photo: Brendan Donovan (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
A 2-5 week increased the St. Louis Cardinals’ division deficit to four games. The offense has gone quiet with the exceptions of Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado. We again remember notable MLB debuts during this week in Cardinals history.
Game recaps
Monday, April 14, 2025 – Cardinals 8, Astros 3
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Astros in the opener of a three-game series in Busch Stadium. Starter Sonny Gray pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one to earn his third win.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Gray and threw a scoreless inning. Roddery Muñoz surrendered three runs in the ninth.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Lars Nootbaar drew a walk. Luken Baker singled. Willson Contreras grounded into a force out as Nootbaar scored.
In the fourth, the Cardinals increased the edge to 4-0. Brendan Donovan singled and Jordan Walker hit a ground rule double. Pedro Pagés plated Donovan and Walker on a double. Nootbaar drove in Pagés on a single.
The Cardinals added three more runs in the fifth to build the lead to 7-0. Contreras singled. Nolan Arenado doubled to plate Contreras. Arenado came home on a double by Donovan. Donovan scored on a sac fly by Nolan Gorman.
St. Louis tallied their final run in the seventh on a solo home run by Arenado. The Astros rally stopped short with three runs in the ninth.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 14 hits. Arenado was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 4-for-4 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Pagés had two RBI.
On the bases, Contreras stole his first base of the season.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Astros 2
The Cardinals fell to the Astros in a 2-0 shutout at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Starter Erick Fedde pitched six innings, gave up one run on six hits, fanned five and walked three. Fedde took the loss.
Kyle Leahy relieved Fedde and surrendered one run in two innings. Roddery Muñoz tossed a scoreless ninth.
The game was scoreless until the Astros scored one run in the sixth. In the eighth, the visitors added a second run.
St. Louis managed six total hits. The only extra base hits were doubles by Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar. The offense was 1 for-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson each stole their first base.
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Astros 1
The Cardinals took the series with a Wednesday win over the Astros. Starter Steven Matz pitched five innings, gave up one run on two hits and fanned five to earn his first win of 2025.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Matz and threw a scoreless inning. Kyle Leahy and Phil Maton each hurled a scoreless inning. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his third save.
After a first inning run, Houston held the 1-0 lead until the fifth, when the Cardinals put up three runs to move ahead. Victor Scott II and Thomas Saggese singled. Lars Nootbaar followed with a three-run home run to center field.
St. Louis added a run in the sixth to increase the lead to 4-1. Jordan Walker and Yohel Pozo singled. Thomas Saggese doubled to plate Walker.
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. No Cardinal had multiples. Nootbaar had three RBI.
Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan each stole their second base. Victor Scott II swiped his sixth bag,
Thursday, April 17, 2025 – Cardinals 1 at Mets 4
The Cardinals fell to the Mets in the first of a four-game series in New York. Starter Andre Pallante pitched six innings, gave up four runs on seven hits and struck out two.
Matt Svanson made his major league debut in relief of Pallante and threw one scoreless inning. John King tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Mets went up 4-0 in the second. In the third, the Cardinals cut the lead to 4-1, and that ended the scoring.
The Cardinals scored one run three hits, singles by Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan and Victor Scott II.
Donovan stole his third base of the season. Scott swiped his seventh bag. On defense, Jordan Walker had an outfield assist at second base.
Friday, April 18, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Mets 5
The Cardinals were edged by the Mets by a 5-4 score at Citi Field on Friday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out one and walked two.
John King secured the final out of the fifth. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings. JoJo Romero got one out. Phil Maton yielded one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez gave up the walk off run and received the loss.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese singled. Pedro Pagés drove in Donovan on a single.
St. Louis increased the lead to 2-0 in the fourth. Nolan Arenado singled. Brendan Donovan grounded into a force out, eliminating Arenado at second. Donovan advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home when Jordan Walker singled.
The Mets tied the game in the fifth. The Cardinals regained the lead briefly in the top of the sixth, 3-2. Willson Contreras doubled and scored on a single by Arenado.
New York quickly tied the game again in the home sixth and took a 4-3 lead in the eighth. St. Louis tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth on a solo home run by Donovan.
The Mets won in a walk off due to Francisco Lindor’s home run in the bottom of the ninth off Fernandez.
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. Donovan was 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On defense, Maton made an error on a pickoff.
Saturday, April 19, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Mets 3
The Cardinals lost again to the Mets, and this time it was a via a 3-0 shutout. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on six hits, fanned six and walked one. Liberatore took the loss.
John King relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings.
The Mets went up 2-0 in the third inning and added a third run in the eighth.
The Cardinals were held to three hits. Thomas Saggese was 2-for-4. The other hit was a single by Willson Contreras. The offense 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Sunday, April 20, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Mets 7
The Cardinals suffered a four-game sweep by the Mets with a final loss on Sunday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned six and walked one.
JoJo Romero surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning of relief and took the loss. Phil Maton threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ryan Fernandez allowed three runs in the eighth.
The Mets scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings to lead 3-0.
The Cardinals put up one run in the sixth. Brendan Donovan doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Alec Burleson.
St. Louis tied the game with two more runs in the top of the seventh. Nolan Gorman singled. Luken Baker drew a walk. Michael Siani pinch ran for Baker. Thomas Saggese doubled to score Gorman and Siani.
The Mets made it 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, then added three runs in the eighth to go up 7-3.
The Cardinals made it 7-4 in the ninth. Siani singled and advanced to second on defensive indifference. Lars Nootbaar plated Siani on a single, but it was too little, too late.
St. Louis’ scored four runs on eight hits. Willson Contreras was 2-for-4. Saggese had two RBI.
On defense, Pedro Pagés was charged with catcher interference.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 2-5. They won 2 of 3 from the Astros but were swept in four games by the Mets. St. Louis remains in fourth place in the NL Central, four games back of the Cubs. They have a record of 9-13.
The Cardinals have a problem on the road. Nine of their 13 losses were in games away from Busch. Why this is the case is a mystery.
The offense has cratered. Half the hitters had an OPS for the week under.500. The only two players above .900 for the week are Brendan Donovan (.986) and Nolan Arenado (.967).
Those with an OPS under .500 are Alec Burleson (.485), Willson Contreras (.481), Yohel Pozo (.393), Pedro Pagés (.343), Victor Scott (.329), Jordan Walker (.292), and Nolan Gorman (.234).
The pitching has held its own for the most part. The only starter with an ERA for the week over 4.00 was Andre Pallante (6.00). The starters are not giving up a ton of runs, but the offense is not scoring enough to win games.
The bullpen has been shaky in a couple of spots, namely Ryan Fernandez and JoJo Romero, who both have double digit ERAs for the week. Roddery Muñoz also had a double-digit ERA, but he was optioned to Memphis and replaced by Matt Svanson.
This issue of winning on the road must be figured out and fixed. On the current road trip, the Cardinals have three games just ahead in Atlanta. They return to St. Louis for the weekend to play the Brewers, who will be tough to beat.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | |
| Milwaukee | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 11 | 11 | 0.500 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 8 | 15 | 0.348 | 5.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 4/16 The Cardinals optioned RHP Roddery Muñoz to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/16 The Cardinals recalled RHP Matt Svanson from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 4/18 The Cardinals sent SS Masyn Winn on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24. Thompson missed most of spring training. He is now throwing from 100 feet but will need a full build up before returning to the mound. No return date has been reported.
- C Iván Herrera (left knee bone bruise) injured his knee in a game on April 6 running from first to third base. Herrera is hitting in cages and playing catch. He may begin a running and catching program soon.
- SS Masyn Winn was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 12 with lower back spasms. Winn is currently on a rehab assignment with the Memphis Redbirds. If all goes well, Winn will be activated on Tuesday, April 22.
Looking Ahead
Following the Mets series, the road trip continues to Atlanta for three with the Braves, who are coming off a sweep of the Twins.
Erick Fedde will start on Monday, followed by Andre Pallante on Tuesday and Miles Mikolas on Wednesday. Sixth starter Steven Matz will be skipped according to reports.
After a travel day on Thursday, the team returns home to take on the Brewers in a weekend series at Busch Stadium. They end the month of April in Cincinnati against the Reds in a four-game series.
The Cardinals return home for a weekend series against the Mets to open May. The homestand continues with three versus the Pirates.
After a travel day on Thursday, May 8, the Cardinals face the Washington Nationals in a three-game set.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast of the Past continues the series that began last season, the Debut Series. We chronicle the major league debuts of notable current and former Cardinals during a relevant period in franchise history.
The following is a list of Cardinals players who made their major league debuts during the period April 14 through April 20.
April 15, 1959 – Baseball Hall of Famer and Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson made his major league debut on this date. Gibson appeared as a reliever in the seventh inning of game between the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Dodgers home park in Los Angeles. The Cardinals were shut out 5-0.
Gibson gave up a solo home run to the first batter he faced, Jim Baxes. He allowed a second run in the eighth.
April 16, 2019 – Ryan Helsley made his debut on this day in an 8-4 loss to the Brewers in Miller Park. Helsley entered with two outs in the fifth inning following Giovanny Gallegos. Gallegos had relieved starter Jack Flaherty, who had lasted only 2 2/3 innings.
Helsley, like Bob Gibson 60 years before, gave up a home run to the first batter he faced. Christian Yelich blasted a three-run shot to right center field. Only one of the runs was charged to Helsley (Yelich). Helsley struck out Ryan Braun to end the inning and then returned for two additional innings with no hits or runs allowed.
April 17, 1945 – On this date, Cardinal icon Red Schoendienst made his major league debut. The debut was in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Schoendienst was in the starting lineup batting third and playing in left field. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored. His first hit was a triple to right in the eighth inning. He scored the team’s second run on a single by Walker Cooper.
Schoendienst made a fielding error in the fourth inning which scored a run for the Cubs.
April 18, 1985 –Vince Coleman made his major league debut in a 7-1 loss to the Montreal Expos at Busch Stadium II. Coleman hit leadoff and played in center. He went 1-for-3 with a walk.
His hit was a third inning single and he stole second base. Coleman was left on base. He drew a walk in the fifth but was also left stranded after stealing his second base.
April 19, 2018 – On this day, Tyler O’Neill made his major league debut in an 8-5 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. O’Neill pinch hit for Luke Weaver in the fifth inning and struck out swinging.
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