On Wednesday, the Glendale Desert Dogs beat the Peoria Javelinas by the score of 6-4. D.J. Carpenter took over in a jam and threw 2/3 of an inning of relief. Travis Honeyman and Miguel Ugueto went a combined 0-for-9 with a walk.
Results from the Arizona Fall League game played on Wednesday, October 15.
The Desert Dogs defeated the Javelinas in Peoria by a 6-4 score on Wednesday.
Three St. Louis Cardinals prospects played. Travis Honeyman hit second and played in center field. Miguel Ugueto played in left and batted ninth. Reliever D.J. Carpenter pitched 2/3 of an inning.
Honeyman went 0-for-4 with a walk and strikeout. In his first at bat, he flied out to left field. In the third, he grounded out to second.
Honeyman lined to second for the final out of the fourth inning. In the fifth, he walked but was stranded. Honeyman struck out swinging in the seventh.
Ugueto went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. He hit for the first time in the second inning and grounded out to the pitcher. In the fourth, he grounded out to the shortstop.
Ugueto reached on a fielding error in the fifth, and the sixth Glendale run scored. He grounded out to first in the seventh. Ugueto struck out looking in the ninth.
D.J. Carpenter entered the game in the bottom of the third, with one out on the board, runners on second and third and Peoria leading 2-1. The 6-foot-8 right-hander allowed a sac fly that scored the tying run. He then induced a ground out for the final out of the inning.
No other Cardinals saw action in the game.
The Desert Dogs are 2-3 on the season.
Thursday’s game: at Scottsdale Scorpions, Hagen Smith LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Murphy RHP (0-1, 27.00) 8:30 CT.
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photo: Miguel Ugueto (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Glendale Desert Dogs fell to the Salt River Rafters by a 5-2 score on Tuesday. Center fielder Miguel Ugueto singled, was hit by a pitch and drove in a run.
Playing for the first time since Thursday due to the rain from the remnants of Hurricane Priscilla, on Tuesday the Desert Dogs lost to the Rafters at Salt River by the score of 5-2.
Two Cardinals took the field for the road squad. Travis Honeyman was in the starting lineup hitting second and playing in center field. Miguel Ugueto was in right field and hit ninth.
Honeyman went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He grounded out in the first inning. Honeyman drew a walk in the fourth but was left stranded on third base.
Honeyman struck out looking in the sixth and struck out looking again in the eighth. The outfielder sports a .200 average, with an OPS of .885 in three games played.
Ugueto was 1 for-2 with an RBI. His first at bat was in the third inning when he grounded out to the shortstop.
In the fifth, Ugueto singled to right field and drove in one of Glendale’s two runs. He was hit by a pitch in the seventh but was stranded at first base.
Ugueto is hitting .429 with an OPS of 1.413 in two games.
The Desert Dogs are 1-3 on the season.
Wednesday’s game: at Peoria Javelinas, Alex Amalfi RHP (0-0, 9.00) vs. Carson Montgomery RHP (1-0, 3.00) 3:30 CT.
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photo: Oliver Marmol and Yadier Molina (Jeff Curry/Imagn Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals enter the offseason with renewed speculation about Yadier Molina’s interest in a coaching position. Our history feature looks back at key playoff events this past week in team annals, including two memorable Matt Holliday plays.
News and Notes for the Offseason
While it is not officially the “offseason” until the postseason is over, it is the working offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the coming months, this section will contain information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinal fans.
Yadier Molina (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)
Multiple sources report that former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina told Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero that he is in contact with the Cardinals regarding a coaching job in 2026. No specifics about the assignment were disclosed and the team has not commented.
As fans may recall, a job for Molina with the Cardinals was supposedly in the works two years ago that included front office exposure, but nothing came of it. Instead, Molina cited a desire to spend time with his family and particularly be present for his son’s high school baseball games, as to why he did not accept a position with the team.
Molina was in the dugout for two separate weekends late this season, including Hall of Fame weekend, helping manager Oli Marmol as a guest coach.
Molina’s longtime teammate Albert Pujols is reportedly negotiating with the Angels about their open managerial job. Pujols has seven years remaining on his $1 million per year personal services contract with owner Arte Moreno.
“Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas are scheduled to return for two games. The popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. The Bananas are also slated to appear at Memphis’ AutoZone Park in the spring.
More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.
The Big Picture
Throughout the offseason, this feature will follow the news about what the team is doing to prepare for next season. This includes trades, free agent signings, movement on and off the 40-man roster, arbitration and other player news, coaching staff changes, and any other relevant information concerning the team that occurs between the end of the postseason and the beginning of Spring Training.
All transactions and changes to team personnel and staff will be explained and analyzed as to its potential impact on the 2026 season.
As of this writing, the postseason is still underway. Teams are discouraged by MLB from making any major announcements until the postseason concludes.
Things to expect after the postseason ends include free agent elections, Qualifying Offer period, and later on in the month of November, the filing of Reserve Lists, and the non-tender deadline. The GM Meetings will also take place shortly after the end of the postseason.
Look to this section for complete coverage of these events and more with information about what they mean and how they affect the team for the coming season.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch, as part of his weekly chat with fans, disclosed that “many teams” have inquired about the team’s catching depth. The Cardinals have three catchers in the majors and a plethora of young catchers in their minor league system. Teams with needs at that position will no doubt be seeking to trade with the Cardinals for some of that depth.
Top prospect catchers in the system include Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, and Rainiel Rodriguez. Crooks made his major league debut in the final month of the season and is considered the top defensive catching prospect in the system by many analysts. Bernal ended the season with the Springfield Cardinals and most analysts have him ranked ahead of Crooks because of his bat.
Bernal will have to be added to the 40-man roster by next month to protect him from the Rule 5 draft that occurs each December. With Crooks, Pedro Pagés, Iván Herrera, and Yohel Pozo already on the 40-man, some movement there will very likely come in November when the Reserve Lists are filed, if not before. Goold believes Pozo will be the odd man out in this scenario.
Crooks, Bernal, and the fast-rising Rodriguez (who ended the season on the roster of the Peoria Chiefs as a teen) are likely untouchable as potential trade pieces. There are other catchers in the system, however, who could be packaged in a trade.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There is no new injury news to report.
Looking Ahead
The Postseason is underway. The Wild Card Series and the Division Series have concluded. The final four teams remaining are playing in the Championship Series which began on Sunday, October 12. The four teams are the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in the ALCS, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. The Championship Series is expected to conclude on or before October 21.
The World Series is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 24 and conclude on or before November 1.
The Arizona Fall League is underway and will continue through Wednesday, November 12. The Cardinals have eight players assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs. They are RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Darlin Saladin, RHP Tyler Bradt, RHP Randel Clemente, RHP D.J. Carpenter, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Miguel Ugueto, and OF Travis Honeyman. Daily reports on AFL action are published free here at The Cardinal Nation.
At 9:00 a.m. the day following the end of the World Series, the offseason officially begins.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past continues with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the past history of the franchise during this time. This time of the year is postseason time and the past events chronicled here will primarily be about postseason occurrences.
For this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period October 6 through October 12 and focus on such things as records set or broken or other notable events, transactions, and any other unique event that may have occurred during the period.
For each event, its date, the individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.
October 6, 2012 – On this date was the first winner-take-all Wild Card Game in the NL, played by the Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals defeated the Braves 6-3 to advance to the NLDS. The game featured a controversial infield fly rule call in the eighth inning. A pop fly that fell between left fielder Matt Holliday and shortstop Pete Kozma was ruled an infield fly which was disputed by the Braves. The result was irate Braves fans throwing debris onto the field that caused a lengthy delay.
October 7, 2019 – On this date, a sac fly by Yadier Molina in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves scored Kolten Wong to give the Cardinals the victory and send the series back to Atlanta for Game 5. The Cardinals won the series and moved on to the NLCS against the Washington Nationals. The Cardinals lost the NLCS to the Nationals, the eventual 2019 World Series Champions.
October 8, 2009 – On this date, an error by outfielder Matt Holliday in the ninth inning in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers led to a 3-2 walk off win for Los Angeles. The infamous missed catch off Holliday’s lower exterior region was a long time sore spot with Cardinals fans, as the Dodgers went on to take Game 3 and knock St. Louis out of the postseason.
October 9, 1934 – On this date, outfielder Joe “Ducky” Medwick was forced to leave Game 7 of the World Series against the Tigers because of a hard slide into Tigers third baseman Marv Owen. The slide, following a triple by Medwick, angered Tigers fans as they hurled fruit onto the field. The Cardinals won the game 11-0 and won the World Series anyway.
October 10, 1968 – In Game 7 of the World Series against the Tigers, pitcher Bob Gibson set the record for total strikeouts in a World Series with 35. Unfortunately, the Cardinals lost that game and the Series 4-1.
October 11, 1964 – In Game 4 of the World Series against the Yankees, Cardinal third baseman Ken Boyer hit a sixth inning grand slam off Yankee pitcher Al Downing to give the Cardinals the 4-3 win. Boyer was the second NL player to hit a World Series grand slam in MLB history.
October 12, 2012 – The Cardinals make a stunning comeback against the Nationals in the NLDS. The Cardinals were down 6-0 at the end of the third inning after Adam Wainwright’s poor start in Game 5. The team crept back into contention with three runs in the fourth and fifth innings, then made it 6-5 in the eighth. In the ninth, the Cardinals scored four more runs off Nationals reliever Drew Storen in the ninth to win the game 9-7 and eliminate the Nationals with the help of RBI singles by Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma.
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The AFL game between the Glendale Desert Dogs and the Surprise Saguaros scheduled for Friday, October 10 was cancelled due to weather associated with Tropical Storm Priscilla.
Glendale Desert Dogs vs. Surprise Saguaros (cancelled)
Friday’s game between the Glendale Desert Dogs (1-2) and the Surprise Saguaros was cancelled due to expected bad weather associated with Tropical Storm Priscilla.
Saturday’s game between the Desert Dogs and the Scottsdale Scorpions in Tucson has also been cancelled for the same reason.
Due to weather concerns related to Hurricane Priscilla, the AFL Tucson Tripleheader at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 has been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/bVwRaYDEiY
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 9, 2025
Saturday’s game: vs. Scottsdale Scorpions (cancelled).
Sunday’s game: vs. Surprise Saguaros, 1:30 p.m. Arizona Time.
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The Glendale Desert Dogs lost to the Surprise Saguaros in an extra innings to fall to 0-2 on the AFL season. Travis Honeyman singled, homered, walked, stole a base and scored twice. Randel Clemente took a blown save and the loss.
The Desert Dogs were defeated by the Saguaros in a walk off in extra innings on Wednesday night.
Two Cardinals appeared in the game. Travis Honeyman played in center field and hit fourth in the lineup. Reliever Randel Clemente pitched the 10th inning.
Honeyman went 2-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, an RBI on a solo home run, and two runs scored. He also stole his second base in the AFL.
In his first at bat in the second inning, Honeyman flied out to right field. He singled to center field in the fourth and was left stranded.
Honeyman hit a majestic solo home run in the sixth.
OF Travis Honeyman blasted a 429 ft. home run yesterday, his first of the AFL season, finishing 2-for-4 with 2 runs score, HBP, and a stolen base.
RHP Chen-Wei Lin will make his AFL debut tonight when he makes his first start against Scottsdale at 6:30 PM CT. pic.twitter.com/YBgtGlCwFf
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) October 9, 2025
In the seventh, he was hit by a pitch and later scored. He struck out in his final at bat in the ninth.
Clemente was brought in to pitch the top of the 10th inning and protect a two-run lead. Clemente gave up a double and a run on the first pitch he threw. He struck out the next two batters. Clemente followed that with back-to-back walks, then gave up a single that scored two runs and ended the game. He was charged with a blown save and the loss.
The Desert Dogs held a seven-run lead in the eighth, but a trio of relievers from the White Sox organization gave up seven runs among them to tie the game. The Desert Dogs scored two in the 10th to retake the lead, only for Clemente to blow that edge. It was not a good night for the final four relievers for Glendale.
The Desert Dogs play the Scottsdale Scorpions on Thursday afternoon. Chen Wei-Lin is scheduled to start.
Thursday’s game: vs. Scottsdale Scorpions, Chen Wei-Lin RHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Murphy RHP (0-0, 0.00) 3:30 CT.
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The Glendale Desert Dogs lost to the Salt River Rafters in their AFL season opener. Outfielder Travis Honeyman and catcher Graysen Tarlow started. Honeyman walked, stole a base and scored a run.
Results for the Arizona Fall League game played Tuesday, October 7.
The Desert Dogs were defeated by the Rafters at Salt River by a 7-3 score on Tuesday.
Two St. Louis Cardinals prospects played. Travis Honeyman hit fourth in the lineup for Glendale and played in center field. Graysen Tarlow was the catcher and hit eighth.
Honeyman and Tarlow played all nine innings. Honeyman was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He also stole a base. Honeyman struck out in the first inning and lined out in the fourth. He walked in the sixth, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a sac fly. In his final at bat in the eighth, Honeyman again struck out.
Tarlow was the backstop and went 0-for-4 with a run scored. He grounded into a double play in his first at bat in the second inning. In the fifth, Tarlow grounded into a force out. He advanced to second on a single, went to third on a force out and stole home on a successful double steal.
In the seventh, Tarlow grounded out to the pitcher. He struck out in his final at bat in the ninth.
None of the other six AFL Cardinals appeared in the opener. The Desert Dogs play the Surprise Saguaros on Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s game: at Surprise Saguaros, Hagen Smith LHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Logan Martin RHP (0-0, 0.00) 8:30 CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals officially transferred Baseball Operations power from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom with many open questions about the 2026 roster. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.
Two transitionary press conferences
As is typical when the season ends and the team is not in the postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals organization held their end of season press conferences at the beginning of the week. This year there were two such conferences, one for the outgoing President of Baseball Operations and a second one to introduce the new President of Baseball Operations.
On Monday, September 29, the Chairman of the Cardinals, Bill DeWitt Jr, the President of the Cardinals, Bill DeWitt III, and the outgoing President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak, met with the assembled media.
Mozeliak, 56, spent 30 years with the Cardinals organization, the last 18 as head of the Baseball Operations department. His legacy includes the World Series Championship in 2011, National League Championships in 2011 and 2013, and six NL Central Division titles, in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2022.
Mozeliak expressed no regrets following his long tenure with the organization but acknowledged the time had come for a change in both voice and direction.
John Mozeliak
Segway into the second press conference on Tuesday, as that new voice, Chaim Bloom, along with both DeWitts, was introduced to the media and the fans. The introduction came from the senior DeWitt. Bloom is already known to some, as he has been in the organization for the past two seasons as an adviser to Mozeliak.
Bloom’s primary duties were to oversee an overhaul of the Player Development system, an area in which he has prior experience with both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. Bloom has spent the last two years doing just that and will continue to monitor the progress there as he takes on his broader new duties as President of Baseball Operations.
The press conference was not lengthy and was short on specifics. Bloom did make it clear that his goal was to bring the organization back to its former glory as a division winner and perennial World Series contender. How he plans to go about doing that was left open, with only a promise to try to win without sacrificing the long-term goal of bringing the organization back to where it needs to be.
Bloom gave no timetables for these long-term goals nor any specifics on player movement or his approach to the current offseason. He did promise to make moves that could help the team win in the short term if they were in service to the long-term plan. When asked about the 2026 payroll, DeWitt Jr. said it has not yet been discussed.
As for the future look of the staff, manager Oli Marmol will return for the final year of his contract. Changes to the coaching staff were not specifically discussed and therefore cannot be ruled out, though most of them are expected to be back for 2026.
The Big Picture
As the postseason continues, and the offseason looms, the future look of the team is left for the reader to ponder. Who will stay for the next season, and who will be sent out for future employment elsewhere?
There will be additions and subtractions to the 40-man roster, as some players will depart as free agents and others will be removed to make room for players from the minor leagues who will need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft coming in December. There also may be players who are non-tendered at the deadline in November.
Several players are possible trade pieces. The offense is left-handed dominant, so potential trade candidates include Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds are also awash in left-handed position players. Acquisition of a few right-handed position players could be on the offseason menu, perhaps to strengthen the corner outfield.
The major league rotation is losing free agent Miles Mikolas for sure, and Sonny Gray return is unclear. Replacements from the minor leagues are slim pickings as starting pitchers Tekoah Roby and Sem Robberse are both out with Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Quinn Mathews ended his uneven 2025 with question marks remaining as to his readiness for the major leagues.
The possibility of reliever Kyle Leahy converting to a starter has been discussed. Andre Pallante’s future is uncertain given his struggles in 2025, though the team has not indicated they intend to move on from him in the rotation. At this point, only Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy appear to be locks for 2026 rotation berths.
With at least three question marks, the rotation is the most glaring weakness for this team. It seems additions, if there are any, should be here. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. is well known for ruling out big dollar free agents. The starting pitching market for 2026 is not yet fully flushed out, as several potential free agents have options that may or may not be exercised and others could be extended qualifying offers which would diminish their value to the Cardinals.
Starters could also be obtained via the trade market, though the Cardinals may not have pieces valuable enough to get more than a mid to bottom end of the rotation type of pitcher in return. Given that the team is trying to build for the future, trading top minor league prospects for major leaguers seems unlikely.
The future is uncertain, and the 2026 major league roster is up in the air currently. As the offseason unfolds, the plan for the coming season should be exposed by their actions (or inaction). Only time will tell.
Final NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
97
65
0.599
Chicago
92
70
0.568
5
Cincinnati
83
79
0.512
14
St. Louis
78
84
0.481
19
5
Pittsburgh
71
91
0.438
26
12
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
9/29 The Cardinals recalled RHPs Sem Robberse, Roddery Muñoz, Tekoah Roby, and Andre Granillo, LHPs Anthony Veneziano and Nick Raquet, OFs Matt Koperniak and Michael Siani, and 2B César Prieto from the Memphis Redbirds.
9/29 The Cardinals recalled RHP Tink Hence from the Springfield Cardinals.
9/29 The Cardinals activated 1B Willson Contreras and SS Masyn Winn from the 10-day injured list.
These moves are part of an end of season requirement to return all 40-man players to the majors.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) remains on the 60-day injured list. Thompson’s status with the Cardinals is unknown.
SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was activated from the 10-day injured list in preparation for the filing of Reserve Lists in November. Winn had surgery on September 25 and is expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training.
1B Willson Contreras was activated from the 10-day injured list in preparation for the filing of Reserve Lists in November. Contreras is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training.
DH Iván Herrera will have offseason surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. He is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training while refocusing this winter on his catching defense.
2B Brendan Donovan (groin) is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training.
Looking Ahead
The Postseason has begun. The Wild Card Series ended on Thursday, October 2, with the elimination of the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians.
The National League and American League Division Series began on Saturday, October 4. Both series will conclude by Friday, October 10, if not before. The Championship Series will begin on Saturday, October 11.
During this period, the Arizona Fall League opens on Monday, October 6 and continues through Wednesday, November 12. The Cardinals are sending eight players to the AFL, who will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They are RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Darlin Saladin, RHP Tyler Bradt, RHP Randel Clemente, RHP D.J. Carpenter, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Miguel Ugueto and OF Travis Honeyman.
Our Daily AFL Notebooks at The Cardinal Nation recapping all the action from the desert will return on Wednesday morning, October 8.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past once again highlights notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise during a particular period.
This installment covers events that occurred during the period September 29 through October 5 with focus on records set or broken, transactions, and any other notable items.
For each event, the date of the event, the individual(s) involved, a description of the even and any other relevant details are provided.
Branch Rickey
September 29, 1962 – On this date, Branch Rickey returned to work for the Cardinals for the second time as Senior Consultant for Player Development. Rickey was required to consult with GM Bing Devine before making deals.
September 29, 1963 – On this date, Stan Musial played his final game for the Cardinals. Musial ended his stellar career with 3,630 hits, 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road.
September 29, 1965 – Pitcher Bob Gibson hit his first career grand slam off Gaylord Perry in an 8-6 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park.
Ripper Collins
September 30, 1934 – On this date, 1B Ripper Collins hit his 35th home run of the season as a switch hitter, setting a NL record that was not broken until Howard Johnson hit 36 in 1987.
October 1, 1978 – On this date, Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith did his back flip for the first time on Fan Appreciation Day. Smith continued doing the back flip as a Cardinal after joining the club via trade, including every Opening Day.
October 1, 2009 – On this date, Manager Tony La Russa moved into second place behind Connie Mack for most wins as a manager with 4,770.
Rick Ankiel (Getty Images)
October 3, 2000 – On this date, rookie starting pitcher Rick Ankiel threw five wild pitches in the third inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series. This began a slide for the young pitcher that ended his pitching career prematurely before he reinvented himself as an outfielder.
October 3, 2007 – On this date, the Cardinals announced that General Manager Walt Jocketty was let go after a period of internal front office turmoil. After a search, he was replaced by his assistant John Mozeliak.
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photo: Ivan Herrera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinals finished their disappointing 78-win season by being swept in Chicago. DH Ivan Herrera posted a 1.059 OPS the final week and a team-best .837 for the season. Our “Blast from the Past” feature highlights key events this week in team history.
On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals edged the San Francisco Giants in the first of a three-game series at Oracle Park.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out two and walked three and received his eighth win of the season.
The pen was strong. Ryan Fernandez relieved McGreevy and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. John King hurled 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Kyle Leahy and JoJo Romero each tossed a scoreless inning. Romero earned his eighth save.
The Cardinals tied the game with a run in the third. José Fermin doubled and advanced to third on Victor Scott’s sac bunt. Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled and Fermín scored.
St. Louis added a run in he fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Jordan Walker drew a walk, stole second base and came home on a double by Fermín.
San Francisco put up three runs to regain the lead 4-2. The Cardinals answered with a four-run top of the fifth to take the lead again at 6-4. Lars Nootbaar singled. Herrera followed with a two-run home run. Burleson singled. Nolan Arenado doubled. Pedro Pagés reached on a fielder’s choice. Burleson scored on a throwing error. Arenado came home on a force out by Walker.
The Cardinals again beat the Giants by one run on Tuesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up five runs, two earned, on three hits, fanned four and walked two.
John King relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless inning. Jorge Alcalá surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Chris Roycroft yielded one run in two innings. Matt Svanson hurled a scoreless eighth to earn the win. JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien combined to toss a scoreless ninth, with the latter receiving his sixth save.
The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Brendan Donovan doubled. Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson singled and Donovan scored. Herrera came home on a double play by Nolan Arenado. Lars Nootbaar doubled and scored on a single by Thomas Saggese.
The Giants put up five runs in the third to take a 5-3 lead. They added two runs in the fifth and one run in the sixth to increase their lead to 8-3.
St. Louis scored four runs in the seventh to cut the gap to 8-7. Jordan Walker doubled. Victor Scott walked. Herrera followed with a three-run home run. Arenado hit a solo long ball.
The Cardinals scored twice in the ninth to win the game, 9-8. Scott singled. Donovan plated Scott on a double. José Fermín pinch ran for Donovan. Alec Burleson drove in Fermín on a single.
The Cardinals scored nine runs on 15 hits. Herrera was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Donovan was 4-for-5 with an RBI. Arenado was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5. Scott scored two runs.
Arenado stole his third base of the season. Scott was caught stealing. On defense, Arenado made a throwing error for the second consecutive game.
The Cardinals failed to sweep the Giants by losing Game 3 by the score of 4-3. Starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings, gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits, fanned seven and walked two.
Kyle Leahy relieved Gray and threw a scoreless seventh. Riley O’Brien surrendered a run in the eighth and took the loss.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the top of the third to take the lead. Victor Scott singled. Brendan Donovan doubled and Scott scored. Donovan came home on a single by Iván Herrera.
San Francisco tied the score in the home third and took a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
In the top of the eighth, St. Louis tied the game at 3-3. Herrera singled. Alec Burleson doubled. Herrera scored on a sac fly by Nolan Arenado.
The Giants took the 4-3 win with a run in the bottom of the eighth as St. Louis was unable to score in the ninth.
The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
On defense, Scott and Jordan Walker each made a fielding error. Burleson had a missed catch error.
The Cardinals were blown out by the Cubs in a 12-1 rout at Wrigley Field on Friday. In what may be his final start as a Cardinal, Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up four runs on four hits, fanned four and walked one. Mikolas took the loss.
John King threw a scoreless sixth. Gordon Graceffo surrendered five runs in 1/3 of an inning. Chris Roycroft yielded three runs in the final 1 2/3 innings.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. They added two runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth to lead 4-0.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the top of the seventh. Nolan Gorman doubled. Thomas Saggese singled. Jordan Walker singled and Gorman scored.
The Cubs put the final nails in the coffin with a seven-run bottom of the seventh and made it 12-1 in the eighth.
The offense scored one run on five hits. Gorman was 2-for-4. The offense was 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On Saturday, the Cardinals fell to the Cubs in the second game of the series by the score of 7-3. Michael McGreevy pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked two. McGreevy took the loss.
John King relieved and threw 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez surrendered two runs in the sixth. Matt Svanson hurled a scoreless seventh. Jorge Alcalá yielded two runs in the eighth.
The Cubs went up 1-0 in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run by Nolan Arenado.
Chicago scored two runs in the fifth to regain the lead 3-1. They made it 4-1 in the sixth.
St. Louis put up two runs in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3. Jimmy Crooks singled and Jordan Walker followed with a two-run home run.
The Cardinals were blanked by the Cubs 2-0 on Sunday in the final game of the season and were swept in the series. Bullpen starter Kyle Leahy pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out one.
John King relieved Leahy and surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. Matt Svanson threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez yielded one unearned run in the seventh. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless eighth.
In the fifth, the Cubs took a 1-0 lead and added a run in the seventh to win 2-0.
The Cardinals scattered six hits. Thomas Saggese was 2-for-4. Victor Scott was 2-for-3.
On the bases, Scott stole his 34th base of the season. On defense, Jimmy Crooks had a passed ball.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the final week of the season with a 2-4 record. They took two of three from the Giants but were swept by the Cubs in Chicago. They finished the season with a record of 78-84 for fourth place in the NL Central.
The NL Central is sending three teams to the postseason, as the Reds attained the final Wild Card spot with a Mets loss on Sunday.
St. Louis’ offense was mostly absent during the Cubs series. The Cardinals had been formally eliminated from the postseason with the final loss to the Giants, which may have played a part in their lackluster performance at Wrigley Field. In any event, the team now heads to wherever they go in the offseason.
The top performers for this final week by OPS are Brendan Donovan (1.667 in nine ABs) and Iván Herrera (1.059). Next closest was Nolan Arenado (.838). At the bottom were Pedro Pagés (.385) and Yohel Pozo (.000 in four ABs).
For the entire season, no Cardinal had an OPS of .900 or better. The top hitters were Herrera (.837) and Alec Burleson (.802).
On the starting pitching side, only Sonny Gray (3.00) had an ERA for the final week under 4.00. Matthew Liberatore was shut down early and did not make a start. His spot was taken by Kyle Leahy, who pitched three scoreless innings in Sunday’s loss to the Cubs.
For the season, the best ERA among starting pitchers was posted by Sonny Gray (4.28). The highest was Andre Pallante (5.31).
The bullpen in the final week was okay except for clunkers by Gordon Graceffo (135.00) and Jorge Alcalá (15.43). For the season, the bullpen, with some exceptions, performed better than the starting rotation.
The next time we will see a Cardinals team will be in February for Spring Training. The team may look substantially different, with some members moving on to other teams and others arriving.
Almost certainly, Miles Mikolas will not be a Cardinal. It’s quite possible neither Nolan Arenado nor Sonny Gray will return. Willson Contreras may or may not be as well, though his movement off the team is the least likely of the three veterans.
Others who may move on are unknown at this time. Led by Chaim Bloom, the new regime taking over will make that decision.
As for the organization itself, there may be changes in the front office and coaching staff as well; only time will tell.
Final NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
97
65
0.599
Chicago
92
70
0.568
5
Cincinnati
83
79
0.512
14
St. Louis
78
84
0.481
19
5
Pittsburgh
71
91
0.438
26
12
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Latest report on Thompson as of September 3 is that he is still at the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter but has been shut down from throwing.
SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 13. Winn had surgery on Thursday, September 25 and it went as expected. Winn expects to be working out at full speed by January and be ready for Spring Training.
1B Willson Contreras was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 17, retroactive to September 16. Contreras is suffering from a right shoulder strain and was shut down for the season.
DH Iván Herrera will have offseason surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. Herrera was not placed on the injured list and continued to play.
2B Brendan Donovan (groin) was effectively shut down for the final series but was available to play in an emergency.
Looking Ahead
The regular season has ended, and the Cardinals will not play in the postseason. The offseason will officially begin once the postseason is over, but the Cardinals will now head home and prepare for Spring Training.
Outgoing President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak will meet with the media on Monday, with his replacement Chaim Bloom doing the same on Tuesday.
The Wild Card Series will begin on Tuesday, September 30, and end on Thursday, October 2.
The Wild Card series winners will play in the Division Series, which are best of five games that run from Saturday, October 4 through Saturday October 11, if necessary.
During this period, the Arizona Fall League opens on Monday, October 6 and will continue through Wednesday, November 12. The Cardinals are sending eight players to the AFL, who will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They are RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Darlin Saladin, RHP Tyler Bradt, RHP Randel Clemente, RHP D.J. Carpenter, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Miguel Ugueto, and OF Travis Honeyman.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will again highlight notable events that occurred in the franchise’s past during a particular period.
In this installment, we look at events that occurred during September 22 through 28 and focus on such things as records set or broken or other notable player accomplishments, transactions, and any other unique event.
For each event, its date, the individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are noted.
Stan Musial
September 22, 1948 – On this date, Cardinal icon Stan Musial recorded five hits in five at-bats in an 8-2 win over the Boston Braves. Musial tied Ty Cobb’s major league record and set the NL record with this feat. His five hits included a double, a home run, and three singles. He went 5-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.
September 23, 1930 – On this date, in a 19-16 win over the Phillies, the Cardinals collected 26 hits to set a franchise record. The Cardinals would not again have 26 hits in a game for another 78 years.
September 23, 1941 – On this date, Stan Musial recorded his first career home run in a 9-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader at Forbes Field.
Albert Pujols (USA TODAY Sports Images)
September 23, 2022 – On this date, Albert Pujols hit his 699th and 700th career home runs in a 11-0 rout of the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. He hit number 700 off Dodgers relieved Phil Bickford in the fourth inning.
September 24, 1926 – On this date, the Cardinals won their first ever NL Pennant in a 6-4 win over the New Giants at the Polo Grounds. The team went on to win their first World Series title against the Yankees on October 10.
September 26, 1983 – On this date, Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch threw his second career no-hitter in a 3-0 shutout of the Montreal Expos at Busch Stadium.
Rogers Hornsby
September 28, 1924 – On this date, Cardinals’ 2B Rogers Hornsby finished the season with a .424 batting average to win the NL batting title.
September 28, 1930 – On this date, Cardinal Dizzy Dean threw his first career complete game against the Pirates. The Cardinals won the game 3-1 as Dean allowed only three hits.
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The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 1-0 on Wednesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield 1B Dakota Harris, was 3-for-3 with a double plus a walk, two runs and four RBI in the Cardinals’ Texas League Championship Series victory. Other standouts include Leonardo Bernal, Zach Levenson, Jon Jon Gazdar, Brycen Mautz and Ramon Mendoza.
Austin Love relieved Mautz and threw a scoreless seventh frame. Hunter Hayes hurled a scoreless eighth. Zane Mills tossed a scoreless ninth to clinch the Texas League Championship.
Springfield’s bats were hot early with a three-run top of the first inning.
Jon Jon Gazdar singled. Noah Mendlinger doubled. Leonardo Bernal was intentionally walked to load the bags with one out. Dakota Harris singled to score Gazdar and Mendlinger to put the Cardinals in front 2-0. Zach Levenson plated Bernal with a single for a 3-0 lead.
Midland scored a run in the bottom of the second. The Cardinals added to their lead with two runs in the fourth.
Gazdar singled. Mendlinger walked. Mendlinger and Gazdar advanced to second base and third base, respectively, on a wild pitch. Bernal drove in Gazdar and Mendlinger on a single to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 5-1.
Springfield increased the lead to 6-1 in the fifth. Jeremy Rivas singled. Gazdar was hit by a pitch. Mendlinger singled home Rivas and was thrown out at second on the play to end the frame.
The Cardinals added on with two runs in the sixth to move ahead by seven.
Bernal walked. Harris singled. Levenson brought Bernal home with a second consecutive single. Ramon Mendoza laid down a sacrifice bunt, with Harris home on the play for an 8-1 lead.
Springfield had a big inning in the seventh, posting a five-run inning to run up the score to 13-1.
Gazdar singled. Joshua Baez singled. Bernal plated Gazdar on a single. Harris doubled home Baez and Bernal to put Springfield ahead by double digits at 11-1.
The Springfield Cardinals scored 13 runs on 19 hits. Harris was 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs scored, and four RBI. Bernal was 2-for-4 with two walks, three runs scored, and three RBI. Levenson was 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, and two RBI. Gazdar was 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Mendlinger was 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Mendoza doubled and drove in three runs.
Springfield is 2-1 in the Championship Series and are the 2025 Texas League Champions.
Congratulations to the 2025 Springfield Cardinals for winning their second overall Texas League Championship!
Springfield was one of the very best teams across baseball this season:
▪️88-50 record (franchise-best, 4th-best in MiLB) ▪️1st & 2nd Half Champions (second in team… https://t.co/zeXZhKR3ol
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 1-0 on Tuesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield OF Darlin Moquete, was 2-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI in Springfield’s playoff victory. Other standouts include Jeremy Rivas, Ixan Henderson, Mason Burns, and Dakota Harris.
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals edged the Midland RockHounds on the road by the score of 4-3 in Game Two of the Texas League Championship Series on Tuesday.
Starter Ixan Henderson pitched six innings and allowed three runs on three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. The Texas League Pitcher of the Year earned his second playoff win.
The Cardinals scored four runs on nine hits. Rivas was 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Moquete was 2-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI. Harris was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Bernal tripled and drove in a run. Mendlinger was 2-for-5 with a run scored.
On the bases, Rivas stole his first bag of the playoffs. Harris swiped his first base of the postseason.
On defense, right fielder Mendlinger nailed a runner at second base to highlight an errorless contest.
Springfield is 1-1 in the Texas League Championship Series and will play Midland in the third and deciding game on Wednesday. Lefty Brycen Mautz is slated to take the mound as Springfield looks to take the Texas League crown.
Wednesday’s game (Championship Series Game Three): at Midland, Brycen Mautz LHP (1-0, 0.00) vs. TBD (MID) 6:30 PM CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals went 3-3 in their final homestand of the 2025 regular season and remain four games below .500. Alec Burleson hit .476 with a home run and three RBI among 10 hits in the week. Our history feature looks at rare feats during this week in years past, including no-hitters.
The Cardinals fell to the Reds by the score of 11-6 in the first of a three-game set at Busch Stadium.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits, six strikeouts, and one walk.
Chris Roycroft surrendered three runs and recorded just one out in relief of Liberatore. John King secured two outs without allowing a run. Ryan Fernandez yielded one run in ⅓ innings and took the loss. Kyle Leahy allowed four runs in one inning pitched. Gordon Graceffo recorded the final two outs of the ninth.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Cardinals immediately tied the game in the home half of the inning. Willson Contreras doubled and scored on a single by Nolan Arenado to tie the game at one apiece.
Cincinnati added two runs in the third to take a 3-1 lead. In the sixth, St. Louis scored three runs to go ahead 4-3.
Brendan Donovan singled. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson doubled to plate Donovan and Herrera. Contreras plated Burleson on a single.
The Reds came back and put up three runs in the top of the seventh to lead 6-4. The Cardinals posted a two-run bottom of the seventh to tie the game once more. Arenado doubled. Thomas Saggese singled. Donovan drove in Arenado on a single. Saggese came home on a single by Herrera to tie the game at six.
The Reds regained the lead 7-6 with one run scored in the eighth and staged a four-run ninth to run up the score to 11-6.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 10 hits. Donovan was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Arenado was 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI. Contreras was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Burleson doubled and tallied two RBI.
On the bases, Contreras stole his fifth bag of the season. Herrera swiped his eighth base.
On defense, center fielder Victor Scott II made a fielding error.
The Cardinals lost to the Reds in the final game of the series on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up four runs on six hits, struck out three and walked three. Pallante took the loss.
Jorge Alcalá relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless sixth. Matt Svanson surrendered two runs in the seventh. Ryan Fernandez hurled a scoreless eighth. Gordon Graceffo tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Alec Burleson.
The Reds scored three runs in fourth to go up 3-1.
Cincinnati added a run in the fourth to increase their lead to 4-1. St. Louis responded with a run in the sixth. Lars Nootbaar walked. Iván Herrera reached on a fielder’s choice. Nootbaar scored on a throwing error.
The Reds scored two more runs in the seventh to extend their lead to 6-2.
The offense scored two runs on five hits. Burleson was 2-for-3 with an RBI. The offense was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On the bases, Victor Scott II stole his 33rd base of the season. Burleson was caught stealing third base.
Gordon Graceffo threw two scoreless innings in relief of Gray. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the first inning. Brendan Donovan walked. Iván Herrera walked. Nolan Arenado ground into a force out. Herrera was out at second. Lars Nootbaar singled and Donovan scored.
St. Louis added a run in the second to increase the lead to 2-0. Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés singled and Saggese advanced to third. Jordan Walker hit into a double play, with Saggese home on the play.
The Brewers answered with a run in the third to cut the lead to 2-1. The Cardinals posted a five-run fifth inning to run up the score to 7-1.
Donovan, Herrera, and Burleson loaded the bags with three straight singles. Arenado doubled to clear the bases and advanced to third on an error on the play.
The offense scored seven runs on 14 hits. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Donovan was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Burleson was 3-for-4. Pagés was 2-for-4. Arenado had three RBI. Saggese scored two runs.
On the bases, Donovan was caught stealing home plate.
The Cardinals fell to the Brewers in an extra innings one-run loss on Saturday.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two.
Kyle Leahy relieved Mikolas and threw two scoreless innings of relief. Riley O’Brien hurled 1 ⅓ scoreless innings. JoJo Romero surrendered one unearned run in the final 1 ⅔ innings.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Cardinals tied the game with a run in the fourth.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth to take the lead 2-1. Pedro Pagés singled. Jordan Walker singled. Victor Scott moved the runners over with a sac bunt. Brendan Donovan plated Pagés on a single.
Milwaukee tied the game in the sixth. Neither team scored again in regulation. In extra innings, the Brewers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th. The Cardinal failed to answer in the home half of the 10th.
The Cardinals scored two runs on nine hits, all singles. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Walker was 2-for-3.
The Cardinals beat the Brewers in the final game of the series to take the series at Busch Stadium.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up one run on five hits, fanned six and walked one to earn his eighth win.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw two scoreless innings of relief. Ryan Fernandez hurled a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the third inning. Victor Scott walked. Iván Herrera followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis added two runs in the fourth to increase the lead to 4-0. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Nolan Gorman walked. José Fermín plated Walker and Gorman on a double.
The Brewers scored their only run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 4-1. The Cardinals added a final run in the eighth to extend the lead to 5-1. Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled. Lars Nootbaar moved the runners with a sac bunt. Walker was intentionally walked to load the base. Fermín walked and Herrera scored.
The offense scored five runs on three hits. Fermín had three RBI. Herrera had two RBI and two runs scored.
Big Picture.
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 3-3. They lost two of three against the Reds at Busch Stadium and won two of three against the Brewers. The Brewers were planning to clinch the NL Central on Sunday, and they did, but not by beating the Cardinals. After the game was over, they clinched when the Cubs lost to the Reds, and thus still celebrated at Busch Stadium, though in the clubhouse and not on the field.
The Cardinals have a record of 76-80 and are in fourth place in the NL Central, where they will likely remain. They are 19 games back of the Brewers, four games back of the third place Reds, and still four games back of the wild card, tied with the Marlins. The team will also likely end the season under .500, as they would have to win 5 of their last six games to hit .500 and all six games to go one game over .500.
The offense was good enough to break even this week. Not a grand endorsement, but it could be worse, and has been in past weeks. The top performers for the week by OPS are Willson Contreras (1.667 in 3 ABs, and now shut down for the season), Alec Burleson (1.322), José Fermín (1.167), Brendan Donovan (.921), and Pedro Pagés (.910).
At the bottom are Lars Nootbaar (.329), Victor Scott (.277), Jimmy Crooks (.166), Nolan Gorman (.077), Nathan Church (.000 in 3 ABs), and Yohel Pozo (.000 in 1 AB).
The starting pitching for the week was good, apart from Andre Pallante. He was the only pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 with an ERA of 7.20. Michael McGreevy had an ERA of 0.00 for the second week in a row. Matthew Liberatore (2.45), Sonny Gray (1.50), and Miles Mikolas (3.60) all pitched well.
The five starters each have one more start, except for McGreevy, who will pitch twice.
The bullpen was okay, but hiccups from Kyle Leahy (12.00) and Chris Roycroft (81.00) marred the week.
The final week of the season will be a series against the Giants at Oracle Park, and a series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Both teams have struggled in these final weeks of the season. The Cubs have already clinched a Wild Card spot, but the Giants are 3 games back and still in the hunt, though their chances are fading.
NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee – y
95
61
0.609
—
—
Chicago – x
88
68
0.564
7
—
Cincinnati
80
76
0.513
15
—
St. Louis
76
80
0.487
19
4
Pittsburgh
67
89
0.429
28
13
y – Clinched Division
x – Clinched Playoff Berth
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
9/15 – The Cardinals optioned 2B José Fermín to the Memphis Redbirds.
9/15 – The Cardinals activated 3B Nolan Arenado from the 10-day injured list.
9/17 – The Cardinals placed 1B Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list. Right shoulder strain.
9/17 – The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Latest report on Thompson as of September 3 is that he is still at the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter but has been shut down from throwing. There is no timetable for when he will return to pitching.
3B Nolan Arenado was activated from the 10-day injured list.
SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 13. Winn has been shut down for the remainder of the season and will have surgery in the offseason. A normal offseason is expected and Winn will return for Spring Training in 2026.
1B Willson Contreras was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 17, retroactive to September 16. Contreras is suffering from a right shoulder strain and has been shut down for the season.
DH Iván Herrera will have offseason surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. Herrera has not been placed on the injured list and is continuing to play
Looking Ahead
The Brewers series ended on Sunday, to conclude the Cardinals’ home season. The Cardinals were 44-37 at home this season.
The team ends the regular season starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants beginning Monday, September 22. Michael McGreevy will get the Monday start, followed by Andre Pallante on Tuesday, and Sonny Gray on Wednesday.
The season ends in Chicago for the final regular season series against the Cubs. The regular season ends on Sunday, September 28.
The postseason begins with the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, September 30. The Cardinals are currently 5 games back of a Wild Card slot, but the likelihood of a postseason berth is virtually nil as there are only six games left in the season with five teams ahead of them (the Marlins are currently tied with the Cardinals in being five games back).
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to a recurring series featuring rare feats performed by Cardinals players in past years in the history of the franchise. This series began last season and continues this week for another installment. For the current period of September 15 through September 22, we will highlight some rare feats from the past.
A rare feat has been defined as one of the following: (1) a pitcher or pitchers throwing a no-hitter; (2) A batter hitting for the cycle, which is hitting at least one single, one double, one triple, and one home run in a single game; (3) A batter recording six hits in one game; (4) a player, either a position player or a pitcher, hitting a home run in their first major league at bat; and (5) a player hitting three or more home runs in a single game.
During the period September 15 through 21, the following rare feats are featured. For each rare feat, the type of feat, the date it occurred, and some details of each occurrence are listed below.
Ray Washburn
September 18, 1968 – On this date, Cardinals RHP Ray Washburn threw a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.
Washburn pitched for the Cardinals from 1961-1969. The no-hitter was the first from a Cardinal since Lou Warnecke did it in 1941.
Washburn struck out eight but walked five batters. The Giants’ Gaylord Perry had just thrown a no-hitter the day before against the Cardinals with Bob Gibson pitching. It was the first time in major league history that back-to-back no-hitters were pitched in the same series.
Dizzy and Daffy Dean
September 21, 1934 – On this date, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cardinals’ pitcher Paul “Daffy” Dean, brother of Dizzy Dean, pitched a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. It was Dean’s rookie season.
Dean struck out six and walked one for a game score of 92. Dean’s brother Dizzy was quoted as saying “If I’da known Paul was gonna pitch a no-hitter, I’da pitched me one too”.
Ray Lankford (Getty Images)
September 15, 1991 – On this date, Cardinals CF Ray Lankford hit for the cycle in a 7-2 win over the Mets at Busch Stadium II.
Lankford went 4-for-4 with an RBI and four runs scored. Lankford’s first hit was a double to LF in the first inning. He scored on a double by Todd Zeile. He singled to LF in the third and scored on a sac fly by Zeile.
In the fifth, Lankford tripled to RF and scored on a double by Ozzie Smith. He hit a solo home run in the seventh.
September 16, 1924 – On this date, Cardinals’ 1B Jim Bottomley had six hits in a 17-3 rout of the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field.
Bottomley went 6-for-6 with 12 RBI and three runs scored. The six hits were as follows: (1) an RBI single to RF in the first inning that scored two runs; (2) an RBI double to RF in the second inning that scored one run; (3) A grand slam in the fourth inning; (4) a two run home run in the sixth; (5) an RBI single in the seventh that scored two; and (6) an RBI single in the ninth that scored one.
George Harper
September 20, 1928 – On this date, in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Giants, Cardinals’ outfielder George Harper hit three home runs in one game.
The Cardinals beat the Giants 8-5 at the Polo Grounds. Harper went 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored.
Harper hit the first home run, a solo shot, in the second inning. In the sixth, Harper hit a three-run long ball that scored Frankie Frisch and Jim Bottomley.
Harper hit a second solo home run in the eighth. This was the only season Harper played for the Cardinals.
Now 20% off – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports.
Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
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photo: Cesar Prieto (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 0-1 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis infielder César Prieto, doubled and drove in a run in a multi-hit game.
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds fell to the St. Paul Saints in a 7-3 contest at AutoZone Park on Friday.
Starter Max Rajcic pitched three innings, gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits, struck out two and walked four. Rajcic took the loss.
Zack Weiss relieved Rajcic and surrendered two runs across two innings. Jack Ralston threw two shutout frames. Roddery Muñoz tossed the final two scoreless innings.
St. Paul went up 4-0 in the top of the first inning. Memphis answered with two runs in the home half of the inning to cut the lead to 4-2. César Prieto singled. Blaze Jordan tripled to bring Prieto home.
The Redbirds scored three runs on five hits. Prieto was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Jordan walked, tripled, scored a run, and drove in a run. Yerzy walked, doubled, and scored a run.
On defense, pitcher Rajcic made an error on a pickoff attempt. Center fielder Michael Siani had an outfield assist at home plate.
Memphis is 79-67 overall, and 38-35 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Saturday’s game: vs. St. Paul, Zach Plesac RHP (1-7, 7.55) vs. Kendy Rojas LHP (1-3, 7.76) 3:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals (off day)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals are off on Friday and Saturday, as they prepare for Game One of the Texas League Championship Series against the Midland RockHounds on Sunday. Springfield will host the first game at Hammons Field and play the remainder of the best-of-three series on the road.
Springfield enters the series following a 2-0 sweep in the Division Series over Tulsa.
Sunday’s game (Championship Series Game One): vs. Midland (ATH), LHP Pete Hansen (8-5, 3.93) vs. RHP Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (6-11, 4.08) 1:05 PM CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 1-0 on Wednesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis CF Michael Siani, was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Other standouts include Andy Yerzy, Blaze Jordan, and César Prieto.
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds bested the St. Paul Saints in an 8-3 contest at AutoZone Park on Wednesday.
Starter Quinn Mathews pitched four innings, gave up two runs on four hits, five walks, and four strikeouts.
Jack Ralston relieved Mathews and threw a scoreless fifth to earn the win. Oddanier Mosqueda surrendered one run in the sixth. Andre Granillo hurled two scoreless innings. Zack Weiss tossed a scoreless ninth.
Memphis took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
César Prieto singled and stole second base. Matt Koperniak singled. Blaze Jordan connected for a third consecutive single to score Prieto for the first run of the game.
The Redbirds added a pair of runs in the second to extend the lead.
Mike Antico doubled. JJ Wetherholt walked. Wetherholt and Antico stole second base and third base, respectively, on a double steal. Antico scored on a groundout by Prieto. Wetherholt came home on a sac fly by Koperniak to stretch the lead to 5-0.
St. Paul put up two runs in the fourth and added a run in the top of the sixth to cut into the lead at 5-3. Memphis answered with a run in the home half of the sixth to extend the lead to 6-3.
Antico doubled and crossed home plate on a Wetherholt double.
Memphis recorded seven hits with runners in scoring position en route to victory.
The Redbirds scored eight runs on 13 hits. Siani was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Yerzy was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Jordan was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Prieto was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Antico was 2-for-4 and doubled twice and scored two runs. Wetherholt walked, doubled, scored a run, and drove in a run. Moore tallied a double and an RBI.
On the bases, Prieto stole his 12th bag of the season. Siani swiped his 26th. Antico snagged his 21st base. Wetherholt stole his ninth base at the Triple-A level.
On defense, shortstop Wetherholt made a fielding error.
Memphis is 78-66 overall, and 37-34 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the International League West Division.
Thursday’s game: vs. St. Paul, Curtis Taylor RHP (9-4, 3.26) vs. Mick Abel RHP (7-2, 2.20) 11:05 AM CT.
Springfield Cardinals (off-day)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals were off on Wednesday, as they headed home to Hammons Field for the second game of the Texas League Division Series against the Tulsa Drillers on Thursday.
Springfield is 1-0 in the Division Series following a 3-1 win in Tulsa and will look to sweep the best-of-three series and advance.
Thursday’s game, (Division Series Game Two): vs. Tulsa, LHP Brycen Mautz (8-3, 2.98) vs. LHP Luke Fox (4-5, 2.85) 6:35 PM CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-0 on Tuesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield’s Ixan Henderson, pitched six scoreless innings with four strikeouts en route to his first playoff victory. Other standouts include César Prieto, Blaze Jordan, Noah Mendlinger, JJ Wetherholt, Joshua Baez, Jon Jon Gazdar, and Dakota Harris.
Results for games played on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds won the first game of their final series of the season over the St. Paul Saints in a 7-6 contest on Tuesday at AutoZone Park.
Starter Aaron Wilkerson pitched five innings, gave up two runs on five hits and struck out three.
Gerson relieved Wilkerson and surrendered three runs, one earned, in the sixth, but still picked up the win. Alex Cornwell yielded one unearned run in the seventh. Roddery Muñoz tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn his third save.
St. Paul took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. They added a run in the top of the fourth to lead 2-0.
Memphis answered with a run in the home half of the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1. JJ Wetherholt singled and stole second base. Wetherholt took third on a fly out and scored on a sacrifice fly by César Prieto.
The Saints put up three runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 5-1. The Redbirds responded with a six-run bottom of the sixth to take the 7-5.
Michael Siani walked. Mike Antico singled. Wetherholt singled to load the bags with no outs. Siani scored on a ground out by José Fermín. Antico came home on a sac fly by Prieto. Blaze Jordan followed with a two-run home run, his sixth with Memphis, to tie the game at five apiece.
St. Paul scored one more run in the eighth for the final score of 7-6.
The Redbirds scored seven runs on seven hits. Jordan hit a home run for two RBI. Mendlinger walked and drove in two on a home run. Prieto doubled and drove in two. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On the bases, Wetherholt stole his eighth bag of the season. Mendlinger was caught stealing second base.
On defense, second baseman Prieto, third baseman Fermín, and catcher Gavin Collins each made a throwing error. Center fielder Siani had an outfield assist at third base. Pitcher Wilkerson picked a runner off second base.
Memphis is 77-66 overall, and 36-34 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the International League West Division.
Wednesday’s game: vs. St. Paul, Quinn Mathews LHP (4-7, 3.90) vs. John Klein RHP (0-4, 5.82). FanDuel Sports Network Midwest will stream and televise this game within the St. Louis television footprint beginning at 6:00 PM.
Michael Watson relieved Henderson and threw ⅔ scoreless innings. Luis Gastelum hurled 1 ⅓ scoreless innings. Austin Love yielded one run in ⅓ innings. Mason Burns struck out the final batter with the bases loaded in the ninth to earn his first playoff save.
The Cardinals added two runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. Zach Levenson walked and advanced to second on a passed ball. Dakota Harris plated Levenson on a double.
Tulsa threatened to cut into the Springfield lead in the eighth, but Luis Gastelum escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
❌DENIED ❌ Luis Gastelum strikes out back to back with the tying run at the plate in the eighth and Springfield holds a 3-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/cRNaE9k1Yf
The Drillers got on the board with a run in the ninth to cut the lead to 3-1. They had the bases loaded in the ninth but failed to move any closer as Burns secured the save.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Baez was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Gazdar was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Harris was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Davis walked, doubled, and scored a run.
On the bases, Gazdar stole his first base of the playoffs. Levenson was picked off first base. Henderson made a throwing error.
Springfield is 1-0 in the Division Series and will play Game Two in Springfield on Thursday as they look to sweep the best-of-three set and advance.
Thursday’s game (Division Series Game Two): vs. Tulsa (LAD), LHP Brycen Mautz (8-3, 2.98) vs. LHP Luke Fox (4-5, 2.85) 6:35 PM CT.
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photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals had a rough 1-5 road trip and fell to four games below .500 for the season. Thomas Saggese hit .375 with three RBI in the week. Our history feature looks at records broken during this week in years past, including the all-time battery mates record.
The Cardinals lost to the Mariners in a 4-2 game in Seattle on Monday.
Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out two and walked one.
Gordon Graceffo surrendered two runs in the sixth in relief of Mikolas and took the loss. Nick Raquet threw a scoreless seventh in his MLB debut. Jorge Alcalá tossed a scoreless ninth.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Alec Burleson. Seattle came back to score four runs in the sixth to move ahead 4-2 and eventually bring home the win.
The Cardinals offense scored two runs on three hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Burleson had two RBI. The offense was 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left two men on base.
On defense, center fielder Victor Scott II had an outfield assist at home plate.
The Cardinals lost to the Mariners again in a second straight two-run loss on Tuesday.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched four innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out one and walked three. Liberatore took the loss.
Kyle Leahy threw two scoreless innings in relief of Liberatore. Jorge Alcalá hurled ⅔ scoreless innings. Nick Raquet tossed a shutout frame. Ryan Fernandez secured the final out of the eighth.
The Cardinals struck first and went up 2-0 in the second inning. Willson Contreras singled. Nolan Gorman doubled to score Contreras for the first run.
The Mariners came back to take the lead 3-2 in the third. St. Louis answered with a run in the top of the fourth tie the game. Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés singled. Jose Fermín plated Saggese on a single.
Seattle scored two more runs in the home half of the fourth to regain the lead at 5-3.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Fermín was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Victor Scott II stole his 32nd base of the season. On defense, Contreras had a missed catch error.
Matt Svanson relieved McGreevy and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. JoJo Romero hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien surrendered one unearned run in two innings pitched. Ryan Fernandez yielded two runs, one earned, in the final inning and took the loss.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Iván Herrera.
The game remained tied 1-1 through regulation to force extra innings. Neither team scored in the 10th. The Cardinals scored one run in the top of the 11th to briefly take the lead 2-1. With Willson Contreras on second base to begin the frame, Thomas Saggese singled to score Contreras.
The Mariners tied the game again with a run in the bottom of the 11th. Again, neither team scored in the 12th. St. Louis did not score in the top of the 13th.
In the bottom of the 13th, Seattle put up two runs to walk-off the game 4-2.
The offense scored two runs on eight hits. Saggese was 4-for-5 with an RBI. Pedro Pagés was 2-for-5.
On the bases, Iván Herrera stole his seventh base of the season. Saggese swiped his third bag.
The Cardinals were defeated soundly by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first meeting of a three-game series at American Family Field on Friday.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits and walked four and took the loss.
John King relieved Pallante and threw 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Jorge Alcalá surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Chris Roycroft yielded an unearned run in the eighth.
Milwaukee went up 4-0 in the third inning and added a run in the fourth to lead 5-0.
In the sixth, St. Louis scored two runs to cut the lead to 5-2. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson tripled to bring Herrera to the plate.
The Brewers put up two runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth to win the game 8-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on nine hits. Burleson and Nootbaar were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4.
On defense, right fielder Walker made a throwing error. Second baseman Brendan Donovan had a fielding miscue. Pitcher King picked a runner off first base. Catcher Jimmy Crooks had a passed ball.
The Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking loss in a 9-8 extra innings walk-off by the Brewers on Saturday.
Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, fanned eight and walked one.
Matt Svanson relieved Gray and threw two scoreless innings of relief. JoJo Romero surrendered two runs in the eighth. Riley O’Brien yielded three runs in the ninth without recording an out. Kyle Leahy allowed two runs, one earned, in the final 1 1/3 innings and took the loss.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Iván Herrera hit a solo home run. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Lars Nootbaar doubled to bring Contreras home.
The Brewers answered with a run in the home half of the third to cut the lead to 3-1.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth to lead 4-1. Herrera doubled and scored on a single by Contreras.
The Cardinals scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 6-1. Thomas Saggese doubled. Pedro Pagés singled. Saggese came home on a sac fly by Victor Scott II. Donovan singled. Pagés scored on a wild pitch.
Milwaukee scored a second run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-2. In the eighth, the Brewers put up two runs to shrink the lead to 6-4.
The Cardinals added an insurance run in the ninth to lead 7-4. Alec Burleson singled. Nathan Church pinch ran for Burleson. Contreras was hit by a pitch. Saggese plated Church on a single.
The wheels came off the bus in the bottom of the ninth, as the Brewers scored three runs to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, the Cardinals took an 8-7 lead.
Pagés was to start the inning on second base, but Jordan Walker pinch ran for Pagés. Scott II was hit by a pitch. Donovan walked. With the bases loaded, Herrera grounded into a double play and Walker scored.
The Brewers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th to walk it off 9-8.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 12 hits. Herrera was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Saggese was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Donovan was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar doubled and drove in a run.
The offense was 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
John King relieved Mikolas and threw 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Jorge Alcalá hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien each tossed a scoreless inning. O’Brien earned his fourth save.
The Cardinals scored all three of their runs in the second inning. Thomas Saggese singled. Nolan Gorman doubled. Saggese scored on a sac fly by Pedro Pagés. Jordan Walker drew a walk. José Fermín plated Gorman on a single. Walker stole third base and Fermín stole second base on a double steal. Nathan Church drove in Walker on a single.
The Brewers scored one run in the fourth inning, then added a second run in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2. The Cardinals held on to win the tight contest.
The offense scored three runs on six hits. Fermín was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Church walked, singled, and drove in a run.
On the bases, Walker stole his eighth bag of the season. Fermín swiped his second bag and was caught stealing home.
Big Picture
The Cardinals missed an 0-6 week by the skin of their teeth. A 3-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday kept the Cardinals from this fate. As it is, 1-5 is not a great outcome either, so any congratulations should be muted. The two series they played were against the Mariners, by whom they were swept, and the Brewers, who beat them in 2 out of 3 games.
The Cardinals remain in fourth place in the NL Central, and by some miracle are 4 games back of the Wild Card with 12 games remaining. The team will be playing two of the four teams ahead of them in the Wild Card in those 12 remaining games, the Reds and the Giants. It is going to be a wild ride for the next two weeks in the National League.
The offense this week was, in a word, insufficient for the team’s needs. They scored less than four runs in all but one of the games. The Cardinals lost the one game they scored eight runs. Baseball is funny that way.
The top offensive performers for the week by OPS are Iván Herrera (1.076), Brendan Donovan (.964 in 10 ABs), and Thomas Saggese (.858). At the bottom were Masyn Winn (.000 in 3 ABs), Yohel Pozo (.000 in 2 ABs), Jimmy Crooks (.000 in 6 ABs), Victor Scott (.077 in 11 ABs), Nolan Gorman (.308), Nathan Church (.393 in 7 ABs), and Jordan Walker (.473 in 10 ABs).
Masyn Winn is shut down for the rest of the season. Pozo is limited to pinch hitting. Crooks splits time with Pedro Pagés, who had 10 more ABs this week than Crooks. Walker plays sporadically as well. Scott just returned from the IL. Gorman has no excuse.
In the pitching realm, Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Michael McGreevy all had ERAs for the week under 4.00. McGreevy’s was the best at 1.50. Matthew Liberatore (11.25) and Andre Pallante (7.20) did not pitch well.
The bullpen was not great. Gordon Graceffo (18.00) has lost his way or perhaps has never found it. Riley O’Brien blew the save against the Brewers on Saturday in spectacular fashion but redeemed himself on Sunday. JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez also had some hiccups this week. Everyone else was fine.
The Cardinals head home to play two series against the Reds and the Brewers again. Brewers have already clinched the Division but beating them is always a good thing regardless. Beating the Reds is essential for the Cardinals to have any hope of getting nearer the Wild Card.
The final week of the season is when the Cardinals face the other team they are chasing for the Wild Card, the San Francisco Giants. They play them as the first series of the final road trip.
NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
91
59
0.618
Chicago
85
64
0.566
5.5
Cincinnati
74
75
0.503
16.5
2.5
St. Louis
73
77
0.500
18
4
Pittsburgh
65
85
0.444
26
12
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
9/8 The Cardinals designated 2B Garrett Hampson for assignment.
9/8 The Cardinals activated 1B Alec Burleson from the 10-day injured list.
9/8 The Cardinals optioned RHP Andre Granillo to the Memphis Redbirds.
9/8 The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Nick Raquet from the Memphis Redbirds.
9/9 The Cardinals activated 1B Willson Contreras from suspension.
9/9 The Cardinals sent 2B Brendan Donovan on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
9/10 The Cardinals sent LHP John King on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
9/10 The Cardinals sent 3B Nolan Arenado on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
9/11 The Cardinals released 2B Garrett Hampson.
9/12 The Cardinals activated 2B Brendan Donovan from the 10-day injured list.
9/12 The Cardinals activated LHP John King from the 15-day injured list.
9/12 The Cardinals optioned 3B José Fermín to the Memphis Redbirds.
9/12 The Cardinals optioned RHP Nick Raquet to the Memphis Redbirds.
9/13 The Cardinals placed SS Masyn Winn on the 10-day injured list.
9/13 The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. The latest report on Thompson as of September 3 is that he is still at the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter but has been shut down from throwing. There is no timetable for when he will return to pitching.
3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. Arenado is currently on a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals. Arenado started at 3B in Saturday’s game in Springfield and will return to St. Louis to be reevaluated for a return to the roster during the final homestand that begins on Monday.
2B Brendan Donovan was activated from the 10-day injured list.
LHP John King (mid back strain) was activated from the 15-day injured list.
OF Alec Burleson was activated from the 10-day injured list.
SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 13. Winn has been shut down for the remainder of the season and will have surgery in the offseason. A normal offseason is expected and Winn will return for Spring Training in 2026.
Looking Ahead
The final homestand of the season begins on Monday, September 15. The team will play a three-game series with the Reds to begin the week. Matthew Liberatore will take the mound for Monday’s game, followed by Michael McGreevy on Tuesday, and Andre Pallante on Wednesday.
The final homestand series is against the Brewers beginning Friday, September 19, and ending on Sunday, September 21.
The team ends the regular season on the road starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants beginning Monday, September 22, and ending in Chicago for the final regular season series against the Cubs. The regular season ends on Sunday, September 28.
The postseason begins with the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, September 30. The Cardinals are currently 4 games back of a Wild Card slot, but the likelihood of a postseason berth is low, as they would have to leapfrog over four teams to get there, two of which are the Reds and the Giants.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will feature a look back at some past events in franchise history that took place during the period of September 8 through September 14.
The events featured were notable occurrences during previous seasons in franchise history that include such things as records made or broken, special feats from players, transactions, or other events that mark the rich history of the franchise. These events will be detailed by date, player or other personnel involved, and as much information as possible to give the reader a sense of the significance of the event.
The following is a list of notable events that occurred in the history of the Cardinals franchise during the period from September 8 through September 14.
September 8, 1940 – On this date, Cardinals 1B Johnny Mize hit three home runs in the first game of a doubleheader with the Pirates. Mize became the first player to hit three home runs in one game four times in his career.
The Cardinals dropped both games of the twin bill to the Pirates.
Mark McGwire (Getty Images)
September 8, 1998 – Cardinals fans will remember this date as the day Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season to break Roger Maris’s all-time record for home runs in a single season. The home run was a 341 ft line drive to left field in the fourth inning of a 6-3 win over the Cubs.
September 9, 2006 – On this date, the Cardinals lost 3-0 to the Diamondbacks in a one hit wonder that lasted only 1 hour and 54 minutes. It was the shortest game ever played in Chase Field history. The one Cardinal hit was a double by Scott Rolen.
Stan Musial
September 10, 1963 – Stan Musial hit a home run in his first at-bat in a game against the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. What makes this particular home run special is that Musial’s first grandson was born earlier that day, which made Musial the first grandfather in major league history to hit a home run.
September 10, 1974 – On this date, Lou Brock ties and then breaks a 12-year-old single season stolen base record set by Maury Wills. The two stolen bases were Brock’s 104th and 105th stolen bases that year. The game was an 8-2 loss to the Phillies.
September 11, 1974 – The Cardinals beat the Mets 4-3 in a 25-inning game that lasted seven hours and four minutes and set a record of 202 batters.
Bob Gibson (AP photo)
September 12, 1959 – On this date, Bob Gibson pitched the first complete game of his career in a 6-4 win over the Cubs. Gibson allowed 6 hits and 3 earned runs, struck out 10 and walked four. Gibson ended his Hall of Fame career with 255 complete games.
September 13, 1964 – The Cardinals beat the Cubs in a 15-2 blowout on this date to become only the second team in major league history to score at least one run in every inning.
September 14, 1941 – On this date, Cardinal pitcher Howie Krist wins his 10th game of the season, ending his season with a perfect record of 10 wins and 0 losses. Krist’s perfect season establishes the NL record for most wins in a season by a pitcher without a defeat.
September 14, 2022 – Battery mates Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina break the all-time record set by Bill Freehan and Mickey Lolich for most games started together as pitcher and catcher with 325 such games.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-0 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield RF Joshua Baez, was 2-for-3 with a two-run home run. Other standouts include Matt Koperniak and Brycen Mautz.
Results for games played Friday, September 12, 2025.
Gerson Moreno relieved Taylor and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Skylar Hales hurled two shutout innings to earn the win. Andre Granillo tossed a scoreless ninth.
Memphis went up 2-0 in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt walked and advanced to second on a disengagement violation. Matt Koperniak singled to plate Wetherholt.
Jacksonville scored one run in the third to cut the lead to 2-1. The Redbirds added a run in the fifth to increase the lead to 3-1. Mike Antico tripled and scored on a single by Wetherholt.
Memphis extended their lead to 6-1 with a three-run seventh. Michael Siani walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Antico walked. Wetherholt was hit by a pitch to load the bases. César Prieto walked to bring Siani home. Koperniak singled to plate Antico.
Wetherholt came home on a double play ball from Blaze Jordan.
The offense scored six runs on seven hits. Koperniak was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Wetherholt and Antico each scored two runs.
On the bases, Koperniak stole his ninth bag of the season. Lloyd swiped his seventh.
The Redbirds turned four double plays on defense.
Memphis is 75-65 overall, 34-33 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the IL. Friday’s win clinched the Redbirds’ first winning season since 2018.
Tyler Bradt relieved Mautz and surrendered two runs in ⅔ innings. Michael Watson threw 2 ⅓ scoreless innings to lower his Double-A ERA to 1.11. Luis Gastelum tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 10th save.
The Cardinals took a 3-0 in the first inning. Nolan Arenado singled. Joshua Baez followed with a two-run home run, his 14th with Springfield.
Springfield added one run in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-0. Jeremy Rivas singled. Graysen Tarlow walked. Miguel Ugueto plated Rivas on a single.
San Antonio scored one run in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-1 and made it 4-3 in the sixth. Springfield held on to win the close contest.
The offense scored four runs on 10 hits. Baez was 2-for-3 with a home run for two RBI. Harris was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Rivas was 2-for-4. Harris doubled and scored a run.
On the bases, Baez stole his 34th bag of the season.
On defense, catcher Tarlow made a throwing error. Center fielder Davis had an outfield assist at home plate.
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? Chase Davis denies the tying run at the plate with a perfect throw from center. pic.twitter.com/HZUDXPBYuC
Springfield is 86-50 overall, 43-24 in the second half. They reside first place in the Texas League North after clinching the division on Thursday.
Liam Doyle, the #5 overall pick in the 2025 Draft, is slated to make his Double-A debut on Saturday.
Saturday’s game: vs. San Antonio, Liam Doyle LHP (0-0, -.–) vs. Eric Yost RHP (1-3, 4.58) 6:35 CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 0-2 on Wednesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis LF Bryan Torres, was 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Other standouts include Mike Antico, Brody Moore and Pete Hansen.
Results for games played Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
On Wednesday, the Triple-A Redbirds lost to the Jumbo Shrimp in a most frustrating manner, blowing a six-run lead in the ninth and giving up the lead again in the 10th as they were walked off.
Starter Aaron Wilkerson pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up one run on six hits, fanned six and walked one.
Andre Granillo relieved Wilkerson and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Roddery Muñoz hurled two scoreless innings. Oddanier Mosqueda surrendered five runs while securing just one out. Zack Weiss yielded three runs, two earned, in the final 2/3 of an inning and took a blown save and the loss.
Memphis took the lead in the second inning. Noah Mendlinger singled and scored on Brody Moore’s home run.
The Redbirds added two runs in the seventh to increase their lead to 4-1. Mendlinger doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Andy Yerzy walked. Mendlinger scored on a sac fly by Moore. Yerzy advanced to second on a wild pitch. JJ Wetherholt walked. Yerzy went to third on a wild pitch. Bryan Torres walked. Blaze Jordan singled to plate Yerzy.
In the top of the ninth, Memphis extended its lead to 7-1. Mike Antico doubled. Wetherholt was hit by a pitch. Torres doubled to drive in Antico and Wetherholt. Torres went to third on a passed ball and scored on a sac fly by Matt Koperniak.
2B/OF Bryan Torres (AAA) collected his third straight 3-hit game last night, extending his hit streak to 8 games and his on-base streak to 20.
Torres is hitting .328 on the year and is vying for the International League batting title, currently ranking 3rd and six points back of… pic.twitter.com/9AN8D7No7j
The Jumbo Shrimp rallied in the bottom of the ninth for six runs to tie the game. The game went into extra innings.
The Redbirds scored one run in the top of the 10th to regain the lead 8-7. Mendlinger started on second base. Yerzy was hit by a pitch. Moore sac bunted both runners up. Mendlinger was picked off third base. Antico doubled and Yerzy scored.
In the bottom of the 10th, with the ghost runner on second, a two-run home run by Jacksonville’s DH Joe Mack against Weiss gave the Jumbo Shrimp the walk off win.
The Redbirds scored eight runs on 10 hits. Torres was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Antico was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Mendlinger was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Moore had three RBI.
On the bases, Torres was caught stealing. Mendlinger was picked off third base.
On defense, Torres had an outfield assist at third base. Wilkerson picked a runner off second base.
Memphis is 74-64 overall, 33-32 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Thursday’s game: at Jacksonville, Quinn Mathews LHP (4-6, 3.81) vs. Dax Fulton LHP (0-1, 7.56) 6:05 CT.
Despite two major leaguers in the starting lineup and one pitching in relief, the Double-A Cardinals fell to the Missions by a 5-3 score at Hammons Field on Wednesday.
Starter Pete Hansen pitched six innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, fanned five and walked two. Hansen took the loss.
St. Louis rehabber John King relieved Hansen and surrendered one run in the seventh. Hunter Hayes yielded one run in the eighth. Luis Gastelum tossed a scoreless ninth.
San Antonio took a 1-0 lead in the first and added two more runs in the second.
Springfield cut the lead to 3-1 in the home second. Miguel Ugueto and Dakota Harris singled. Ramon Mendoza singled to score Ugueto.
The Missions scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to make it 5-1.
The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the ninth to shrink the lead to 5-3. Zach Levenson walked. Harris singled. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. Levenson came home on a second wild pitch. Graysen Tarlow doubled to plate Harris.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Harris and Jon Jon Gazdar were both 2-for-4, though Harris was caught stealing.
Batting second, St. Louis second baseman Brendan Donovan went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Designated hitter Nolan Arenado, hitting third, had the same stat line.
Springfield is 85-49 overall, 42-23 in the second half and is in first place in the Texas League North. The Cardinals lead Tulsa by four games with a magic number of one to clinch the second half division title.
Thursday’s game: vs. San Antonio, Ixan Henderson LHP (9-6, 2.54) vs. Victor Lizarraga RHP (4-10, 6.21) 6:35 CT.
Now 20% off – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today, with the latter on closeout for 20% off!
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photo: Ramon Mendoza (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 1-1 on Tuesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield DH Ramon Mendoza, went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Other standouts include Bryan Torres, Miguel Ugueto and Leonardo Bernal.
Results for games played Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
The Triple-A Redbirds fell to the Jumbo Shrimp in Jacksonville, FL by a 5-2 score on Tuesday. Starter Zach Plesac pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on four hits and fanned four. Plesac took the loss.
Anthony Veneziano relieved Plesac and surrendered two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Gerson Moreno threw a scoreless seventh. Jack Ralston tossed a scoreless eighth.
Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Bryan Torres singled. Blaze Jordan doubled. Torres scored on a sac fly by Matt Koperniak.
Jacksonville scored two runs in the fourth, added a run in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to lead 5-1.
The Redbirds cut the lead to 5-2 in the seventh. Gavin Collins singled. Noah Mendlinger walked. Torres plated Collins on a single.
The offense scored two runs on six hits. Torres was 3-for-4 with an RBI. The offense was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Memphis is 74-63 overall, 33-31 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Wednesday’s game: at Jacksonville, Aaron Wilkerson RHP (6-3, 4.04) vs. Patrick Monteverde LHP (5-5, 5.02) 6:05 CT
Ricardo Velez relieved Lin and surrendered three runs in two innings. In his Double-A debut, Mason Burns yielded one run in two innings. Michael Watson tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn the win.
Springfield went up 3-0 in the second inning. Joshua Baez singled and stole second. Jeremy Rivas walked. Baez and Rivas executed a double steal. Trey Paige walked. Baez scored on a wild pitch. Ramon Mendoza plated Rivas and Paige on a single.
San Antonio scored a run in the third. The Cardinals added four in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-1. Paige walked. Mendoza singled. Miguel Ugueto drove in Paige on a single. St. Louis rehabber Brendan Donovan walked. Leonardo Bernal singled to plate Mendoza and Ugueto. Donovan scored on a double by Zach Levenson.
The Missions rallied for three runs in the fifth and pulled to within two runs in the seventh at 7-5. The Cardinals and Watson held on to win in the final innings.
The offense scored seven runs on 10 hits. Named Texas League Player of the Week on Monday, Mendoza celebrated by going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Ugueto was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Baez was 2-for-5. Bernal had two RBI. Paige scored two runs.
On the bases, Baez stole two bases. Rivas swiped his 21st bag. Ugueto was picked off and caught stealing.
On defense, Bernal was called for catcher interference.
Springfield is 85-48 overall, 42-22 in the second half and is in first place in the Texas League North.
Wednesday’s game: vs. San Antonio, Pete Hansen LHP (8-4, 3.91) vs. Enmanuel Pinales RHP (7-6, 5.32) 6:35 CT
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photo: Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire (USA TODAY Sports Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals returned to .500 after winning two series at home. Three Cardinals greats entered the team Hall of Fame. Our history feature returns to key events during this week in years past, including Big Mac’s home run no. 61 in 1998.
Cardinals Hall of Fame and 1985 Reunion
This past weekend as the San Francisco Giants were in town, St. Louis was packed with more than just baseball. The annual ceremony to induct new members to the Cardinals Hall of Fame took place, along with the 40 year reunion of the 1985 Cardinals team that made it to the World Series.
On Saturday, the annual Cardinals Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place, as two former Cardinals players and a former Cardinals general manager took their rightful place among team greats.
The induction ceremony was held in Ballpark Village as the 2025 class, former Cardinals Edgar Renteria and Al Hrabosky and the late Walt Jocketty, former Cardinals GM, were enshrined into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Enshrined in Cardinal red.
Welcome to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, Édgar Rentería, Walt Jocketty and Al Hrabosky! pic.twitter.com/5nEO7eSlUf
Renteria, 50, played shortstop for the Cardinals from 1999 through 2004. He came to the Cardinals in a trade with the Miami Marlins in December 1998. During his six seasons in St. Louis, Renteria slashed .290/.347/.420 with 71 home runs and 451 RBI. He was selected for three All-Star Games and won two Gold Gloves.
Hrabosky, 76, nicknamed the “Mad Hungarian”, was a relief pitcher for the Cardinals for eight seasons, from 1970-1977. He posted a combined record of 40-20 with an ERA of 2.93 in 329 appearances for the Cardinals. Hrabosky followed with decades of service as a broadcaster and in representing the team in the community.
Jocketty, who passed away this April at the age of 74, was the general manager of the Cardinals from 1994 through 2006. During this period the team won seven NL Division titles, two pennants, in 2004 and 2006, and a World Series Championship in 2006. Jocketty was represented at the ceremony by his son Joey.
This weekend was also a celebration of the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals team, which came together for their 40-year reunion at Busch Stadium. Former Cardinals present included pitchers John Tudor and Danny Cox, as well as position players Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Terry Pendleton.
The 1985 squad won 101 games that season, led by iconic Cardinals manager, the late Whitey Herzog. That team won the NL East and went on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. They met the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, losing in seven games after a blown call at first base in the ninth inning by Umpire Don Denkinger in Game 6 cost them that game. The Cardinals were winning the game 1-0 and the correct out call would have given the team the victory and Championship title. The embattled team went on to lose Game 7 to the Royals.
Both manager Whitey Herzog and Don Denkinger have since passed away, but fences were mended 10 years after that series, when Herzog invited Denkinger to a reunion dinner.
All in all, the weekend was a success for Cardinal Nation, as fans not only enjoyed old favorites celebrating past victories, but watched their current Cardinals take two victories over the San Francisco Giants.
The Cardinals fell to the Athletics in the first of a three-game series on Monday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings, gave up seven runs on 11 hits, fanned five and walked three. Gray took the loss.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Gray and surrendered three runs in 1 1/3 innings. Chris Roycroft yielded one run in the final 1 2/3 innings.
The Athletics went up 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning. The Cardinals answered in the home half with a solo home run by Iván Herrera to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Athletics added two runs in the top of the sixth to increase the lead to 5-1. St. Louis responded with one run in the bottom frame to shrink the lead to 5-2. Lars Nootbaar singled and later scored on a single by Masyn Winn.
In the seventh, the Athletics extended their lead to 7-2 and made it 11-2 in the eighth. The Cardinals added one run in the ninth as Thomas Saggese doubled and scored on a single by José Fermín.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. Nootbaar was 3-for-4.
On defense, Gray made an error on a pickoff attempt. Nathan Church had an outfield assist at second base.
The Cardinals edged the Athletics by a 2-1 score at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits and walked one to earn his seventh win.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals beat the Athletics by the score of 5-1 to take the series. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed four hits, fanned seven and walked one to earn his seventh win.
St. Louis increased the lead to 3-0 in the seventh on a solo home run by Nolan Gorman. The Athletics scored their only run in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Cardinals added two runs in the home eighth to extend the lead to 5-1. Winn walked. Nootbaar was intentionally walked. Contreras drove in both on a triple.
The offense scored five runs on seven hits. Contreras was 3-for-4 with four RBI. Gorman was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Winn scored two runs.
The Cardinals lost to the Giants in the first of a three-game series on Friday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched four innings, gave up six runs on nine hits, struck out three and walked one. McGreevy took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved McGreevy and threw two scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez surrendered two runs in the seventh. Chris Roycroft hurled a scoreless eighth. Andre Granillo tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Giants went up 2-0 in the first inning and added four runs in the fourth.
The Cardinals scored one run in the fifth. Jimmy Crooks singled and later came home on a single by Victor Scott.
San Francisco extended its lead to 8-1 in the seventh. St. Louis made it 8-2 in the eighth on a solo home run by Iván Herrera.
St. Louis’ offense scored two runs on five hits. Herrera’s home run was the only extra base hit. The offense was 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
The Cardinals topped the Giants in a 3-2 walk off win at Busch Stadium on Saturday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched six innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out three and walked one.
Kyle Leahy relieved Pallante and threw two scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn the win.
The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
The Cardinal offense struggled until the ninth inning. Nolan Gorman and Masyn Winn singled. Jimmy Crooks was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Garrett Hampson pinch ran for Crooks. Thomas Saggese singled to score Gorman. On an 0-for-25 skid, Jordan Walker doubled to plate Winn and Crooks to win the game in a 3-2 walk off.
The Cardinals beat the Giants by one run on Sunday to take the series. Starter Sonny Gray pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on two hits, fanned six and walked four to earn his 13th win.
Matt Svanson relieved Gray and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his third save.
The game was a pitcher’s duel until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cardinals scored four runs. Jordan Walker, Nathan Church and José Fermín walked. Lars Nootbaar singled to score Walker. Iván Herrera singled to plate Church. Nolan Gorman walked and Fermín came home. Nootbaar scored on a double play by Masyn Winn.
In the sixth, the Giants came back to cut the lead to 4-3, but the Cardinals bullpen held on through the final three innings.
St. Louis’ offense scored four runs on eight hits. Herrera was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Church was 2-for-3.
On defense, Pedro Pagés had a passed ball.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 4-2, winning two of three games from both the Athletics and the Giants. The Cardinals are back to .500 but remain in fourth place in the NL Central, 17 games back of the Brewers, and half game behind the third-place Reds. The team is 4.5 games back of the final Wild Card.
The team managed to win both series, though none of the wins were barnburners. In the two games they lost, both margins were by more runs than any of the games they won.
The offense was adequate, as demonstrated by the four wins. The top offensive performers for the week illustrate that the offense was not consequential by any means. Two of the three top performers by OPS for the week did not play in most of the games. They are Nathan Church (1.225 in 8 ABs), Iván Herrera (1.018) and Willson Contreras (.864 in 10 ABs). Contreras missed the entire Giants series due to a four-game suspension that was reduced from six games on appeal. Church played in only four games because Victor Scott returned from the injured list.
At the bottom were four: Thomas Saggese (.411), Jordan Walker (.325), Jimmy Crooks (.282), and Pedro Pagés (.200). Crooks and Pagés are sharing catching duties so their at-bats were limited to 10 each.
The pitching was similar to the offense in that it was not as impressive as the team record would suggest. Matthew Liberatore, Miles Mikolas, and Andre Pallante each had ERAs for the week under 4.00. Liberatore had the best outing of the bunch, with an ERA of 0.00. Sonny Gray made two starts for an ERA of 7.94. Michael McGreevy pitched a clunker (13.50) against the Giants on Friday.
The bullpen was good except for Ryan Fernandez (ERA of 19.29 in two appearances). The bullpen is in flux as it generally is this time of year. Chris Roycroft is up after being in Memphis for most of the second half of the season. John King is on the injured list for the second time recently.
The coming week is the first of two road trips in the next three weeks. The first is in Seattle with a good tea, but a slumping one in the Mariners. They end the week in Milwaukee to play the Brewers, only to face them again the following weekend in St. Louis. The Brewers feature the best record in MLB this season.
NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
89
55
0.618
Chicago
81
62
0.566
7.5
Cincinnati
72
71
0.503
16.5
4
St. Louis
72
72
0.500
17
4.5
Pittsburgh
64
80
0.444
25
12.5
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
9/1 The Cardinals recalled RHP Chris Roycroft from the Memphis Redbirds.
9/1 The Cardinals activated CF Victor Scott from the 10-day injured list.
9/5 The Cardinals optioned 2B César Prieto to the Memphis Redbirds.
9/5 The Cardinals activated C Yohel Pozo from the 7-day injured list.
9/5 1B Willson Contreras was suspended for four games.
In addition, on Sunday evening, Katie Woo of The Athletic disclosed the following moves to be announced on Monday.
LHR Nick Raquet added to the 40-man roster and promoted from Memphis to St. Louis.
RHR Andre Granillo optioned to Memphis from St. Louis.
What a difference 12 months makes! Last September, the #stlcards released LHR Nick Raquet. This September, he is getting the call to MLB, per @katiejwoo.
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Latest report on Thompson as of September 3 is that he is still at the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter but has been shut down from throwing. There is no timetable for when he will return to pitching.
3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. Arenado has returned to Louis and has taken part in pre-game drills. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals on September 9. According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat, Arenado is expected to return on September 15 for the beginning of the final homestand.
2B Brendan Donovan (left groin and foot). Donovan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18, retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. Donovan went through workouts beginning September 1. He is expected to go on a rehab assignment soon.
CF Victor Scott (left ankle sprain) was activated from the 10-day injured list and has returned to the lineup.
LHP John King (mid back strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list just days after returning from a previous IL stint for an oblique injury. King was absent from the team for the birth of his first child this past week. No further updates are available.
C Yohel Pozo has been activated from the 7-day injured list. With the arrival of C Jimmy Crooks to the roster, Pozo is expected to be a pinch hitter for the foreseeable future.
OF Alec Burleson was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 29 with right wrist inflammation. Received an injection on August 29. Burleson went through an outfield routine on September 6 without any pain. He is expected to return to the lineup on Monday in Seattle.
RHP Riley O’Brien (right shoulder soreness) an MRI on O’Brien came back clean, so the right hander had been rested several days to avoid an IL stint. O’Brien returned to pitch against the Giants on Saturday.
Looking Ahead
A road trip begins on Monday, September 7 in Seattle for three games against the Mariners. The road trip ends in Milwaukee for a weekend set.
The Cardinals will return to St. Louis for a three-game series with the Reds, which will be the final time the two teams play this season.
After an off day on Thursday, September 11, the homestand continues with a weekend set with the Brewers for the final time in 2025.
The team ends the regular season on the road starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants beginning Monday, September 22, and ending in Chicago against the Cubs. The regular season ends on Sunday, September 28.
The postseason begins with the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, September 30. The Cardinals are currently 4.5 games back of the final Wild Card slot, but the likelihood of a postseason berth is very low (1.1% per Fangraphs). St. Louis would not only have to win big over some good opponents ahead but also leapfrog over four teams.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will feature a look at events in franchise history that took place during the period September 1 through September 7.
The events featured include records made or broken, special feats from players, transactions, or other events that mark the rich history of the franchise. These events will be detailed by date, player or other personnel involved, and as much information as possible to give the reader a sense of the significance of the event.
Stan Musial
September 2, 1962 – On this date, the great Stan Musial, who was in his 21st season with the St. Louis Cardinals, got his 3,516th hit, surpassing Tris Speaker on the all-time hits list. This pinch hit single in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss the Mets in St. Louis, moved Musial into second place.
Musial finished his career in 1963 with a total of 3,630 hits. At that time, first place on the list was held by Ty Cobb, with 4,191 hits. Musial was eventually passed by Pete Rose and Hank Aaron.
September 2, 1998 – LHP Kent Mercker, who played for nine teams over 18 years in the majors, hit the only home run of his career while playing for the Cardinals on this date. Mercker pitched for the Cardinals for two seasons, 1998 and 1999.
The home run, a grand slam, came in the fourth inning in a blowout win over the Florida Marlins in Miami. Mercker hit the grand slam off Marlins starter Jesús Sánchez, scoring Ron Gant, Fernando Tatis, and Placido Polanco.
September 3, 2001 – On this date, rookie LHP Bud Smith pitched the only no-hitter of his short major league career. The no-no was in a 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Smith struck out seven Padres and walked four in the complete game shutout. Smith spent only two seasons with the Cardinals and did not play in the major leagues again for another team. Smith was part of the trade to the Phillies for Scott Rolen on July 29, 2002. Due to injuries, Smith never pitched for the Phillies major league team.
Yadier Molina (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)
September 4, 2012 – Cardinals C Yadier Molina had his 1,000th hit of his major league career against the Mets at Busch Stadium. It was infield single in a 5-1 win over the Mets.
September 4, 2013 – On this date 1B Matt Adams hit two extra inning home runs in a 5-4 win over the Reds in 16 innings. Adams became only the seventh major leaguer to hit two home runs in extra innings of the same game.
The long balls were solo shots in the 14th and 16th innings.
Mark Whiten (Getty Images)
September 7, 1993 – On this date, Cardinals center fielder Mark Whiten hit four home runs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. The four long balls, and 12 resulting RBI, tied two RBI records at the time. The first record was established by Jim Bottomley in 1924 for most RBI in a single game. The second record was for the most RBI in a doubleheader, a 21 year old record set by Nate Colbert.
September 7, 1998 – On this date, 1B Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run of the season, tying the MLB record for most home runs in a single season set by Roger Maris. It was a Labor Day game against the Cubs at Busch Stadium that the Cardinals won 3-2.
McGwire went on to hit 70 home runs in a race with the Cubs Sammy Sosa to break the single season home run record. McGwire hit home run no. 62 the next night, September 8. Sosa ended the season with 66.
Now 20% off – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today, with the latter on closeout for 20% off!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-2 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis DH Blaze Jordan, hit two home runs and plated three. Other standouts include Chase Heath, Chase Davis, Matthew Miura and Ryan Weingartner.
Results for games played Friday, September 5, 2025.
Thanks to a rough sixth inning, the Triple-A Redbirds took a one-run loss to the Red Wings at AutoZone Park on Friday.
Starter Quinn Mathews took a shutout into the sixth, but there, he couldn’t get an out, leaving with two runs in and the bases loaded. Skylar Hales finished the sixth, but he allowed all three runners inherited from Mathews to score.
Mathews pitched five-plus innings, gave up five runs on four hits, fanned six and walked four. The lefty took the loss.
Two relievers combined for the final three scoreless innings – Gerson Moreno and Roddery Muñoz.
Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Noah Mendlinger and Andy Yerzy singled. Michael Siani grounded into a force out and Mendlinger scored.
The Redbirds added two runs in the fifth. Bryan Torres singled. Matt Koperniak grounded into a force with Torres out at second. Blaze Jordan followed with a two-run home run.
Rochester put up a five-run sixth and took the lead 5-3. In the eighth, Memphis halved the gap on a solo home run by Jordan, but the scoring ended there.
Hunter Hayes relieved Henderson and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Michael Watson surrendered one run in the final 1 2/3 innings but received the win.
In the second, a solo home run by Trey Paige gave the Cards a 1-0 lead. NW Arkansas tied the game in the fifth.
The Cardinals broke the tie in the top of the sixth. Dakota Harris doubled, stole third base, and scored on a sac fly by Zach Levenson.
The Naturals tied the game again in the home sixth.
In the top of the ninth, the Cardinals put up two runs to go ahead 4-2. Paige was hit by a pitch. Ramon Mendoza singled. Darlin Moquete sac bunted and a throwing error sent Paige to third. Chase Davis singled to plate Paige and Mendoza.
The High-A Chiefs fell to the Sky Carp by a 4-1 score on Friday. Fresh off the injured list, starter Frank Elissalt pitched two scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one.
Gerardo Salas relieved Elissalt and surrendered two runs in 3 1/3 innings. Benjamin Arias yielded two runs, one earned, in the final 2 2/3 frames.
Peoria took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Ian Petrutz walked. Tre Richardson singled. Jose Cordoba doubled to score Petrutz.
Beloit put up two runs in the third and added two more in the eighth to win 4-1.
The Chiefs scored one run on four hits. Richardson was 2-for-3. The offense was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On defense, Rainiel Rodriguez made a throwing error. Anyelo Encarnacion had a fielding miscue. Salas picked a runner off first base.
Peoria is 51-77 overall, 25-38 in the second half, and is fifth place in the Midwest League West, 11 games back of Beloit.
Saturday’s game: at Beloit, Tanner Franklin RHP (0-0, 3.86) vs. Eliazar Dishmey RHP (2-0, 1.80) 6:35 CT.
The Low-A Cardinals drubbed the Tortugas by a 12-7 score at Roger Dean on Friday. Starter Tyler Van Dyke pitched 2 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned four and walked one.
Bobby Olsen relieved Van Dyke and surrendered one run in 3 1/3 innings. Alan Reyes yielded one run in 1 1/3 innings but received the win. Sam Brodersen allowed one unearned run in the eighth. Anthony Watts gave up one run in the ninth.
Daytona took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Palm Beach answered with three runs in the home half. Michael Dattalo singled. Luis Pino walked. Chase Heath followed with a three-run home run.
The Tortugas added a run in the second and tied the game in the third.
The Beach Birds regained the lead 4-3 in the fourth. Heath and Miura singled. Miura was caught stealing. Heath scored on a wild pitch.
Daytona put up two runs in the top of the sixth to go ahead 5-4.
The Cardinals responded with three runs in the home sixth on five walks, a hit batter but no hits to jump ahead 7-5. Dattalo was hit by a pitch. Pino and Miura walked. Yordalin Pena walked and Dattalo came home. Ryan Weingartner walked to score Pino. Miura scored on a walk by Heriberto Caraballo.
In the seventh, Palm Beach put up four runs to extend the lead to 11-5. Trevor Haskins singled. Dattalo and Pino walked. Miura reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Haskins and Dattalo. Pena walked. Weingartner singled to plate Pino and Miura.
The Tortugas cut the lead to 11-6 in the top of the eighth. Palm Beach added a run in the home eighth on a solo home run by Pino. Daytona rallied for one run in the ninth to make the final score 12-7.
The Cardinals scored 12 runs on seven hits. Heath was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Miura had two RBI and two runs scored. Weingartner drove in three. Pino had an RBI and scored four runs. Dattalo scored three runs.
On the bases, Miura was caught stealing. On defense, Haskins, Caraballo, and Weingartner each made a throwing error. Pino had an outfield assist at home plate.
Palm Beach is 61-67 on the season, 29-34 in the second half, and is in last place in the FSL East, 13 games back of St. Lucie.
Saturday’s game: vs. Daytona, LHP Bernard Mack (1-4, 5.32) or LHP Liam Doyle (professional debut) vs. TBD 5:00 CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-2 on Wednesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Peoria SS Jesus Baez, was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Other standouts include Ramon Mendoza, Miguel Ugueto and Mason Molina.
Results for games played Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
The Triple-A Redbirds were edged by the Red Wings by one run at AutoZone Park on Wednesday. Starter Ian Bedell went just three innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out one and walked two. Bedell took the loss.
Zack Weiss relieved Bedell and surrendered two runs in in the fourth. Three other relievers combined for five scoreless innings to end the game, but the offense could not come all the way back. Gerson Moreno took the fifth, Skylar Hales the sixth and seventh and Oddanier Mosqueda tossed the eighth and ninth.
Rochester took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Memphis answered in the third to cut the lead to 3-2. Michael Siani singled. JJ Wetherholt walked. Bryan Torres singled to score Siani. Matt Koperniak grounded into a force out and Wetherholt came home.
The Red Wings put up two more runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 5-2.
The Redbirds pulled closer with a two-run sixth. Koperniak singled. Blaze Jordan reached on an error. Noah Mendlinger plated Koperniak on a single. A wild pitch advanced Jordan and Mendlinger. Jordan scored on a ground out by Brody Moore.
Memphis scored four runs on six hits. Mendlinger was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On the bases, Siani stole his 21st base of the season. On defense, shortstop Wetherholt made a fielding error. Weiss committed an error on a pickoff attempt. Siani had an outfield assist at home plate.
Memphis is 71-61overall, 30-29 in the second half. They are 11 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Thursday’s game: vs. Rochester, Aaron Wilkerson RHP (6-3, 3.86) vs. Kyle Luckham RHP (0-1, 3.44) 6:45 CT.
The Double-A Cardinals topped the Naturals 9-8 in a wild road contest on Wednesday. Starter Chen Wei-Lin had another short outing, pitching 2 1/3 innings and giving up six runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Ricardo Velez relieved Lin and threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings, lowering his season ERA to 1.49. Edwin Nuñez surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Sean Harney hurled a scoreless eighth to get the win. Luis Gastelum tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his ninth save.
NW Arkansas went up 6-0 in the second inning. Springfield was held scoreless until the sixth, when they scored their first run of the game. Miguel Ugueto and Ramon Mendoza walked. Graysen Tarlow singled to score Ugueto.
The Cardinals added two small ball runs in the top of the seventh to shrink the lead to 6-3. Darlin Moquete walked. Jeremy Rivas was hit by a pitch. Rivas and Moquete advanced on a wild pitch. Moquete came home on a ground out by Joshua Baez. Rivas advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Naturals extended their lead to 8-3 with a two-run home seventh.
In the ninth, Springfield rallied for six runs to go ahead 9-8. Moquete singled. With two outs, Moquete went to third on a wild pitch. Baez walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Levenson walked. Ugueto plated Moquete and Baez on a single. Mendoza hit a three-run home run. Tarlow and Chase Adkison walked. Moquete was hit by a pitch. Dakota Harris reached on a fielder’s choice as Tarlow came home.
Jose Davila and Jawilme Ramirez combined threw four scoreless innings of relief.
The Chiefs went up 4-0 in the fourth inning. Won-Bin Cho singled and advanced to second on a balk. Jesus Baez singled and Cho scored. Deniel Ortiz hit a ground rule double. Sammy Hernandez reached on an error and Baez came home. Tre Richardson plated Ortiz on a force out as Hernandez was out at second. Andrew Sojka walked. Anyelo Encarnacion singled to drive in Richardson.
Peoria added a fifth and final run in the eighth on a solo home run by Baez.
The Low-A Cardinals fell to the Tortugas by the score of 4-1 at Roger Dean on Wednesday.
Starter Andrew Dutkanych pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed three hits, and fanned five. He departed with the bases empty so apparently he reached his pitch count. 39 of Dutkanych’s 52 pitches were strikes.
Yadiel Batista relieved Dutkanych and surrendered two runs in 4 1/3 innings. Alex Breckheimer yielded two runs in the ninth.
The game was scoreless until Daytona put up two runs in the sixth to take the lead 2-0. Palm Beach scored their only run in the eighth to cut the lead to 2-1. Chase Heath walked. Jack Gurevitch singled. Rainiel Rodriguez singled and Heath scored.
The Tortugas added two insurance runs in the ninth for the final 4-1 edge.
The Cardinals offense was held to three hits and one run. They were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On defense, Batista picked a runner off first.
Palm Beach is 60-66 on the season, 28-33 in the second half, and is in last place in the FSL East 13.5 games back of St. Lucie.
Thursday’s game: vs. Daytona, RHP Jacob Odle (0-5, 6.04) vs. Edgar Colon RHP (0-5, 5.58) 5:30 CT.
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photo: Mike Antico (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-2 on Tuesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis LF Mike Antico, hit two home runs and drove in three. Other standouts include Gavin Collins, Jeremy Rivas, Joshua Baez, Chase Davis and Won-Bin Cho.
Results for games played Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
Alex Cornwell relieved Rajcic and threw three scoreless innings to earn the win. Roddery Muñoz hurled a scoreless eighth. Osvaldo Berrios surrendered one run in the ninth.
Memphis went up 3-0 in the fourth inning. Matt Koperniak and Blaze Jordan singled. The runners advanced on a passed ball. Noah Mendlinger was intentionally walked. Gavin Collins hit a bases clearing triple.
The Redbirds increased the lead to 4-0 in the fifth on a solo home run by Mike Antico. Memphis ran up the score with a five-run eighth to extend the lead to 9-0. Matt Lloyd doubled. Mendlinger was hit by a pitch. Collins grounded into a force out with Mendlinger was out at second. Michael Siani tripled to plate Lloyd and Collins. Brody Moore drove in Siani on a single. Antico followed with a two-run home run.
The offense scored nine runs on 11 hits. Antico was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Koperniak was 3-for-5. Collins had three RBI. Siani drove in two.
On the bases, Koperniak stole his eighth base of the season. On defense, Moore made a throwing error. Cornwell picked a runner off first base.
Memphis is 71-60 overall, 30-28 in the second half. They are 10 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Rochester, Ian Bedell RHP (0-4, 7.90) vs. TBD (ROC) 6:45 CT.
The Double-A Cardinals edged the Naturals in an 8-7 road win on Tuesday. Starter Cade Winquest pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned seven and walked two.
Tyler Bradt relieved Winquest and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings to earn the win. Michael Watson threw a scoreless seventh. Randel Clemente yielded three runs in the final two innings.
Springfield went ahead 4-0 in the top of the third inning. Trey Paige doubled. Jon Jon Gazdar reached on a fielder’s choice and Paige scored. Gazdar advanced to second on a passed ball. Chase Davis walked. Leonardo Bernal singled to plate Gazdar. Joshua Baez drove in Davis and Bernal on a double.
NW Arkansas answered with three runs in the home third to cut the lead to 4-3.
In the top of the sixth, the Cardinals added two runs to increase the lead to 6-3. Jeremy Rivas and Paige singled. Gazdar was hit by a pitch. Davis singled to score Rivas and Paige.
The Naturals responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth to shrink the lead to 6-4. In the seventh, the Cardinals put up two more runs to extend the lead to 8-4. Zach Levenson singled and Rivas followed with a two-run home run.
NW Arkansas rallied for three runs in the eighth to make it a one-run game, but Springfield hung on to win 8-7.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 12 hits. Rivas was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Baez was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Davis was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Paige was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On the bases, Baez stole his 30th base at Double-A. On defense, Bradt made an error on a pickoff attempt.
Springfield is 80-47 overall, 37-21 in the second half and is in first place in the Texas League North.
🚨NEW FRANCHISE RECORD🚨
The Springfield Cardinals have won their 80th game, the most in team history, besting the 2024 Cardinals who won 79 just a season ago. pic.twitter.com/jnEbXzy0DT
The Chiefs’ six-game winning streak ended in a 4-1 road loss to the Sky Carp on Tuesday. Starter Nate Dohm pitched two innings, gave up one run on one hit and walked three.
Dominic Picone relieved Dohm and surrendered three runs in three innings. Picone took the loss. Jack Findlay threw two scoreless innings. Zack Showalter tossed a scoreless eighth.
Beloit scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Peoria tied the game in the second. Travis Honeyman singled and scored on a double by Won-Bin Cho.
The Cardinals fell to the Tortugas by the score of 6-1 on Tuesday at Roger Dean Stadium. Starter Leonel Sequera pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned seven and walked one and took the loss.
Hunter Kublick relieved Sequera and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Anthony Watts surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Bruno Lopez tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless frames with no baserunners allowed.
Daytona took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Beach Birds tied the game in the second as Jose Suarez walked and scored on a double by Trevor Haskins. It was the second baseman’s first professional RBI.
The Tortugas took back the lead with a run in the fifth. They added a third run in the sixth and three more runs in the eighth to win 6-1.
Palm Beach scored one run on just two hits. The offense struck out 14 times, was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On defense, Luis Pino and Rainiel Rodriguez each made a throwing error.
Palm Beach is 60-65 on the season, 28-32 in the second half, and is in third place in the FSL East 13.5 games back of St. Lucie.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Daytona, RHP Andrew Dutkanych (0-1, 5.14) vs. Sheng-En Lin RHP (0-1, 4.97) 5:30 CT.
Now 20% off – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or spiral- bound printed book copy today, with the latter on closeout for 20% off!
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photo: Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Last week, the Cardinals went 4-3 against two division opponents and are two games under .500 for the season. Pedro Pages remains the team’s hottest hitter. Our history feature highlights first MLB hits that were home runs.
The St. Louis Cardinals edged the Pittsburgh Pirates by a 7-6 score at Busch Stadium on Monday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up four runs on six hits, fanned seven and walked two.
Kyle Leahy relieved McGreevy and surrendered one unearned run in the seventh. JoJo Romero threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien yielded one run in the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. St. Louis tied the game in the second. Nolan Gorman walked before Thomas Saggese and Jordan Walker singled to load the bases. Gorman scored on a sac fly by Nathan Church.
The Pirates came back with three runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead.
In the fifth, the Cardinals put up five runs and went ahead 6-4. Church singled and advanced to second on a fielding error. Lars Nootbaar grounded out, sending Church to third. Masyn Winn singled to score Church. Alec Burleson hit a ground-rule double. Willson Contreras plated Winn and Burleson on a single. Gorman drove in Contreras on a double. Gorman scored on a single by Saggese.
In the seventh, Pittsburgh cut the lead to 6-5. They tied the game 6-6 with a run in the top of the ninth.
In the home half of the inning, Burleson thumped a solo home run to give St. Louis the walk off victory, 7-6.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on 11 hits. Burleson was 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Saggese was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Contreras had two RBI before his ejection.
In the seventh inning, Contreras struck out and had words with home-plate umpire Derek Thomas. The first baseman bumped Thomas, spiked his helmet, threw his bat and tossed a bucket of chewing gum onto the field. Contreras is appealing his six-game suspension and fine and continues to play.
When Contreras finally does serve his time, the Cardinals are limited at first base alternatives with Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan currently on the injured list.
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates by an 8-3 score at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up eight runs, seven earned, on eight hits, struck out three and walked one. Pallante took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Pallante and threw two scoreless innings. Jorge Alcalá hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Pirates went up 5-0 in the first inning. They added two runs in the second and one in the third to lead 8-0.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the fourth to get on the board. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Nolan Gorman followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis added one run in the sixth to shrink the lead to 8-3. Lars Nootbaar walked. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Nootbaar advanced to third on a ground out by Alec Burleson and came home on a ground out by Contreras.
The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits. Gorman had two RBI. The offense was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.
The Cardinals lost by 2-1 margin to the Pirates on Wednesday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched seven innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits, fanned seven and walked three. Gray took the loss, his seventh.
Matt Svanson relieved Gray and threw two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the second inning. Masyn Winn singled and Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés singled to score Winn.
The Pirates took a 2-1 lead with two runs in the sixth.
The Cardinals weak offense scored one run on four hits. Pagés was 2-for-4 with an RBI. The offense was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On defense, Willson Contreras made a throwing error.
On Thursday, the Cardinals won 4-1 and split the four-game series with the last place Pirates. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up one run on four hits, struck out five and walked one.
Kyle Leahy threw two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Riley O’Brien hurled a scoreless eighth. JoJo Romero tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Lars Nootbaar singled and scored on a double by Iván Herrera.
St. Louis broke the tie with a three-run seventh to go ahead 4-1. Masyn Winn walked. Thomas Saggese doubled to score Winn. Jordan Walker followed with a two-run home run.
The Cardinals defeated the Reds in a 7-5 extra innings contest at Great American Ballpark on Friday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked two.
Jorge Alcalá relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless sixth. Gordon Graceffo surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. JoJo Romero hurled 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Matt Svanson pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless 10th and earned his first save.
The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the first inning on a solo home run by Iván Herrera. The Reds answered with two runs in the home first to take a 2-1 lead.
St. Louis answered with two the second to regain the lead. Thomas Saggese doubled. Jordan Walker reached on an error but was caught stealing second. Pedro Pagés hit a two-run home run.
The Cardinals added a run in the third to increase the lead to 4-2. Herrera singled. Willson Contreras reached on catcher interference. Nolan Gorman singled. Masyn Winn singled and Herrera scored.
Cincinnati cut the lead to 4-3 in the sixth and tied the game in the seventh.
The Cardinals broke the tie with a run in the top of the eighth. Herrera walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on a double by Winn.
The Reds tied the game again in the home eighth. The teams took a 5-5 tie into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, the Cardinals scored two runs. Nathan Church started the inning on second base and advanced on a fly out by Lars Nootbaar. Contreras reached on a throwing error and Church came home. Gorman walked. Winn singled to plate Contreras.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on nine hits. Winn was 3-for-5 with three RBI. Pagés was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Walker and José Fermín were both caught stealing.
The Cardinals beat the Reds by a 4-2 score on Saturday to take the series in Cincinnati. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits and walked two. McGreevy earned his sixth win of the season.
Jorge Alcalá relieved McGreevy and surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. JoJo Romero and Kyle Leahy each threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to protect the win.
Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
St. Louis scored two runs in the fourth to go ahead. Jordan Walker and Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés was hit by a pitch. Nathan Church plated Walker and Saggese on a single.
In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals extended their lead to 3-1 on a solo home run by Willson Contreras.
The Reds answered with a run in the home seventh to cut the lead to 3-2. In the eighth, the Cardinals responded with a solo home run by Pagés to increase the lead to 4-2.
The offense scored four runs on seven hits. Lars Nootbaar was 2-for-5. Church had two RBI.
The Cardinals fell to the Reds in the final game of the series and were unable to complete the sweep. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up five runs, two earned, on six hits, fanned six and walked four. Pallante took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. Andre Granillo yielded one run in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and Iván Herrera singled to put runners on the corner. Nootbaar scored on a sac fly by Nolan Gorman. Thomas Saggese plated Herrera on a single.
The Reds came back to take the lead with a three-run second inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third as Nootbaar tripled and scored on a sac fly by Herrera.
Cincinnati put up two runs in the fifth to take the lead 5-3. St. Louis added a run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Jimmy Crooks, his first as a big-leaguer.
The Reds added single runs in the sixth and eighth to win by three.
The Cardinals scored four runs on seven hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On defense, César Prieto made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 4-3. They split four with the Pirates and took two of three at Cincinnati. The Cardinals remain in fourth place in the NL Central, 17 games out of first place and 1.5 games behind the third place Reds. They are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card with a month left in the season.
The offense has been hit or miss for some weeks now, though they have scored more runs even in losses than in previous weeks. There were no shutouts this past week and only one one-run game. There definitely has been improvement, though not enough to move them significantly closer to a playoff spot.
The top offensive performances for the past week by OPS are Jimmy Crooks (1.250 in four ABs), Pedro Pagés (1.175), Iván Herrera (1.131), and Alec Burleson (.916), who is now on the injured list.
At the bottom are Masyn Winn (.499), Nolan Gorman (.487), Willson Conteras (.430), César Prieto (.400 in 5 ABs), Jordan Walker (.374), and Nathan Church (.336).
The starting pitching, which has been the Achillies Heel for much of the season, showed some improvement this past week. Three starters had ERAs under 4.00, Sonny Gray (1.29), Miles Mikolas (1.80), and Michael McGreevy (3.75). Matthew Liberatore missed at 5.40. Andre Pallante (8.10) is still struggling, though there was some improvement in his second start of the week.
The bullpen has shown some movement but is holding its own. John King is back on the IL. JoJo Romero and Matt Svanson continue to impress, following the trade of three top relievers at the trade deadline. Kyle Leahy and Ryan Fernandez were also very good.
The Cardinals return home for a two-series homestand against the Athletics and Giants. Both are sub-.500 teams (as are the Cardinals), so there is opportunity for advancement in the standings.
NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
85
53
0.616
Chicago
78
59
0.569
6.5
Cincinnati
69
68
0.504
15.5
4
St. Louis
68
70
0.493
17
5.5
Pittsburgh
61
77
0.442
24
12.5
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
8/25 The Cardinals recalled RHP Gordon Graceffo from the Memphis Redbirds.
8/25 The Cardinals optioned RHP Andre Granillo to the Memphis Redbirds.
8/27 The Cardinals placed LHP John King on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 26. Mid-back strain.
8/27 The Cardinals recalled RHP Andre Granillo from the Memphis Redbirds.
8/29 The Cardinals placed C Yohel Pozo on the 7-day concussion injured list.
8/29 The Cardinals placed OF/1B Alec Burleson on the 10-day injured list. Right wrist inflammation.
8/29 The Cardinals selected the contract of 2B César Prieto from the Memphis Redbirds.
8/29 The Cardinals selected the contract of C Jimmy Crooks from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Thompson has had several setbacks in his rehab. It was reported several weeks ago that he was set to resume his throwing program. Whether and/or when Thompson may return to the big league roster in 2025 is unknown.
3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. The latest on the third baseman is that he will return to St. Louis soon to have his shoulder evaluated by team doctors. At that point a rehab assignment will be formulated if Arenado’s shoulder checks out.
2B Brendan Donovan (left groin and foot) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18, retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. Improvement in Donovan’s foot and groin have been reported and baseball activities have resumed in the form of hitting balls off a tee and coach flipped balls in the batting cage.
CF Victor Scott (left ankle sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 17. Scott is currently on a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals and should be activated when rosters expand.
LHP John King (mid back strain) has been placed on the 15-day injured list just days after returning from a previous IL stint for an oblique injury. The current injury appears to be tied to the oblique and was suffered during warm up tosses on August 26.
C Yohel Pozo was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list on August 29. During the game on August 28 with the Pirates, Pozo took a foul tip off his catcher’s mask and concussion symptoms appeared after the game.
OF Alec Burleson was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 29 with right wrist inflammation. The wrist had been bothering him for some time. Burleson had an injection in the wrist. The stay on the injured list is expected to not exceed the minimum time required.
Looking Ahead
The final month of the regular season begins at Busch Stadium with a three-game series against the Athletics. After an off day on Thursday, September 4, the homestand continues with a weekend series with the Giants.
A road trip begins on Monday, September 7 in Seattle for three games against the Mariners. The road trip ends in Milwaukee for a weekend series.
The Cardinals return to St. Louis for three with the Reds, which will be the final time the teams play this season.
After an off day Thursday, September 11, the homestand continues with a weekend series with the first-place Brewers for the final time in 2025.
The team will conclude the season on the road starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants and ending in Chicago against the Cubs.
Blast from the Past
Two Cardinals made their major league debuts this weekend in Cincinnati. Both César Prieto and Jimmy Crooks had their first major league hit in Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Reds.
Crooks’ hit was a solo home run in the seventh inning for the Cardinals’ fourth and final run of the game.
Many in the history of the franchise hit a home run for their first major league hit. In this week’s Blast from the Past, we will highlight a handful of former Cardinals from that list.
The date of the home run, where and when it occurred, what type of home run and any other notable details about the home run or the player are identified.
Eddie Morgan – This outfielder-first baseman played for two seasons for the Cardinals, 1936-37. Morgan made his major league debut for the Cardinals on April 14, 1936 in a 12-7 loss to the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. He pinch hit in the seventh inning for pitcher Bill McGee and hit a two-run home run to center with Leo Durocher on second base.
Morgan appeared in only eight games for the Cardinals that season.
Wally Moon
Wally Moon – Moon, who was also an OF/1B, debuted for the Cardinals on April 13, 1954. Moon was later named the NL Rookie of the Year, slashing .304/.371/.435 in 716 PAs, which included 12 home runs and 76 RBI.
On that date, April 13, 1954, in a 13-4 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium I, Moon started in center and hit second. In the first inning, Moon hit the first of his 12 home runs that season, a solo shot.
Moon played for the Cardinals for five years and was traded to the Dodgers after the 1958 season.
Keith McDonald – Catcher Keith McDonald had a very short career, playing in only two major league seasons, both with St. Louis. He appeared in only eight games in total.
On July 4, 2000, in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth inning of a 14-3 win over the Reds at Busch Stadium II, McDonald hit a solo home run to left in his first major league at bat.
Hector Luna – This second baseman made his major league debut for the Cardinals on April 8, 2004 in an 11-5 loss to the Brewers at Busch Stadium II. Luna started at second base and hit seventh.
In his first major league at bat, leading off the third inning, Luna hit a solo home run to left. It was Luna’s only hit of the game.
The Cardinals traded Luna to the Cleveland Indians in July 2006.
Adam Wainwright (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)
Adam Wainwright – Pitcher Adam Wainwright made his major league debut with the Cardinals on September 11, 2005. He began his career as a reliever, so he did not have any at bats as a pitcher until May 24, 2006 in a 10-4 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. His first major league at bat was as a pitcher in the fifth inning, after he came in to pitch in the fourth.
On the first pitch from Giants pitcher Noah Lowry, Wainwright hit a solo home run to left.
Oscar Taveras – The Cardinals no. 1 prospect made his major league debut on May 31, 2014 in a 2-0 win over the Giants at Busch Stadium III.
Taveras started the game in right and batted sixth. In the fifth inning, his second plate appearance, Taveras hit a solo home run to left off Giants pitcher Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit.
Taveras played for the Cardinals only that season, as he tragically died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on October 26, 2014.
Paul DeJong (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)
Paul DeJong – Shortstop Paul DeJong made his major league debut on May 28, 2017 in an 8-4 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field.
DeJong came into the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning for pitcher John Brebbia. In his first major league at bat, DeJong hit a solo home run to left off Rockies reliever Greg Holland.
Lane Thomas – Thomas made his major league debut on April 17, 2019 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Thomas came in for defense late in the game and did not have an at-bat.
His first at-bat for the Cardinals came two days later, on April 19, 2019 in a 5-4 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium III. Thomas did not start but entered to pinch hit for Ryan Helsley in sixth inning. Against Seth Lugo, Thomas hit a two-run home run to right, scoring Dexter Fowler, who had reached on a ground rule double.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-1 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, 1B Trey Paige, had two hits, a walk and two RBI, including the walkoff winner for Springfield. Other standouts include Zach Plesac, Mike Antico, Blaze Jordan, Pete Hansen, Won-Bin Cho and Ramon Mendoza.
Gerson Moreno relieved Plesac and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Oddanier Mosqueda surrendered three runs, two earned, in just 1/3 of an inning. Chris Roycroft yielded two unearned runs in two innings. Roddery Muñoz allowed two runs in the eighth and took the loss.
Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Matt Koperniak walked and later scored on a walk by Michael Siani.
The Redbirds added a run in the fifth. Koperniak walked, advanced on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and scored on a single by Blaze Jordan.
Oklahoma City put up a five-run sixth inning to grab the lead at 5-2.
Memphis answered with three runs in the seventh to re-tie the game. Matt Lloyd, Noah Mendlinger and Siani walked. Brody Moore was hit by a pitch and Lloyd scored. Mike Antico plated Mendlinger and Siani on a single.
The Comets retook the lead at 7-5 in the eighth. The Redbirds were unable to answer.
Memphis scored five runs on eight hits. Antico was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Jordan was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Koperniak scored two runs.
On the bases, Bryan Torres and Antico were caught stealing. On defense, Lloyd and Jordan each made a throwing error.
Memphis is 69-59 overall, 28-27 in the second half. They are 11 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Saturday’s game: at Oklahoma City, Quinn Mathews LHP (3-5, 3.74) vs. TBD (OKC) 7:05 CT.
The Double-A Cardinals beat the RockHounds in a 5-4 walk off in extra innings on Friday. Starter Pete Hansen pitched seven innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits, fanned nine and walked one.
Austin Love relieved Hansen and threw a scoreless eighth. Luis Gastelum hurled two scoreless innings. Jack Ralston tossed a scoreless 11th to earn the win.
Midland went up 2-0 in the top of the second inning.
Springfield tied the game in the home half. Jeremy Rivas and Trey Paige singled. Ramon Mendoza singled to plate both runners.
The game remained tied until the RockHounds scored two runs in the top of the seventh to go up 4-2.
The Cardinals cut the lead to 4-3 in the home seventh. Dakota Harris singled then and advanced twice on wild pitches. Rivas walked. Harris scored on a single by Paige.
Springfield tied the game in the eighth. Zach Levenson walked. Miguel Ugueto singled. Levenson came home on a wild pitch.
The game remained tied through regulation and went into extra innings. Neither team scored in the 10th. Midland failed to score in the top of the 11th.
The Cardinals walked off the win in the home 11th. Ugueto started on second and stole third base. Harris and Rivas were intentionally walked to load the bases. Paige plated Ugueto on a sac fly.
The Cardinals scored five runs on six hits. Paige was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Mendoza had two RBI. In his first rehab game, St. Louis center fielder Victor Scott went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
On the bases, Rivas stole his 18th base. Paige swiped his sixth bag. Ugueto stole his eighth.
On defense, Harris made a fielding error. Gastelum picked a runner off first base.
Springfield is 77-47 overall, 34-21 in the second half and is in first place in the Texas League North.
Saturday’s game: vs. Midland, Ixan Henderson LHP (9-6, 2.44) vs. James Gonzalez LHP (3-3, 4.36) 6:35 CT.
The High-A Chiefs edged the Cubs by a 5-4 score at Dozer Park on Friday, their fourth win in four tries vs. South Bend. Starter Jose Davila pitched just 1 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on three hits, struck out two and walked five.
Benjamin Arias relieved Davila and threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Jawilme Ramirez surrendered two runs in three innings. Zack Showalter tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his first save.
Peoria took the lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Won-Bin Cho. South Bend answered with two runs in the second to tie the game.
The Chiefs responded with two more runs in the third to regain the lead 4-2. Jose Cordoba singled, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out by Cho. He came home on a sac fly by Christian Martin. Travis Honeyman tripled and scored on a single by Deniel Ortiz.
In the sixth, Peoria extended the lead to 5-2 on a solo home run by Tre Richardson. The Cubs put up two runs in the seventh to shrink the lead to 5-4. The Chiefs held on to win.
The offense scored five runs on nine hits. Cho was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Ortiz and Richardson were both 2-for-3 with an RBI. Cordoba was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Cordoba stole his fourth base of the season. Cho swiped his 22nd bag. Ortiz stole his sixth. Richardson was caught stealing.
On defense, Ortiz was tagged for interference. Cordoba had an outfield assist at home plate.
Peoria is 48-74 overall, 22-35 in the second half, and is fifth place in the Midwest League West, 10 games back of Beloit.
Saturday’s game: vs. South Bend, Tanner Franklin RHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Kenten Egbert RHP (6-8, 4.41) 7:05 CT.
Palm Beach at Jupiter (postponed)
Friday night’s game at Roger Dean was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up on Saturday, August 30 as one game of a doubleheader.
Palm Beach is 58-63 on the season, 26-30 in the second half, and is in last place in the FSL East, 12.5 games back of St. Lucie.
Saturday’s games: at Jupiter, RHP Ty Van Dyke (0-0, 0.00) vs. TBD 3:30 CT (game one); at Jupiter, TBD vs. TBD (game two).
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-1 on Wednesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Palm Beach DH Rainiel Rodriguez singled, homered, walked and drove in five. Other standouts include César Prieto, Blaze Jordan, Zach Levenson, Dakota Harris, Joshua Baez, Brody Moore, Mason Molina and Jesus Baez.
The Triple-A Redbirds beat the Comets in OKC by the score of 8-6 on Wednesday for Memphis’ seventh consecutive road win. Starter Ian Bedell pitched five innings, gave up four runs on five hits, fanned four and walked two.
Skylar Hales relieved Bedell and surrendered two runs in the sixth. Anthony Veneziano threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Roddery Muñoz tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Matt Koperniak singled to plate Wetherholt.
The Redbirds added a run in the second on a solo home run by César Prieto.
Oklahoma City cut the lead to 2-1 in the third and added three runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
Memphis answered with a three-run fifth inning to regain the lead. Michael Siani walked. Wetherholt singled and Siani advanced to third. Siani scored on a sac fly by Bryan Torres. Wetherholt stole second base. Jimmy Crooks plated Wetherholt on a single. Blaze Jordan singled. Prieto drove in Crooks on a single.
The Comets recaptured the lead in the sixth with two runs.
The Redbirds tied the game in the seventh. Torres singled, stole second and stole third. Torres came home on a sac fly by Crooks.
In the ninth, Memphis rallied for two runs to go ahead 8-6. Siani, Torres and Koperniak walked. Jordan plated Siani and Torres on a single.
The Redbirds offense scored eight runs on 12 hits. Prieto and Jordan were 2-for-5 with two RBI. Wetherholt was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Koperniak was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Crooks had two RBI. Siani scored two runs. Torres had an RBI and scored twice.
Noah Mendlinger stole his second Triple-A base. Wetherholt swiped his seventh bag at the level. Torres stole two bases. Koperniak was caught stealing.
On defense, Siani had an outfield assist at first base.
Memphis is 68-58 overall, 27-26 in the second half. They are 11 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Thursday’s game: at Oklahoma City, Aaron Wilkerson RHP (5-3, 3.94) vs. TBD (OKC) 7:05 CT.
The Double-A Cardinals pounded the RockHounds in a 13-5 rout at Hammons Field on Wednesday. Starter Cade Winquest pitched five innings, gave up three runs on nine hits, struck out three and walked two to earn his third Texas League win.
Tyler Bradt relieved Winquest and threw two scoreless innings. Edwin Nuñez hurled a scoreless eighth. Jack Ralston surrendered two meaningless runs in the ninth.
Springfield took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Chase Davis walked and scored on Joshua Baez’ home run.
In the top of the second, Midland cut the lead to 2-1.
The Cardinals answered with seven runs in the home second to jump ahead 9-1. Trey Paige doubled. Graysen Tarlow walked. A wild pitch advanced the runners. Brody Moore plated both on a single. Davis singled and scored on a double by Dakota Harris. Leonardo Bernal drove in Harris on a double. Baez walked. Zack Levenson singled and Bernal scored. Levenson stole second base, and Baez stole home.
Springfield added three in the sixth to lead 13-3. Baez singled and Levenson followed with a two-run home run. Paige walked. Tarlow singled. Davis plated Paige on single.
The RockHounds put up two runs in the ninth for the final score of 13-5.
The Cardinals scored 13 runs on 16 hits. Levenson was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Harris was 2-for-6 with three RBI. Baez was 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Moore was 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Davis was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Tarlow was 2-for-4. Paige scored two runs.
On the bases, Levenson stole his second base. Baez swiped his 28th bag.
Springfield is 75-47 overall, 32-21 in the second half and is in first place in the Texas League North by two games.
Thursday’s game: vs. Midland, Chen-Wei Lin RHP (0-0, 0.00) vs. Braden Nett RHP (6-5, 3.51) 6:35 CT.
Aaron Holiday relieved Molina and surrendered two runs in two innings. D.J. Carpenter threw a scoreless eighth. Dominic Picone tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Chiefs went up 4-0 in the first inning. Jon Jon Gazdar singled. Ryan Campos walked. Jesus Baez doubled to score Gazdar and Campos. Travis Honeyman plated Baez on a single. Deniel Ortiz drove in Honeyman on a single.
In the fourth, a solo home run by Campos increased the lead to 5-0. The Chiefs poured it on with a five run sixth. Baez reached on an error. Honeyman walked. Ortiz singled to score Baez. Won-Bin Cho plated Honeyman and Ortiz on a single. Chase Adkison was hit by a pitch. Tre Richardson singled and Cho came home. Adkison scored on a single by Gazdar.
The Cubs avoided being shut out with two runs in the seventh.
The offense scored 10 runs on 13 hits. Baez was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Ortiz was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Gazdar was 2-for-6 with an RBI. Jose Cordoba was 3-for-4. Cho had two RBI. Honeyman scored two runs.
On the bases, Cho stole his 21st base of the season. Cordoba swiped two bags. Honeyman stole his third base. Ortiz was caught stealing.
On defense, Ortiz made a fielding error.
Peoria is 46-74 overall, 20-35 in the second half, and is fifth place in the Midwest League West, 11 games back of Beloit.
Thursday’s game: vs. South Bend, Braden Davis LHP (2-1, 2.20) vs. Nazier Mulé RHP (0-0, 5.40) 6:35 CT.
The Low-A Cardinals fell to the Hammerheads by the identical score as the previous night, 7-6, except in 12 innings instead of 11. Starter Andrew Dutkanych pitched just 2/3 of an inning, gave up one run on no hits, struck out one and walked four.
The starter’s early exit led to 11 1/3 innings to be covered by the Beach Birds bullpen.
Sam Brodersen was first to relieve and escaped a bases-loaded jam inherited from Dutkanych. Brodersen went on to surrender one run in 2 1/3 innings. Yadiel Batista allowed three runs in five innings. Alan Reyes yielded one run in the next two innings. Jovi Galvez gave up one unearned run in the final inning and took the loss.
Jupiter took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Palm Beach scored three runs in the top of the third to take the lead 3-1. Yordalin Pena and Chase Heath walked. Pena stole second base and scored on a sac fly by Christian Martin. Rainiel Rodriguez followed with a two-run home run.
C Rainiel Rodriguez (A) has homered in three straight games after hitting an inside-the-park home run this evening at Jupiter.
Rodriguez has recorded an RBI in 12 of his last 15 games played, bringing his total to 38 in 55 games played at Palm Beach. pic.twitter.com/6cv7MyxCec
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) August 27, 2025
The Hammerheads added a run in the home third and three in the fourth to go up 5-3.
The Beach Birds tied the score with a two-run fifth. Pena singled. Heath walked. Martin advanced the runners on a sac bunt. Rodriguez plated Pena and Heath on a single.
In the top of the ninth, the Cardinals added a run to lead 6-5. Heath was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Ryan Weingartner and Martin walked. With the bases loaded, Rodriguez walked and Heath scored.
Jupiter tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth. Neither team could bring a run home in the 10th and 11th. Palm Beach failed to score in the top of the 12th, but the Hammerheads broke through to walk off the 7-6 win.
The Cardinals scored six runs on just four hits. Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with five RBI. Heath scored three times. Pena scored twice.
Jack Gurevitch stole two bases. Pena swiped his 20th bag. Heath stole his second base. Weingartner and Matthew Miura were caught stealing. Miura was picked off first base.
On defense, Batista picked a runner off first base. Heath had a passed ball.
Palm Beach is 57-63 on the season, 25-29 in the second half, and is in last place in the FSL East, 12.5 games back of St. Lucie.
Thursday’s game: at Jupiter, RHP Jacob Odle (0-5, 5.73) vs. TBD 5:30 CT.
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The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-1 on Tuesday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Springfield LH Brycen Mautz, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Other standouts include Jose Cordoba, Jon Jon Gazdar, Jesus Baez and Rainiel Rodriguez.
Osvaldo Berrios relieved Rajcic and threw a scoreless fifth. Gerson Moreno surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Oddanier Mosqueda hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Chris Roycroft and Nick Raquet each tossed a scoreless inning. Raquet earned his second save.
Memphis scored in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt walked. Matt Koperniak singled. Wetherholt came home on a sac fly by Blaze Jordan.
Oklahoma City tied the game in the home first.
The Redbirds regained the lead with two runs in the fourth. César Prieto and Matt Lloyd singled. Noah Mendlinger singled to score Prieto. Michael Siani walked. Mike Antico was hit by a pitch and Lloyd scored.
The Comets cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth.
Memphis extended the lead to 4-2 in the seventh on a solo home run by Jimmy Crooks.
The offense scored four runs on 11 hits. Mendlinger was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Koperniak was 2-for-5. Prieto was 2-for-4. Lloyd was 2-for-3.
On the bases, Wetherholt stole his sixth base of the season. Mendlinger and Lloyd were caught stealing.
Memphis is 67-58 overall, 26-26 in the second half. They are 11 games back of Scranton in the IL.
Wednesday’s game: at Oklahoma City, Ian Bedell RHP (0-4, 7.98) vs. TBD (OKC) 7:05 CT.
Tonight, Brycen Mautz fired his 14th outing this season in which he allowed one or zero runs. He strikes out four in 5.2 shutout innings against Midland. pic.twitter.com/fGgKCEpoPD
Zane Mills relieved Mautz and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Luis Gastelum tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn his eighth save.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Chase Davis hit a solo home run. Joshua Baez doubled, stole third base, and scored on a throwing error.
Darlin Saladin relieved Dohm and threw three scoreless innings on one hit and two walks with four strikeouts to earn the win. Jawilme Ramirez surrendered one run in two innings. Benjamin Arias tossed a scoreless ninth.
Peoria took the lead in the first inning. Jon Jon Gazdar singled and advanced to second on an error. Gazdar scored on a single by Jesus Baez.
The Chiefs added two runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. Deniel Ortiz hit a solo home run. Andrew Sojka doubled and came home on a single by Anyelo Encarnacion.
The Cubs put up their only run in the seventh inning.
The Chiefs ran away with the game in the eighth with nine runs. Ortiz was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Won-Bin Cho singled. Jose Cordoba singled and Ortiz scored. Sojka plated Cho on a single. Encarnacion walked. Cordoba came home on a sac fly by Gazdar. Ryan Campos drove in Sojka and Encarnacion on a single and a fielding error. Travis Honeyman singled and Campos scored. Ortiz singled. Cho walked. Cordoba cleared the bases with a double.
The Chiefs scored 12 runs on 16 hits. Cordoba was 2-for-5 with four RBI. Gazdar and Baez went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Ortiz was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Sojka was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Cho scored two runs.
On the bases, Baez stole his first with the Chiefs. Gazdar swiped two bags. Cho stole his 20th and Ortiz stole his fifth. Encarnacion was caught stealing.
Peoria is 45-74 overall, 19-35 in the second half, and is fifth place in the Midwest League West, 11 games back of Beloit.
Wednesday’s game: vs. South Bend, Mason Molina LHP (0-1, 3.86) vs. Kevin Valdez RHP (2-2, 3.96) 6:35 CT.
Yordy Herrera relieved Sequera and surrendered three runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Zack Showalter collected one out. Bruno Lopez hurled two scoreless innings. Alex Breckheimer yielded two runs, one earned, in the ninth for a blown save. Charles Harrison allowed one unearned run in the final 1 1/3 innings and took the loss.
The Beach Birds went up 4-0 in the top of the third inning. Ryan Weingartner, Matthew Miura and Jack Gurevitch singled. Rainiel Rodriguez blasted a grand slam.
Jupiter scored one run in the home half of the inning.
The Hammerheads tied the game with a three run sixth.
Palm Beach broke the tie with a run in the eighth. Christian Martin doubled. Luis Pino and Weingartner walked. Miura reached on an error and Martin scored.
The Cardinals extended the lead to 6-4 in the top of the ninth. Jalin Flores singled. Christian Martin singled and Flores came home on a throwing error.
Jupiter tied the game again with a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. The game went into the 10th and neither team scored.
In the 11th, the Cardinals failed to bring a run home on the top of the inning, but the Hammerheads succeeded and walked off the 7-6 win.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 11 hits. Rodriguez had four RBI. Gurevitch was 3-for-6. Martin was 2-for-5. Weingartner was 2-for-4.
On the bases, Gurevitch stole his second base of the season. On defense, Pino had an outfield assist at home plate. Rodriguez had a passed ball.
Palm Beach is 57-62 on the season, 25-28 in the second half, and is tied for last placed in the FSL East, 12.5 games back of St. Lucie.
Wednesday’s game: at Jupiter, RHP Andrew Dutkanych (0-1, 4.73) vs. TBD 5:30 CT.
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The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or spiral- bound printed book copy today, with the latter on closeout for 20% off!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
The Cardinals went an uninspiring 3-3 in Florida and remain three games under .500. Willson Contreras is the only consistent hitter as the injuries increase. Our history feature highlights prior late-August MLB debuts.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Marlins by the score of 8-3 at Loan Depot Park on Monday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, fanned five and walked one.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw two scoreless innings to earn his second win. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Jose Alcalá tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Marlins scored single runs in the first and fourth innings to lead 2-0.
The Cardinals put up three runs in the fifth to take the lead. Pedro Pagés walked. Nathan Church reached on a fielder’s choice as Pagés advanced to second on a throwing error. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. Lars Nootbaar singled to score Pagés. Nootbaar advanced to second on another wild pitch. Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Church. Nootbaar came home on a sac fly by Willson Contreras.
Miami tied the game in the sixth.
St. Louis answered with one run in the seventh to regain the lead at 4-3. Herrera reached on a fielding error and advanced to second. Burleson drove him in on a single.
The Cardinals added a run in the eighth to make it 5-3. Nolan Gorman walked and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Thomas Saggese. Pagés singled to score Gorman.
St. Louis posted a three-run ninth to extend the lead to 8-3. Burleson singled and Garrett Hampson pinch ran. Contreras singled. Hampson scored on a passed ball before Gorman hit a two-run home run.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 10 hits. Burleson was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gorman had two RBI and two runs scored.
On defense, third baseman Gorman made a throwing error.
The bullpen came through as Matt Svanson, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless inning each. O’Brien earned his second save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Iván Herrera singled to score Nootbaar.
St. Louis added two runs in the second. Thomas Saggese singled. Nathan Church was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced on a ground out by Nootbaar. Herrera plated Saggese and Church on a single.
The Cardinals made it 4-0 in the third. Nolan Gorman walked. Saggese singled. Pedro Pagés singled in Gorman.
The Marlins got on the board with two runs in the fourth.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 6-2. Masyn Winn singled and stole second base. Saggese also singled and stole second base. From third, Winn scored on a passed ball. Saggese came home on a sac bunt by Church.
Miami added two in the sixth.
St. Louis put up an insurance run in the seventh for a 7-4 lead. Winn was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and advanced to third on a throwing error. Winn came home on a sac fly by Saggese.
The offense scored seven runs on 12 hits. Herrera was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Saggese was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Nootbaar and Contreras were 2-for-5. Winn scored two runs.
Herrera stole his sixth base of the season. Winn swiped two bags. Saggese stole his second base.
On defense, McGreevy made a throwing error. Winn had a fielding miscue.
The Cardinals fell to the Marlins in the final game of the series on Wednesday, missing the chance to sweep. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked three. Pallante took the loss.
Anthony Veneziano relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless inning. Andre Granillo surrendered one run in one inning. Ryan Fernandez tossed the final 2/3 of a scoreless inning.
The Marlins went up 1-0 in the second and added two runs in the third to lead 3-0.
In the fifth, the Cardinals cut the lead to 3-1. Yohel Pozo took first base on a dropped third strike/passed ball. Jordan Walker singled. Pozo scored on a ground-rule double by Lars Nootbaar.
Miami increased its lead to 4-1 with a run in the home fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Willson Contreras’ solo home run closed the gap to 4-2.
The Marlins scored again in the bottom of the sixth and made it 7-2 in the eighth.
The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On defense, Thomas Saggese made a throwing error. Nootbaar had an outfield assist at second base. Pallante picked a runner off first base.
The Cardinals won over the Rays by a 7-4 score to open the series at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned six and walked one and received his 12th win of the season.
Kyle Leahy relieved Gray and surrendered one run in the sixth. Matt Svanson threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn his fourth save.
St. Louis put up a five run second inning. Nolan Gorman singled. Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés grounded into a force with Gorman out at third. Nathan Church reached on a fielder’s choice and Saggese came home. Lars Nootbaar doubled to score Pagés. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch scored Church and advanced the runners to second and third. Alec Burleson plated Nootbaar and Herrera on a single.
The Rays added two runs in the third to cut the lead to 5-3.
The Cardinals answered with a run in the fourth. Church reached on an error and stole second base. Nootbaar singled. Church came home on a single by Herrera.
In the top of the seventh, Willson Contreras’ solo home run increased the lead to 7-3. The Rays made it 7-4 in the home half to conclude the scoring.
The Cardinals plated seven runs on 10 hits. Burleson was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Gorman was 2-for-4. Church scored two runs.
Church stole his first base in the majors. Nootbaar was picked off and caught stealing.
On defense, Church had an outfield assist at third base.
The Cardinals lost the second game of the series to the Rays on Friday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up five runs, four earned on 10 hits, struck out one and walked one. Mikolas took the loss.
Anthony Veneziano relieved Mikolas and surrendered two runs in three innings. Ryan Fernandez yielded two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Jorge Alcalá allowed one run in the eighth.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals tied the score in the top of the second. Nolan Gorman walked. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out. Winn advanced to second on a ground out by Thomas Saggese and came home on a single by Yohel Pozo.
Tampa added two runs in the home second to regain the lead. They added onto their lead with two runs each in the third and fourth pad their lead to 7-1.
St. Louis cut the lead to 7-2 in the sixth. Willson Contreras hit a ground-rule double. Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch. Saggese grounded into a force out and Contreras scored.
The Cardinals put up a four-run top of the seventh to close the gap to 7-6. Jordan Walker singled. Nathan Church followed with a two-run home run. Iván Herrera singled and Contreras hit a two-run home run.
The Rays extended their lead to 9-6 with two runs in the home seventh and added a 10th run in the eighth.
The Cardinals scored six runs on nine hits. Contreras was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Church was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
On defense, Gorman made a throwing error. Mikolas picked a runner off first base.
Saturday, August 23, 2025 – Off day
This date was held open due to the NFL game held at the adjoining football stadium.
The Cardinals lost the series to the Rays with a defeat on Sunday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave four runs on three hits, fanned five and walked three. Liberatore took the loss.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Andre Granillo yielded two runs in two innings. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Rays scored one run in the fourth, added four in the fifth and two in the sixth to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals were held scoreless until the seventh. Alec Burleson reached on an error. Nolan Gorman walked. Jordan Walker singled to plate Burleson.
St. Louis added a second run in the ninth. Burleson singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gorman plated Burleson on a single.
The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Burleson scored two runs.
On the bases, Contreras was caught stealing.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a 3-3 record. They won 2 of 3 from the Marlins and lost the series to the Rays with the margin flipped. The team remains in fourth place and has sunk farther behind. St. Louis is four games back of the third-place Reds and are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card. The chances for the postseason are low at this point.
The offense has marginally improved over the past week, but it doesn’t matter as much when the pitching gives up more runs. Having three position players on the injured list doesn’t help, either.
The list of top offensive players for the week by OPS is a very short list of one, Willson Contreras (1.088). Next closest are Nolan Gorman (.873), and Lars Nootbaar (.793). At the bottom are Yohel Pozo (.200), Masyn Winn (.347), Pedro Pagés (.421) and Iván Herrera (.442).
As for pitching, the only starter with an ERA for the week under 4.00 was Michael McGreevy (3.00). Miles Mikolas had another very short road outing and was rocked (13.50). Sonny Gray (5.40), Matthew Liberatore (6.75 in two starts), and Andre Pallante (8.44) rounded out the week.
It appears with only a little more than a month left in the regular season that the team is out of the postseason hunt and is left to just play out the final games. The schedule isn’t set up to allow for any kind of a run, as remaining opponents include the Brewers, Cubs, Reds and Mariners, all above .500 teams. The Pirates, Athletics and Giants are the only sub-.500 teams remaining on the schedule.
The coming week the Cardinals play four games at home with Pittsburgh and three games with the Reds in Cincinnati.
NL Central Standings
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
WCGB
Milwaukee
81
50
0.618
Chicago
76
55
0.580
5
Cincinnati
68
63
0.519
13
1.5
St. Louis
64
67
0.489
17
5.5
Pittsburgh
57
74
0.435
24
12.5
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
8/18 The Cardinals placed 2B Brendan Donovan on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 15. Left groin strain.
8/18 The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
8/24 The Cardinals activated LHP John King from the 10-day injured list.
King, 30, had been on the IL since July 30. In three rehab games with Memphis totaling 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
8/24 The Cardinals optioned LHP Anthony Veneziano to the Memphis Redbirds.
Veneziano, 27, was claimed off waivers from Miami on August 4. He joined St. Louis on the 17th when Roddery Muñoz was returned to Memphis. With St. Louis, Veneziano appeared in two games and threw four innings. He allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Injury Report
LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Thompson has had several setbacks in his rehab. It was reported several weeks ago that he was set to resume his throwing program. Whether or when Thompson may return to the big league roster is unknown.
LHP John King was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 24.
3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. Arenado was sighted in the dugout for the Miami Marlins series but was only present for a visit while continuing to rehab in Jupiter. The plan is for the third baseman to begin some light hitting and then to throwing if he is pain free. No return date has been reported.
2B Brendan Donovan (left groin) Donovan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18, retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. No details have been reported concerning a return date or if Donovan will require a rehab assignment.
CF Victor Scott (left ankle sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 17. An MRI showed no structural damage. It is hoped that Scott will be able to return on August 27.
SS Masyn Winn was scratched from Sunday’s game with knee soreness. He was given a pain-killing injection and is hopeful to play on Monday.
Looking Ahead
Following the Rays series, the Cardinals return briefly to St. Louis for four games with the Pirates beginning Monday, August 25. Michael McGreevy is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by Andre Pallante, Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore.
The team ends August with three games in Cincinnati with the Reds.
The final month of the regular season begins at Busch Stadium with a four-game set with the Athletics. After an off day on Thursday, September 4, the homestand continues with a weekend series versus the Giants.
A road trip begins on Monday, September 7 in Seattle for three with the Mariners. The road trip ends in Milwaukee for a weekend set.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to highlighting debuts of current or former Cardinals players during a relevant period in the history of the franchise.
Late season debuts are quite common, especially following the expansion of rosters which occurs at the beginning of September. Additionally, the major league rules allow a prospect to retain their rookie status for the following season if they do not surpass 130 at bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days on an active roster the previous season. These thresholds can be maintained with a call up in mid to late August.
The following is a list of major league debuts that took place during the period August 18 through August 24, throughout the history of the franchise. One is a current member of the team’s active roster.
For each debut, the following will be chronicled: (1) the date of the debut, (2) the name of the debuting player, (3) how that player performed on his debut date, and (4) any other relevant or interesting details of the debut or a following game.
Todd Zeile
August 18, 1989 – On this date, 3B/1B/C Todd Zeile made his major league debut. Zeile played in both games of a doubleheader against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium as the Cardinals lost both.
In the opener, Zeile entered the game as a pinch hitter for Dan Quisenberry in the eighth inning and grounded out to third base.
Zeile was in the starting lineup for the second game as the catcher and hit eighth. He went 2-for-4. In the second inning, Zeile lined out to right. In the fifth, Zeile’s first major league hit was a single to right. He was stranded. Zeile hit an infield single to the shortstop in the seventh inning but was forced out at second by a bunt groundout from Vince Coleman. Zeile struck out swinging in the eighth.
August 18, 2023 – On this day, current Cardinal shortstop Masyn Winn made his major league debut in a 7-1 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium. Winn was in the starting lineup at shortstop batting ninth and went 1-for-4.
Winn’s first at bat came in the second inning. He struck out looking. He hit an infield single to third base off Mets starter Joey Lucchesi in the fifth but was stranded.
He grounded out to second in the seventh and flied out to center in the ninth.
Johan Oviedo (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)
August 19, 2020 – On this date in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season, RHP Johan Oviedo made his major league debut.
Oviedo faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field as the Cardinals lost, 4-2. Oviedo pitched five innings and gave up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Oviedo’s first major league strikeout victim wa Javier Baez in the first inning.
Oviedo made five starts in 2020. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 2, 2022 for Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton and remains in the Bucs rotation today.
Ray Lankford (Getty Images)
August 21, 1990 – On this date, future Cardinals Hall of Fame center fielder Ray Lankford made his major league debut in a 7-2 loss to the Braves at Busch Stadium.
Lankford was in the starting lineup batting sixth. Lankford went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
In the second inning, Lankford singled to center off John Smoltz for his first major league hit. He was stranded.
In the fourth, he flied out to left. Lankford grounded out to the pitcher in the sixth. His final at-bat was an RBI double to RF in the eighth, scoring Todd Zeile. Lankford came home on a single by Rex Hudler.
August 22, 1977 – On this day, third baseman Ken Oberkfell made his major league debut in an 8-6 win over the Dodgers at Busch Stadium.
Oberkfell pinch hit for pitcher John Denny in the third inning and flied out to center. Oberkfell started only one game in 1977, on September 11th, he played for six innings and was hitless.
Oberkfell’s first major league hit did not occur until his last game that season. On October 2, 1977, in a 6-4 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium, Oberkfell replaced Garry Templeton in the fifth inning playing second base. He moved to third base in the sixth and came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. His first major league hit occurred in the eighth inning, an RBI single to right scoring Dane Iorg,
Rick Ankiel (Getty Images)
August 23, 1999 – On this date, LHP Rick Ankiel made his major league debut in an 11-7 loss to the Montreal Expos in Montreal.
Ankiel started and went five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out six and walked two.
His first major league strikeout victim was Rondell White in the first inning, swinging. Ankiel left the game in the sixth after a leadoff single, and wa replaced by Heathcliff Slocumb.
Ankiel made five starts in 1999 and pitched out of the bullpen in his final four appearances.
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Results from the Arizona Fall League game played on Wednesday, October 15.
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Looking Ahead
September 14, 2022 – Battery mates Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina break the all-time record set by Bill Freehan and Mickey Lolich for most games started together as pitcher and catcher with 325 such games.
