photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals’ offense has helped the team win four of two this past week. A big offensive performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers from Thomas Saggese was a highlight of the week, as he drove in three and scored three runs. Our history feature recaps September call-ups from St louis’ past, including several well-known players who made their debuts between September 1st and September 6th.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 31, 2026 – Off day
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 – Cardinals 13 at Dodgers 8
The Cardinals pounded the Dodgers in a 13-8 win on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up four runs on five hits, walked two and fanned four to earn his sixth win.
Luis Gastelum relieved McGreevy and threw a scoreless sixth. Justin Bruihl surrendered one run in 1/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Cade Winquest relinquished three runs, one earned, in the ninth.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Ramón Urías hit a solo home run. Thomas Saggese followed with a solo home run.
Thomas Saggese
St. Louis added five runs in the top of the third to increase the lead to 7-0. José Fermín singled and stole second base. Iván Herrera singled to score Fermín. Jordan Walker singled. Joshua Báez was hit by a pitch. Leo Bernal singled to plate Herrera and Walker. Urías walked. Báez came home on a sac fly by Saggese. Nathan Church singled to drive in Bernal.
Los Angeles responded with a three-run bottom of the third to cut the lead to 7-3.
The Cardinals put up two runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 9-3. Herrera walked, and Walker hit a two-run home run to follow.
In the top of the fifth, St. Louis increased the lead to 10-3 on a solo home run by Saggese, his second of the game.
The Dodgers added a run in the home half of the inning to shrink the score to 10-4.
The cycle repeated in the seventh, with St. Louis scoring a run in the top frame on a solo home run by Báez to make it 11-4. Los Angeles answered with a run for an 11-5 score.
The Cardinals strengthened the pile on with a two-run eighth to tally the runs to 13. Saggese walked. Church reached on an error. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Saggese crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Fermín plated Church on a sac fly.
The Dodgers rallied for three final runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 13-8.
The Cardinals scored 13 runs on 13 hits. Saggese was 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Walker was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Herrera was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Bernal had two RBIs. Báez scored two runs.
Fermín stole his eighth bag. He also made a fielding error.
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 – Cardinals 8 at Dodgers 6
The Cardinals won the second game of the series against the Dodgers on Wednesday to take the series. Starter Brycen Mautz pitched one inning, gave up three runs on two hits and walked three.
Ryan Fernandez followed Mautz with a scoreless second. Gordon Graceffo threw three scoreless innings. George Soriano surrendered two runs in the sixth. Luis Gastelum hurled a scoreless seventh. Justin Bruihl earned the win with a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien allowed an unearned run in the ninth and earned his 35th save.
The Dodgers went up 3-0 in the first inning. The score remained there until the sixth inning.
In the top of the sixth, the Cardinals scored two runs to cut the lead to 3-2. José Fermín singled but was eliminated in a force out by Nathan Church. Thomas Saggese hit a two-run home run.
Nathan Church
The Dodgers answered in the home half of the sixth with two runs to extend the lead to 5-2
St. Louis shrunk the lead to 5-4 with a two-run seventh. Jordan Walker doubled. Leo Bernal blasted a two-run home run.
The Cardinals tied the game in the eighth. Joshua Báez doubled and later scored on a sac fly by Alec Burleson.
The game went into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Cardinals scored three runs to take the lead 8-5. Fermín was the tiebreaker runner. Nathan Church singled. Thomas Saggese singled to score Fermín. Báez doubled to plate Church and Saggese.
The Dodgers scored one run in the bottom of the 10th for the final score of 8-6.
The offense scored eight runs on nine hits. Saggese was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Báez was 2-for-2 with two RBI. Church was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Bernal had two RBIs.
Herrera had a passed ball.
Thursday, September 3, 2026 – Cardinals 2, Dodgers 3
The Cardinals were edged by the Dodgers in the final game of the three-game series on Thursday. Starter Quinn Mathews pitched five innings, gave up one run on four hits, walked four and fanned four.
Cade Winquest relieved Mathews and threw a scoreless sixth. Ryne Stanek hurled a scoreless seventh. George Soriano tossed a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien surrendered two runs in the ninth and took the loss.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. José Fermín singled. Iván Herrera singled. Joshua Báez singled to score Fermín.
St. Louis added a run in the third to increase the lead to 2-0. Herrera singled. Bernal singled. Ramón Urías singled to plate Herrera.
The Dodgers made it 2-1 in the fifth. In the ninth, Los Angeles rallied for two runs to win the game 3-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on 12 hits. Herrera was 2-for-5. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4. Bernal was 2-for-4.
Nathan Church was caught stealing. Walker was picked off at first base.
Friday, September 4, 2026 – Cardinals 7 at Rockies 6
The Cardinals topped the Rockies in a 7-6 win at Coors Field on Friday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up one run on two hits, walked one and fanned four.
Hancel Rincon surrendered three runs in his major league debut in a controversial 1/3 innings. The home plate umpire, Doug Eddings, interrupted Rincon’s pitching to make him adjust his hat and then ejected manager Oli Marmol for complaining about it. The incident created a stir and brought Eddings wide criticism across the country.
Rincon had to be removed and replaced by Justin Bruihl. Bruihl allowed two runs in one inning of relief. Cade Winquest threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 36th save.
The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals answered with a two-run second to take the lead 2-1. Jordan Walker singled and stole second base. Leo Bernal walked. Joshua Báez ground into a force out, eliminating Walker at third. Nolan Gorman singled to score Bernal. Thomas Saggese drove in Báez on a double.
Jordan Walker
St. Louis added two runs in the fifth to increase the lead to 4-1. Nathan Church singled and stole second base. Bryan Torres walked. Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson singled to score Church. Torres came home on a sac fly double play by Walker.
Colorado put up four runs in the sixth to take the lead 5-4. They made it 6-4 in the seventh.
The Cardinals rallied for three runs in the ninth to win the game 7-6.
The team scored seven runs on nine hits. Herrera went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Walker stole his 19th base. Church swiped his 10th bag. Saggese stole his second base.
O’Brien made an error on a pickoff attempt.
Saturday, September 5, 2026 – Cardinals 7, Rockies 10
The Cardinals lost to the Rockies in a 10-7 contest at Coors Field on Saturday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on four hits, walked two and struck out three. Liberatore took the loss.
Luis Gastelum relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in 2/3 innings of relief. Hancel Rincon relinquished four runs in an inning of work. Brycen Mautz tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Joshua Báez. They added two runs in the top of the fifth to lead 3-0. Thomas Saggese doubled. Nathan Church singled and advanced to second on the throw to home that nabbed Saggese at the plate. Iván Herrera hit a two-run home run.
The Rockies surged for six runs in the home half of the fifth to take the lead 6-3.
St. Louis put up two runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-5. Leo Bernal singled. Báez singled. Nolan Gorman doubled to score Bernal. Báez scored on a sac fly by Saggese.
Colorado came back to score four more runs in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-5.
The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 10-7. Saggese walked. José Fermín doubled to plate Saggese. Fermín came home on a single by Herrera.
The offense scored seven runs on 13 hits. Herrera was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Báez was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Saggese was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Bernal was 2-for-5.
Saggese stole his third base.
Bernal and Jordan Walker each made a throwing error. Bernal picked a runner off first base.
Sunday, September 6, 2026 – Cardinals 10 at Rockies 8
The Cardinals beat the Rockies in the final game of the series to take the series in Denver. Starter Kyle Leahy pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up five runs on six hits, and fanned six.
Cade Winquest relieved Leahy and threw 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Cooper Hjerpe, pitching in his major league debut, hurled four perfect innings with six strikeouts to earn his first major league win. Luis Gastelum surrendered one run in the eighth. Ryne Stanek relinquished two runs in 2/3 innings. George Soriano got the final out of the ninth.
Cooper Hjerpe
The Rockies went up 2-0 in the first inning. The Cardinals responded with a run in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. Thomas Saggese doubled and scored on a single by Nathan Church.
Colorado extended their lead to 5-1 in the third. St. Louis came back with a monster fifth inning, scoring six runs to go up 7-5. Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson doubled. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Leo Bernal singled to plate Herrera and Burleson. Joshua Báez singled to drive in Walker and Bernal. Nolan Gorman followed with a two-run home run.
In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals added three runs to extend the lead to 10-5. Saggese singled. José Fermín singled. Herrera double to score Saggese and Fermín. Herrera came home on a single by Burleson.
The Rockies mounted a late comeback, scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth and two more in the ninth, but the effort fell short.
The Cardinals scored 10 runs on 15 hits. Herrera was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Báez was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Saggese was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gorman and Bernal each had two RBIs.
Bernal and Victor Scott were both picked off and caught stealing.
Bryan Torres made a throwing error.
Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 4-2, winning both series with the Dodgers and the Rockies. They hold on to third place in the NL Central with a record of 72-72 and are 16 games back of the Brewers and tied with the Marlins for four games back of the third wild card spot.
The offense improved over the previous week. The top offensive performers by OPS are Thomas Saggese (1.718), Joshua Báez (1.440), Iván Herrera (1.076), Pedro Pagés (1.000 in 2 ABs), Victor Scott (1.000 in 2 ABs) and Leo Bernal (.907).
At the bottom are Alec Burleson (.416) and César Prieto (.000). Burleson had a good game in the final game of the Rockies series after struggling for much of the week. Prieto, as usual, is getting nearly no playing time.
Roster expansion has created quite a few changes to the active roster. Jimmy Crooks got sent down to Memphis at the beginning of the week after three months of struggling, both with the bat and with the lack of playing time available to him. Crooks was replaced by Leo Bernal, who, as a switch hitter, has been given much more playing time and has hit well in the short time he has been on the roster. He has struggled some defensively and has had some base-running issues.
Along with the addition of Bernal, Victor Scott was recalled from Memphis.
On the pitching side, the rotation has struggled. Quinn Mathews pitched well, and Andre Pallante returned this week and picked up where he left off. The remainder of the starting staff have had subpar starts. Mathew Liberatore’s brief resurgence didn’t last. Kyle Leahy had a short and poor start against the Rockies. Leahy has been curtailed by pitch and innings limits and has not flourished with the change. Michael McGreevy’s performance has suffered of late.
The relief pitching has seen the most changes in the last several weeks. Several relievers were added, including Hancel Rincon and Cooper Hjerpe.
Rincon was added to the 40-man roster and called up for a brief time. He made two appearances that did not go well. The first one was marred by controversy sparked by an umpire who took liberties with the rules and, apparently, with the truth as well. The umpire, Doug Eddings, interrupted Rincon’s major league debut to take issue with the way the young reliever wore his hat. This escalated into a confrontation, the ejection of manager Oli Marmol, and a poor performance by Rincon. There was also a questionable call at the plate shortly after that may or may not have been retaliatory.
Eddings also blamed a Rockies player for his decision to confront Rincon about the skewed hat. Said Rockies player vociferously denied any involvement, which precipitated another confrontation the next day between Eddings and the Rockies manager, Warren Schaeffer. All in all, the series for Rincon was not a pleasant or successful one, and after his second relief appearance, he was optioned to make room for the second addition to the bullpen, Cooper Hjerpe.
Hjerpe’s major league debut was decidedly more successful. Hjerpe pitched in relief after Leahy made a short 2 2/3 innings start, and Cade Winquest finished the third inning. Hjerpe dominated the Rockies hitters for four perfect innings and struck out six of them to earn the win.
With respect to the remaining pitchers in the pen, Gordon Graceffo, Ryan Fernandez, and Cade Winquest had successful outings. Fernandez was then optioned to Memphis to make room for the returning Pallante. The rest of the bullpen remains as it has always been, which means it is not particularly good.
The team finishes the road trip with three games against the Giants to begin the week. They then return home for the final homestand, which starts with a weekend series against the White Sox.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
Team W L Pct GB WCGB
| Milwaukee |
88 |
56 |
.611 |
—— |
——- |
| Chicago |
81 |
63 |
.563 |
7 |
——- |
| St. Louis |
72 |
72 |
.500 |
16 |
4 |
| Pittsburgh |
71 |
73 |
.493 |
17 |
5 |
| Cincinnati |
69 |
74 |
.483 |
18.5 |
6.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/31 The Cardinals optioned C Jimmy Crooks to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/1 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Hancel Rincon from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/1 The Cardinals recalled CF Victor Scott from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/1 The Cardinals recalled C Leo Bernal from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/4 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Fernandez to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/4 The Cardinals activated RHP Andre Pallante from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- 2B JJ Wetherholt was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 30. Right wrist inflammation. Wetherholt will see a specialist in Arizona before joining the team in Los Angeles. There is no indication that his season is over, and Wetherholt hopes to be back after the minimum time.
- 3B Blaze Jordan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 28. Left ankle sprain. Jordan was put in a walking boot and is expected to be out for several weeks. Next steps will be determined after the team sees how his body responds in the next several days.
- RHP Peter Strzelecki was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 27, retroactive to August 26. Right forearm extensor inflammation. Strzelecki is expected to be back “soon”.
- SS Masyn Winn (left thumb) injured his thumb in a slide in the August 19 game in Cincinnati and was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 25, retroactive to August 22. Winn has been taking swings with mixed results.
- OF Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the eighth inning of the August 21 game and was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 23. Exact next steps have not been clarified.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins (right flexor strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 22. Dobbins underwent right elbow reconstruction surgery and will be out of commission for a minimum of 12 months.
- RHP Andre Pallante was activated from the 15-day injured list and pitched on Friday, September 4, against the Rockies.
- RHP Max Rajcic had right UCL reconstruction surgery (Tommy John) on July 23, 2026. Rajcic will miss the remainder of the 2026 season and likely all of the 2027 season.
Looking Ahead
The current road trip concludes in San Francisco in a three-game matchup with the Giants. No starters have been announced for this series.
After a travel day on Thursday, September 10, the Cardinals return to St. Louis for a nine-game homestand, with three games each against the White Sox, Giants, and Nationals.
The season concludes with the final road trip, featuring three games each in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Blast from the Past
The coming of the month of September in major league baseball brings roster changes. On the first day of the month each season, teams are allowed to expand their 26-man roster to 28 players.
Often, this change gives the team the opportunity to bring back players to the roster who were optioned to the minor leagues earlier in the season or who are eligible to return from the injured list. More often than not, this is what happens, rather than the team adding new players who have not made their major-league debuts.
However, on September 1, the Cardinals decided to break the recent trend and add two players to the roster for the first time. One, catcher Leo Bernal, was already on the 40-man roster. The second, RHP Hancel Rincon, was added to the 40-man roster to give him his opportunity. In addition, because there was an additional roster spot that opened up after C Jimmy Crooks was optioned to Memphis, the team also recalled CF Victor Scott, who had been optioned earlier this season. RHP Cooper Hjerpe was called up on September 6 to make his pitching debut.
In this week’s Blast from the Past, in honor of September roster expansions, we return to a series from past seasons and showcase September call-ups from the Cardinals’ past.
In the list below are players who made their debuts during the period beginning with September 1 and ending with September 6 in past seasons. For each player, the date and details of their debut are recorded.
- Jack Flaherty – RHP Jack Flaherty, who was the Cardinals 1st round draft pick in 2014, made his major league debut on September 1, 2017. Flaherty started the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, a game the Cardinals won 11-6. Flaherty pitched four innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, walked one and fanned six in his debut.
- Jason Motte – RHP Jason Motte, former Cardinals closer, made his major league debut on September 3, 2008, in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Motte came into the game as a reliever to get the last out of the seventh and then returned to pitch the eighth. Motte struck out Mark Reynolds in the seventh. In the eighth, he gave up a leadoff single, struck out Chris Young, then ended the inning with two flyouts.
- Sandy Alcantara – RHP Sandy Alcantara made his debut on September 3, 2017, in a 7-3 win over the Giants in San Francisco. Alcantara came in to relieve starter Luke Weaver in the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff home run to Tim Federowicz. He followed up with four more hitters. He induced a pop-out, walked Joe Panik, struck out Buster Posey and gave up a single to Brandon Crawford. He was replaced by Zach Duke.
- Shelby Miller – First-round pick Shelby Miller, RHP, made his debut on September 5, 2012, in a 6-2 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium. Miller relieved Adam Wainwright in the sixth inning and threw two scoreless innings with one hit allowed and four strikeouts. The hit was a single to Daniel Murphy.
- Carson Kelly – Catcher Carson Kelly made his debut on September 5, 2016, in a 12-6 win over the Pirates at PNC Park. Kelly came into the game to replace Yadier Molina at catcher in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kelly took his first at-bat in the eighth and doubled to center field. He scored on a double by Randal Grichuk.
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Closeout at 20% off – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide 
The story of the second half of the season will be talked about for a while. Pitching, specifically relief pitching, was a weakness all season. The offense markedly declined and is the most likely reason for the slide in the standings. The offense in the last few weeks in particular was almost non-existent.
Blast from the Past 
Blast from the Past 
