyle Gibson had reminded Kittredge of where Kittredge ranked in the club record books two days prior.

"Tonight, I was," Kittredge said when asked if he knew about the record. "I wasn't aware the other day when I actually blew the opportunity to get it. (Gibson) had told me about it after that outing."

After allowing a game-tying home run to Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal on Thursday, Kittredge completed a scoreless inning of relief in a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night. The 35th hold of the season moved Kittredge, 34, ahead of Mitchell Boggs for the Cardinals' single-season record.

"It's really cool," Kittredge said. "This franchise has been around for a really long time. I know that the stat hasn't been around for as long as the franchise, I don't think. But anytime you can accomplish something like that, it's really cool. I never in my life would have expected to experience something like that. ... It's really cool just to know what the history of this franchise has done, and to be kind of a part of that is pretty cool."

The place in Cardinals history for Kittredge comes in his first season as a Cardinal. The righty was acquired this past winter in a trade with Tampa Bay that sent outfielder Richie Palacio to the Rays.

Kittredge, who has one year remaining on his current contract, is set to become a free agent this winter.

Would he be open to remaining with the Cardinals?

"Absolutely," he said. "I've loved my time here. It's a great clubhouse. The 26 that we have active, and the extension that we have coming up and down from Triple-A have been great. I don't have anything negative to say about any player in this clubhouse. Everyone comes to play every day, and I like to be a part of teams like that. I would definitely be interested in coming back here. We'll just see how it goes."

The scoreless outing on Saturday lowered Kittredge's ERA to 2.97 through 66 2/3 innings that he's totaled across 70 appearances. He began Sunday second in majors in holds behind Bryan Abreu, who has notched 36 for the Houston Astros.

Kittredge's games pitched and innings totals are both the most he's had in a season since 2021 when he became an American League All-Star while with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had his 2022 and 2023 seasons limited because of Tommy John surgery.

Kittredge said the return to games at the end of last season (which included logging 11 2/3 innings of relief) helped him with getting a feel for his pitch arsenal and what he can expect from it.

As for how expectations coming into this season have compared to the results, he "didn't have any expectations necessarily."

"I just wanted to go out and compete and be the best I can be every time I go out," Kittredge added. "I know I've been harping on this all year, but just try to be the most consistent player I can be. And I've had ups and downs with that, just like I think most guys do.

"There have been points of the season where I was very unsatisfied with how I was doing, and then there's been points where I have liked how I've thrown. But overall, I don't know that I had expectations for the season. It was more so just be the same guy every day, go out and compete, and try to be as consistent as possible."

McGreevy 'pretty stoked' for start Ahead of his second big league start and first road start of his big league career, Cardinals rookie Michael McGreevy looks to lean on what his first two big league pitching appearances have shown him.

"Like I said the other day, just the confidence that my stuff plays in the zone," he said of his mindset ahead of a Tuesday road start at Coors Field against the Rockies. "That's not just say to throw down the middle, because I'm the greatest thing ever, because I'm definitely not. But we just have to game plan the right way... and take it one pitch at a time. Just have that confidence to know I can do it."

McGreevy's start will kick off the first game of the Cardinals' six-game road trip that will end their 2024 season. McGreevy, 24, was named Tuesday's starter on Saturday after right-hander Sonny Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm flexor tendinitis. Erick Fedde and Kyle Gibson are listed as St. Louis's probables against the Rockies for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

McGreevy, the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft, made his MLB debut on July 31 in a spot start against the Texas Rangers. McGreevy allowed one run in seven innings and earned his first big league win in the outing. After he was recalled on Wednesday, McGreevy threw three scoreless innings of relief and earned a win against the Pirates.

"It's super cool. Pretty stoked. I was really happy to get the news," McGreevy said on Sunday. "First off, obviously, it comes in unfortunate circumstances, but it's always like next guy up. I'm ready for it. I was really excited to tell my family, and they're coming out to Denver, and then we'll go from there."