photo: Riley O’Brien (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 5-2 for the week and are only a half-game out of first place. Riley O’Brien has settled in at closer with a 3-0 record, six saves and a 0.00 ERA through 12 appearances. For Jackie Robinson Day, our history section highlights prominent black Cardinals, past and present.
Game Recaps
Monday, April 13, 2026 – Cardinals 3, Guardians 9
On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Cleveland Guardians in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up four runs on six hits, walked three and struck out two. Liberatore took the loss.
Justin Bruihl relieved Liberatore and surrendered two runs in the sixth. Gordon Graceffo yielded one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. St. Louis answered in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at 1-1. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera singled. Alec Burleson plated Wetherholt on a single.
The Guardians put up three runs in the fourth and two runs in the top of the sixth to go ahead 6-1. The Cardinals responded with one run in the home sixth to shrink the lead to 6-2.
In the top of the eighth, the Guardians increased their lead to 9-2. The Cardinals added one more run in the home eighth to make the final 9-3.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Jordan Walker was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. The offense had more chances, but they were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Fernandez made a throwing error.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 – Cardinals 6, Guardians 5 (10 innings)
The Cardinals topped the Guardians 6-5 in extra innings at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, walked one and struck out two.
George Soriano relieved McGreevy and threw a scoreless sixth. JoJo Romero hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryne Stanek surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Matt Svanson pitched a scoreless ninth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless 10th to earn his second win.
Cleveland went up 1-0 in the first inning. St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Iván Herrera.
The Guardians added a run in the second to lead 2-1. The Cardinals knotted it up again with a run in the third on a solo home run by JJ Wetherholt.
The game remained tied 2-2 until the eighth inning. In the top of the inning, the Guardians scored three to break the tie and lead 5-2. The Cardinals rallied for two runs on another home run by Wetherholt to make it 5-4.
St. Louis added one run in the ninth to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Masyn Winn reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Yohel Pozo plated Winn on a double.
In the 10th, the Guardians failed to score the tiebreaker runner in the top of the inning. The Cardinals succeeded in that regard when runner Thomas Saggese advanced from second to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Nathan Church to win the game in walk off fashion, 6-5.
The Cardinals scored six runs on eight hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with both hits home runs, three RBI and two runs scored.
Jordan Walker stole his second base of the season. Ramón Urías was caught stealing.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 – Cardinals 5, Guardians 3
The Cardinals took the home series over the Guardians with a 5-3 win on Wednesday. Starter Dustin May pitched six innings, gave up one run on six hits, walked one and fanned four to earn his second consecutive win.
Justin Bruihl relieved May and surrendered two runs in 2/3 of an inning. JoJo Romero threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
Cleveland scored once in the first inning.
St. Louis tied the game in second. Nathan Church singled on a bunt, stole second and scored on a single by Pedro Pagés.
The Cardinals added three runs in the sixth to lead 4-1. Masyn Winn and Church singled. The runners advanced on a sac bunt by Pagés. Victor Scott walked. Winn scored on a sac fly by JJ Wetherholt. Iván Herrera was intentionally walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Church and Scott.
The Guardians came back with two runs in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3. The Cardinals added one run in the home seventh to extend the lead to 5-3. Nolan Gorman singled and Ramón Urías pinch ran. Church doubled to score Urías.
The Cardinals scored five runs on nine hits. Church was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with two RBI.
Church and Pagés stole their first base. Wetherholt swiped his fourth bag. Scott stole his third base.
Church had an outfield assist at home plate.
Thursday, April 16, 2026 – Off day
Friday, April 17, 2026 – Cardinals 9 at Astros 4
On Friday, the Cardinals beat the Astros in the first of a three-game series at Daikin Park in Houston. Starter Kyle Leahy pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits and fanned six to earn his second win.
Justin Bruihl relieved Leahy and threw a scoreless sixth. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless seventh. Ryne Stanek surrendered one run in the eighth. George Soriano tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals took 1-0 lead in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson singled. Jordan Walker plated Wetherholt on a single.
St. Louis added two runs in the top of the third to extend the lead to 3-0. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera were hit by a pitches. Alec Burleson drew a walk to load the bases. Masyn Winn plated Wetherholt and Herrera on a single.
Houston scored two runs in the home third to cut the lead to 3-2. The Cardinals answered with a run in the fourth. Pedro Pagés led off with a double and he came home on Herrera’s single.
The Astros added a run in the fifth to shrink the lead to 4-3. In the seventh, the Cardinals scored three runs to lead 7-3. Burleson doubled. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Nolan Gorman followed with a three-run home run.
In the top of the eighth, St. Louis put up two more runs to lead 9-3. Wetherholt walked and Herrera hit a two-run home run.
Houston made it 9-4 in the home eighth.
The Cardinals scored nine runs on 10 hits. Herrera was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-4. Gorman had three RBI. Winn had two RBI. Wetherholt scored three runs.
Nathan Church stole his second base. Burleson made a fielding error. Pagés was tagged with catcher interference.
Saturday, April 18, 2026 – Cardinals 7 at Astros 5
The Cardinals took the second game of the series by the score of 7-5 on Saturday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up one run on three hits, walked three and fanned five to earn his second win.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Pallante and threw two scoreless innings. Matt Svanson surrendered one run in the eighth. George Soriano yielded three runs in 1/3 of an inning. Riley O’Brien secured the final two outs in the ninth for his sixth save.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrea were hit by pitches back-to-back in the same inning for the second straight game. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Nolan Gorman plated Wetherholt and Herrera on a single.
The Astros scored a run in the bottom of the first. The Cardinals added two more runs in the third to increase the lead to 4-1. Gorman singled and Masyn Winn followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis extended its lead in the sixth on a solo home run by José Fermín. Another run in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by Alec Burleson made it 6-1.
In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals added their seventh run. Ramón Urías walked and Church singled. Church was eliminated in a double play by Fermín. Urías scored from third on a wild pitch.
The Astros rallied for one run in the home eighth and three more in the ninth, to shrink the final score to 7-5.
St. Louis scored seven runs on nine hits. Gorman was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Burleson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Winn had two RBI.
Walker stole his third base of the season.
Sunday, April 19, 2026 – Cardinals 7 at Astros 5 (10 innings)
On Sunday, the Cardinals prevailed in an extra innings nail biter to sweep the Astros at Daikin Park. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings, gave up one run on three hits, walked two and fanned four.
Ryne Stanek relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero surrendered three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Riley O’Brien hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his third win. Justin Bruihl yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning, and Gordon Graceffo secured the final out of the 10th for his second career MLB save.
The Astros scored first with one run in the third inning. In the fifth, the Cardinals offense finally broke through against tough Astros starter Mike Burrows, to score four runs and take the lead. Masyn Winn singled with two outs. Nathan Church drew a walk. Pedro Pagés’s infield single loaded the bases. Victor Scott drew a walk and Winn scored. JJ Wetherholt plated Church and Pagés on a single. Scott came home on a single by Iván Herrera.
The score remained 4-1 until the eighth inning when the Astros put up three runs on usually reliable JoJo Romero to tie the game.
Neither team scored in the ninth and the game went into the tiebreaker 10th. Herrera was the runner at second. With one out, Jordan Walker reached on an error by the Astros third baseman. Pinch hitter Ramón Urías was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, Winn doubled into left field, clearing the bases for three runs to put the Cardinals in the lead 7-4.
The Astros put one run on the board in the 10th but could not do more and the Cardinals prevailed 7-5 to sweep the series.
St. Louis’ offense scored seven runs on eight hits. Winn, a native of Houston, was 3-for-5 with three RBI. Wetherholt had two RBI.
Burleson made a throwing error. O’Brien picked a runner off first base.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a good week, with a record of 5-2. They won two of three from the Guardians and swept the Astros. They have a record of 13-8 and are tied with the Pirates for second place in the NL Central, a half game back of the Reds.
The offense has picked up over these seven games, though last week’s best hitter, Jordan Walker, has fallen off over the last five games or so. This is not unusual, as not many players can keep up with the pace Walker was on to begin the season.
The top performers offensively over the last seven days by OPS are JJ Wetherholt (1.083), Masyn Winn (.949), and José Fermín (1.556 in six ABs). Next in line are Alec Burleson (.881) and Iván Herrera (.857). Both Winn and Herrera have vastly improved since being at the bottom of list in previous weeks.
The “Needs Improvement” List this week includes Thomas Saggese (.000 OPS) in six ABS), Ramón Urías (.333 in six ABs) and Victor Scott (.350 in 12 ABs).
Jordan Walker has dropped to .754 over the last week, though he still had some key hits.
Pitching remains the biggest weakness of the team. Among the starters, Dustin May, Andre Pallante, and Michael McGreevy had ERAs for the week under 4.00. Matthew Liberatore had an ERA of 4.09, but he was terrific in his most recent start on Sunday. He was the only starter with two starts during the week. Kyle Leahy is the weak link in the rotation for now.
The bullpen has not improved. Riley O’Brien and Gordon Graceffo had the best week. The usually reliable JoJo Romero had a hiccup in Sunday’s game, giving up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Fernandez was decent as well but has only pitched 1 2/3 innings since his recall from Memphis. Matt Svanson pitched better in two appearances than he has previously but still needs work. Justin Bruihl, Ryne Stanek, and George Soriano were not good (though Stanek managed to not give up runs in one inning on Sunday).
Furthermore, the bullpen was used heavily this week, and two extra innings games did not help. The pen could use a refresh, but there is no help to be found in Memphis. The coming week will be key in seeing what the team does to improve the situation, if anything.
The Cardinals finish their road trip in Miami with three games beginning Monday. They will miss the Marlins’ two best starters, Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez.
They will end the week with three at home against the Seattle Mariners. Former Cardinal Brendan Donovan, now a Mariner, has been suffering from a sore hip but has not been put on the IL. We may or may not see him in that series.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
The Cardinals received a gift this past week in the form of the return of RHP Cade Winquest from the New York Yankees. Winquest was a Rule 5 pick in December. Teams that draft a player in the Major League Rule 5 draft must keep that player on their major league roster for the entire season or return him to his original team (after the player is sent through the waiver process first). Many teams will return the player before the season starts if the player does not demonstrate he is worthy of a major league roster spot during spring training.
The Yankees put Winquest on their major league roster once the season began despite his not having a compelling spring training performance. The Yankees never put him in a game to pitch, however.
When starter Luis Gil was recalled from the minor leagues on April 10 and needed a spot on the 26-man roster, the Yankees designated Winquest for assignment (a Rule 5 draft pick cannot be optioned to the minor leagues). In accordance with the rules regarding Rule 5 draft picks, Winquest was put on waivers.
Any team that claimed Winquest would be subject to the same Rule 5 restrictions the Yankees had, which would require the claiming team to keep him on the major league roster for the entire season. This is a tough rule to follow for any team. Unsurprisingly, Winquest cleared waivers and was returned to the Cardinals.
The Cardinals placed Winquest on the Memphis Redbirds roster.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Cincinnati | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | |
| St. Louis | 13 | 8 | 0.619 | 0.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 13 | 9 | 0.591 | 1 |
| Chicago | 12 | 9 | 0.571 | 1.5 |
| Milwaukee | 12 | 9 | 0.571 | 1.5 |
Transactions
- 4/13 RHP Cade Winquest was returned to the Cardinals from the New York Yankees.
- 4/13 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/13 The Cardinals designated LHP Jared Shuster for assignment.
- 4/15 The Cardinals sent LHP Matt Pushard on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/15 The Cardinals sent LHP Jared Shuster outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- OF Lars Nootbaar (heel surgery) will continue his rehab for his Haglund’s Deformities surgery on both heels. Nootbaar was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 25. Jeff Jones reportedthat the outfielder was in St. Louis over the April 10-12 weekend and is progressing with the hope he can be activated close to when eligible. Nootbaar is not yet hitting live pitching, however.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25, retroactive to March 22. Dobbins was sent on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds on March 31. He made his fourth rehab start on April 19. The timing of his recall from the rehab assignment is yet to be determined.
- LHP Matt Pushard was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 31 retroactive to March 30 due to right knee patellar tendinitis. Pushard has begun a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals’ series in Houston ended on Sunday. The team then travels to Miami for three games with the Marlins.
The Cardinals will return from their second road trip for a brief homestand. The Cardinals play the Seattle Mariners beginning Friday, April 24 and ending Sunday, April 26.
The Cardinals end April on the road with four games in Pittsburgh with the Pirates. The team returns to St. Louis to begin May with a weekend set against the Dodgers.
The first homestand of May continues with three vs. the Brewers following the Dodgers series.
The homestand follows with a six-game road trip in California that includes three against the Padres and three games with the Athletics in Sacramento.
Blast from the Past
This past week, Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on April 15. It was officially established in 2004. The annual celebration of the integration of MLB is celebrated every year. Generally, the celebration includes every player on all 30 teams wearing the number 42 on their uniform for that day, a tradition that began in 2009.
Unfortunately, as of the 2026 season, less than 10% of all players on a major league roster are black. The percentage has slowly risen from 6% in 2024 to 6.2% in 2025 and to 6.8% in 2026. The highest percentage of black players on a major league roster was 19% in 1986. Major League Baseball still has a lot of work to do in this regard.
We celebrate Jackie Robinson Day in this week’s Blast from the Past with a list of some of the earlier black players and end with the black players currently on the Cardinals roster.
Not all black players are mentioned as the list would be too long. For each player we list the year they were acquired and any other relevant details.
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Tom Alston Tom Alston – Alston was the first black player on the Cardinals. He was acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres in 1954 under the ownership of Anheuser-Busch and August A. Busch Jr. He debuted for the Cardinals on April 13, 1954 and made his last appearance on September 29, 1957.
- Bill Greason – Greason was the Cardinals’ first black pitcher. Greason was also acquired in 1954. He debuted on May 31, 1954 but played with St. Louis only one season. He spent the remainder of his career in the minor leagues before retiring in 1959. Currently, at 101 years of age, Rev. Greason is MLB’s oldest living player.
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Curt Flood Curt Flood – Acquired in 1958, Flood is one of the more famous black players for the Cardinals and perhaps the most tragic. Flood was a good player, but he is most famous for his fight against the reserve clause. He lost his legal battles, but the reserve clause would meet a welcome death in 1975 and baseball has Flood to thank for that.
- Bob Gibson – Gibson, arguably the best pitcher to ever wear a Cardinal uniform, was signed as a free agent and made his debut in 1959. He is an eight-time All-Star, two time Cy Young Award winner , eight-time Gold Glove Award winner and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nothing else needs to be said.
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Lou Brock (USA TODAY Sports Images) Lou Brock – Brock was acquired in the infamous trade with the Cubs for pitcher Ernie Broglio and others in 1964. He was one of the best base stealers in the history of the game and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Ozzie Smith – Arguably the best shortstop to ever put on a glove, Smith was acquired in trade from the Padres in 1982. He played for the Cardinals until his retirement in 1996 and remains a St Louis resident and mentor to all young Cardinal shortstops.
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Willie McGee, 1983 Willie McGee – McGee is one of the most popular players to ever wear the Cardinal uniform. Acquired in a trade with the Yankees in 1981. The NL MVP winner in 1985 was recently a coach for St. Louis and has since moved into a position in the front office.
- Masyn Winn – The current shortstop for the Cardinals, Masyn is the 2025 Gold Glove Award winner at his position. He was acquired in the second round of the 2020 draft.
- Jordan Walker – The current right fielder for the Cardinals. Walker is now tied for third place in MLB in home runs in the 2026 season. He was acquired in the first round of the 2020 draft.
- Victor Scott II – Scott is the starting center fielder on the 2026 Cardinals. His claim to fame is his speed. He is currently ranked seventh in sprint speed among all active MLB players. He was acquired in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
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