photo: Andre Pallante (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
After a 3-3 week, the 7-8 St. Louis Cardinals are 2 ½ games out of first. The pitching has improved, with Andre Pallante and Matthew Liberatore tossing 13 shutout innings against the Phillies. We remember notable MLB debuts during this week in Cardinals history.
Game recaps
Monday, April 7, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Pirates 8
The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Pirates in the first game of a three game series on Monday at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 6 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, and fanned seven. Liberatore took the loss.
Chris Roycroft surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning of relief. John King tossed a scoreless eighth.
Pittsburgh went up 1-0 in the first and added three in the second to lead 4-0. St. Louis cut into the lead with a run in the fifth. Michael Siani singled. Willson Contreras drew a walk. Brendan Donovan plated Siani on a single.
The Cardinals inched closer in the sixth on a solo home run by Yohel Pozo. The Pirates ran up the score with four in the seventh to lead 8-2.
The Cardinals made a final late attempt to catch up with single runs in the eighth and ninth. Donovan and Alec Burleson singled. Jordan Walker drove in Donovan on a ground out. Masyn Winn hit a solo home run in the ninth to make it 8-4 for the final tally.
The Cardinals scored four runs on nine hits. Donovan was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Thomas Saggese was 2-for-4.
On defense, Saggese made a fielding error.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 – Cardinals 5 at Pirates 3
The Cardinals defeated the Pirates in game two of the series at PNC Park. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up one run on three hits and fanned four. Gray earned his second win of the season.
Steven Matz relieved Gray and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Kyle Leahy followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero surrendered two runs in 1/3 of an inning. Phil Maton secured the final two outs to earn his first save.
The Cardinals went up 3-0 in the third inning. Pedro Pagés and Masyn Winn singled. Victor Scott II plated them both on a triple.
The Pirates put up one run in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1. St. Louis answered with two in the sixth to lead 5-1. Brendan Donovan doubled and Nolan Arenado walked. Alec Burleson singled to score Donovan. Arenado came home on a ground out by Pagés.
Pittsburgh added two runs in the ninth to shrink the final score to 5-3.
The offense scored five runs on seven hits. Scott was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Donovan was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 – Cardinals 1 at Pirates 2 (13 innings)
The Cardinals were edged by the Pirates in a 13-inning marathon in the final game of the series. Starter Erick Fedde pitched six scoreless no-hit innings with two strikeouts and four walks.
Phil Maton was the first of many relievers after Fedde, and he threw a scoreless inning. Next were Kyle Leahy, Ryan Fernandez, JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley, each with a scoreless inning. Steven Matz gave up the first Pirates run in the 12th inning and was tagged with the blown save. Chris Roycroft surrendered the winning run in the 13th and took the loss.
The game went the regulation nine innings with neither team scoring. The 10th and 11th innings were also scoreless on both sides.
In the top of the 12th, the Cardinals plated their only run. Willson Contreras started the inning on second base, then advanced to third on a balk. After Brendan Donovan grounded out, Nolan Arenado was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter Jordan Walker singled to plate Contreras.
The Pirates answered with the tying run in the home 12th. The Cardinals failed to answer in the top of the 13th.
Pittsburgh pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 13th for the walk off win.
The Cardinals scored one run on seven hits. No hitter had multiples. Alec Burleson had the only extra base hit, a double.
On the bases, Victor Scott II stole his fifth base of the season. On defense, Arenado made a fielding error. Lars Nootbaar had an outfield assist at home plate.
Thursday, April 10, 2025 – Off day
Friday, April 11, 2025 – Cardinals 2, Phillies 0
The Cardinals shut out the Phillies by the score of 2-0 at Busch Stadium on Friday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out four and walked two to earn his second win.
Phil Maton relived Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.
The Cardinals scored their two runs in the fifth inning. Thomas Saggese led off with a single. Yohel Pozo doubled to score Saggese. Lars Nootbaar singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nolan Arenado walked to load the bags. Alec Burleson walked to plate Pozo.
The offense scored two runs on nine hits. Pozo was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Saggese was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Nootbaar stole two bases. Brendan Donovan swiped his first bag. On defense, Pallante made an error on a pickoff.
Saturday, April 12, 2025 – Cardinals 1, Phillies 4
The Cardinals lost to the Phillies by the score of 4-1 in the second game of the series. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up three runs on three hits, fanned six and walked two. Mikolas took the loss.
Steven Matz relieved Mikolas and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. Roddery Muñoz threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. John King tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Phillies went up 2-0 in the first and added a run in the fifth to lead 3-0. The Cardinals posted their only run of the game in the sixth. Luken Baker doubled and scored on a single by Willson Contreras.
The Phillies made it 4-1 in the seventh.
St. Louis’ offense scored one run on nine hits. Contreras was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Baker’s double was the only extra base hit.
Sunday, April 13, 2025 – Cardinals 7, Phillies 0
The Cardinals shut out the Phillies for the second time during the weekend, this time by the score of 7-0. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six scoreless innings, allowed three hits, fanned seven and walked one to earn his first win.
Phil Maton, JoJo Romero, and Kyle Leahy each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
The Cardinals opened the scoring in the fourth on a two-run home run by Willson Contreras. St. Louis added two more in the sixth. Brendan Donovan hit a ground rule double. Arenado plated Donovan on a double. Arenado came home on a ground rule double by Nolan Gorman.
In the seventh, Yohel Pozo hit a ground rule double, advanced to third on a bunt by Victor Scott II and came home on a wild pitch for a 5-0 lead.
St. Louis made it 7-0 in the eighth on a two-run home run by Jordan Walker.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on 10 hits. Contreras was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Gorman was picked off and caught stealing.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals were 3-3 in the second full week of the season. They lost 2 of 3 to the Pirates and won 2 of 3 from the Phillies. They are in fourth place in the NL Central with a record of 7-8.
The offense has cooled off a bit. They are still getting hits at a good clip but many of the hits are not producing runs. The offense was 13 for 51 (.255) with runners in scoring position this week, compared to last week when the offense was 24 for 76 (.316), but the team won only one game of six.
The top performers for the week by OPS are Yohel Pozo (1.250), Thomas Saggese (.924) and Nolan Gorman (.900).
At the bottom are Luken Baker (.429), Nolan Arenado (.405), Lars Nootbaar (.397), and Michael Siani (.393). Nootbaar led the team in walks with five, so he is still getting on base at a decent clip.
The pitching, on the other hand, improved over the previous week. Only Miles Mikolas had an ERA over 4.00 at 5.46. Erick Fedde and Andre Pallante both had scoreless starts. Fedde had a no-hitter going when he was taken out after the sixth in his start against the Pirates.
As for the bullpen, they were fine, except for Chris Roycroft, who was optioned to Memphis after his last appearance and replaced by Roddery Muñoz.
The team remains in St. Louis to play the Astros to begin the coming week. They then end the week in New York in a series with the Mets.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | |
| Cincinnati | 8 | 8 | 0.500 | 2 |
| Milwaukee | 8 | 8 | 0.500 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 7 | 8 | 0.467 | 2.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 11 | 0.313 | 5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 4/7 The Cardinals optioned RHP Gordon Graceffo to the Memphis Redbirds (27th man for doubleheader).
- 4/7 The Cardinals selected the contract of C Yohel Pozo from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/7 The Cardinals transferred LHP Zack Thompson from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
- 4/27 The Cardinals placed C Iván Herrera on the 10-day injured list. Left knee inflammation.
- 4/10 The Cardinals optioned RHP Chris Roycroft to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/11 The Cardinals recalled RHP Roddery Muñoz from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/12 The Cardinals placed SS Masyn Winn on the 10-day injured list. Lower back spasms.
- 4/12 The Cardinals activated 2B Nolan Gorman from the 10-day injured list.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24. Thompson missed most of spring training. He is now throwing from 100 feet but will need a full build up before returning to the mound. No return date has been reported.
- 2B Nolan Gorman was activated from the 10-day injured list and has returned to the lineup.
- C Iván Herrera (left knee bone bruise) injured his knee in a game on April 6 running from first to third base. Herrera is expected to be out 3 to 4 weeks.
- SS Masyn Winn was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 12 with lower back spasms. Winn was removed from Friday’s game after the first inning with back spasms that occurred following a play on the field. It is not expected that Winn will be out more than the minimum time.
Looking Ahead
Following the end of the Phillies series on Sunday, the Astros come into town for a three-game series beginning Monday. Sonny Gray is set to make the Monday start, followed by Erick Fedde on Tuesday, and Andre Pallante on Wednesday.
After the Astros series, the Cardinals leave for New York to play the Mets in a four-game set. The road trip will continue to Atlanta for three at the Braves.
After a travel day on Thursday the 24th, the team returns home to take on the Brewers in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. They end the month of April in Cincinnati against the Reds for four.
The Reds series ends on Thursday, May 1, after which the Cardinals return home for a weekend series against the Mets.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast of the Past is returning to a series that began last season here, the Debut Series. In this series, we chronicle the major league debuts of notable current and former Cardinals during a relevant period in franchise history.
This week the installment covers Cardinals who made their major league debuts during the period April 7 through April 13. His name, the date he debuted, how he performed and any other relevant details are mentioned.
April 7, 1984 – LHP Ricky Horton made his major league with the Cardinals. Horton is more likely best known for being a long time TV announcer for the Cardinals broadcast partner FanDuel Sports Midwest (aka Bally Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Midwest) and is also currently broadcasting Cardinals games on KMOX Radio.
Horton appeared at the end of a game against the Giants at Candlestick Park. The Cardinals were shut out 11-0. Horton pitched the final 2 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He gave up one run on three hits, struck out one and walked one. The one run was a home run by Jeffrey Leonard.
April 7, 2009 – OF Colby Rasmus made his major league debut. Rasmus was in the starting lineup in right field batting second in a game at Busch Stadium against the Pirates. The Cardinals beat the Pirates 9-3.
Rasmus was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. His two hits were a single to right in the third inning and an infield single to first in the fourth. He scored in the third on a home run by Albert Pujols; in the fourth, Rasmus came home on a double by Khalil Greene.
April 8, 2010 – Allen Craig made his major league debut with the Cardinals in a 2-1 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Craig went 0-for-4, playing in right and hitting seventh.
April 10, 2022 – Current starting pitcher Andre Pallante made his major league debut as the Cardinals lost 9-4 to the Pirates at Busch Stadium. Pallante worked out of the bullpen and gave up one run on two hits in one inning. The two hits were a single to rightF by Diego Castillo, who scored on a single to right by Jake Marisnick.
April 12, 1955 – Former Cardinals third baseman and future team Hall of Famer Ken Boyer debuted in a 14-4 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Boyer hit sixth and was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. His one hit was a two-run home run in the eighth inning with Red Schoendienst on base.
April 12, 1965 – Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton made his major league debut with the Cardinals. The left-hander pitched in relief, entering a 10-10 tie in the 11th inning at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.
Carlton pitched to one hitter, George Altman, and walked him. Carlton was replaced by Bob Purkey, who finished the game.
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