photo: Walt Jocketty (Frank Victores/USA TODAY Sports)
A 3-3 week has the 12-16 St. Louis Cardinals in fourth place. The club mourns the passing of former GM Walt Jocketty. We again remember notable MLB debuts during this week in team history.
Former Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty passes
St. Louis Cardinals fans received unfortunate news this past weekend that the former general manager of the Cardinals and Reds, Walt Jocketty, passed away at the age of 74 after a long illness.
Jocketty headed a Cardinals front office that drafted future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, arranged the trade that brought Adam Wainwright to St. Louis, and persuaded Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa to leave Oakland and take on the managerial duties in St. Louis. In addition to Wainwright, Jocketty also brought to St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famers Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Jason Isringhausen and Chris Carpenter, either through trade or free agency.
Jocketty’s tenure in St. Louis included one World Series title, two NL Pennants, and six NL Central Division titles. He also was named Executive of the Year twice, in 2000 and 2004.
After Jocketty left St. Louis, he became the GM of the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and later was their President of Baseball Operations. Jocketty shepherded the Reds to NL Central titles in 2010 and 2012. He was named Executive of the Year for the third time in 2010. Jocketty continued as the GM/President of Baseball Operations until 2016 when he stepped down and became a Special Advisor to the Reds, a role he retained until his death.
Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt issued a statement on the death of Jocketty:
“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer our condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends. Walt was our first GM when we purchased the ball club, and he helped to lead our baseball operations through some of the franchise’s most successful and memorable years. He will be sorely missed but long remembered for his distinguished career in baseball.”
Jocketty is survived by his wife Susan, and two children, Ashley and Joey.
Game recaps
Monday, April 21, 2025 – Cardinals 6 at Braves 7
To open the series in Atlanta, the Cardinals were edged by a 7-6 score on Monday. Starter Erick Fedde pitched six innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out three and walked three.
Kyle Leahy threw a scoreless seventh. Normally dependable Phil Maton surrendered four runs in 1/3 of an inning and took the loss. JoJo Romero allowed one run in the final 2/3 of an innins.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the second. Nolan Gorman doubled and scored on a single by Pedro Pagés. Victor Scott II plated Pagés on a single.
Atlanta answered with two runs in the third to tie the game. In the sixth, St. Louis regained the lead at 3-2. Nolan Arenado doubled and later scored on a single by Gorman.
The Braves came back to score five runs in the eighth to lead 7-3. The Cardinals rallied for three runs in the ninth but fell one run short of tying. Pagés hit a ground rule double. Scott doubled to drive in Pagés. Willson Contreras followed with a two-run home run to left center field.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 11 hits. Scott was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Gorman was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Pagés was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Scott stole his eighth base of the season.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – Cardinals 10 at Braves 4
The Cardinals beat the Braves in the second game of the series in Atlanta by the score of 10-4. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out one and walked three.
Steven Matz threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn his second win. Kyle Leahy hurled a scoreless eighth and Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth.
St Louis went up in the third inning on a two-run home run by Lars Nootbaar. Atlanta responded to take the lead with three runs in the fourth.
The Braves added a run in the fifth to increase the lead to 4-2. In the sixth, the Cardinals tied the game. Alec Burleson singled. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Victor Scott II walked. Masyn Winn singled to score Burleson. Walker came home on a wild pitch.
St. Louis took the lead in the eighth with three runs. Scott doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Nootbaar was intentionally walked and stole second base. Willson Contreras walked. Nolan Gorman hit a bases clearing double.
The Cardinals increased their lead to 10-4 in the ninth. Burleson and Pedro Pagés singled. Scott plated Burleson on a double. Pagés scored on a sac fly by Winn. Nootbaar drove in Scott on a single.
The offense scored 10 runs on 12 hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Scott was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Contreras was 2-for-4. Gorman had three RBI. Winn drove in two.
On the bases, Nootbaar stole his third base of the season. On defense, Pallante and Nolan Arenado both made throwing errors.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 – Cardinals 1 at Braves 4
On Wednesday, the Cardinals fell to the Braves to lose the road series. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched six scoreless innings, allowed six hits, struck out two and walked two.
However, the bullpen let the potential win get away. John King relieved Mikolas and surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. He was charged with a blown save. Kyle Leahy threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero allowed two runs in 1/3 of an inning and took the loss. Ryan Fernandez yielded one run in the final 2/3 of an inning.
The Cardinals scored their only run of the game in the top of the first inning. Nolan Gorman walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nolan Arenado plated Gorman on a double.
The Braves tied the game in the seventh, then added three runs in the eighth to win 4-1.
St. Louis scored one run on seven hits. Alec Burleson was 3-for-4.
On the bases, Willson Contreras stole his second game of the season. On defense, Mikolas picked a runner off first base.
Thursday, April 24, 2025 – Off day
Friday, April 25, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Brewers 2
The Cardinals edged their NL Central rival Brewers by one run in the series opener on Friday at Busch Stadium. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits and fanned four to earn his second win.
Kyle Leahy relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless seventh. Phil Maton hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the fourth inning. Brendan Donovan drew a walk. Nolan Arenado singled, moving Donovan to third. Donovan scored on a sac fly by Nolan Gorman.
St. Louis added two runs in the fifth to lead 3-0. Masyn Winn singled, stole second and advanced to third on a fielding error. Lars Nootbaar plated Winn on a single. Willson Contreras doubled. Nootbaar came home on a single by Donovan.
The Brewers scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to cut St. Louis’ lead to 3-2. The Cardinals held on to win by that margin.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Donovan and Nootbaar were both 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Victor Scott stole his ninth base of the season. Winn swiped his first bag. Nootbaar was picked off and caught stealing.
On defense, Nolan Arenado dropped a foul pop up.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 – Cardinals 6, Brewers 5
The Cardinals again defeated the Brewers. In the second game of the series, it came via a ninth inning walk off. Starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked three.
Steven Matz relieved Gray and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien hurled 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Phil Maton tossed a scoreless eighth. Ryan Helsley surrendered the tying runs on a two-run home run and was charged with a blown save. He nevertheless received the win after the Cardinals scored in the home ninth.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Nolan Gorman led off with a double, advanced to third on a ground out by Thomas Saggese and scored on a sac fly by Pedro Pagés.
In the third, the Cardinals increased the lead to 3-0. Masyn Winn doubled. Lars Nootbaar plated Winn on a double. Nootbaar came home on a double by Brendan Donovan.
The lead widened to 5-0 in the fourth. Winn doubled and scored on a single by Nootbaar. Willson Contreras drove in Nootbaar on a single.
Milwaukee got back in the game with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to shrink the lead to 5-3. In the top of the ninth, a two-run home run by Jackson Chourio tied the game at 5-5.
In the home ninth, Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run to left field to walk it off 6-5 for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 11 hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Winn was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Contreras was 2-for-5.
On defense, Gray picked a runner off second base.
Sunday, April 27, 2025 – Cardinals 1, Brewers 7
The Cardinals were unable to pull off the sweep of the Brewers on Sunday, instead sleepwalking their way to a 7-1 loss behind starter Erick Fedde. Fedde pitched like the offense performed, which was poorly. The right hander gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two to earn the loss he deserved.
The usually lackluster bullpen pitched better than the starter. JoJo Romero threw 2/3 of scoreless inning. Matt Svanson followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. John King tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Brewers put up three runs on Fedde in the first inning. They pummeled him for four more runs in the fourth.
The somnambulant Cardinal offense put one run on the board in the fifth. Lars Nootbaar singled and came home on a double by Brendan Donovan.
St. Louis scored one run on seven hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4. The offense had its chances, but went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week 3-3, losing 2 of 3 to the Braves and winning 2 of 3 from the Brewers. The Cardinals’ futility on the road continues. The team is now 12-16 and despite winning the series against the Brewers, they remain 1.5 games back of the Brewers, and 4.5 games back of the first place Cubs. The Cardinals sit in fourth place in the NL Central.
The offense performed better than last week, though not as well as they should have. The top performers for the week by OPS are Willson Contreras (1.025), Lars Nootbaar (.967), Alec Burleson (.962), Brendan Donovan (.944) and Victor Scott (.926).
At the bottom were Luken Baker (.333), Jordan Walker (.311), and Thomas Saggese (.250).
On the pitching side, only two of the five starters ended the week with an ERA under 4.00. They are Miles Mikolas (0.00) and Matthew Liberatore (1.50). Sonny Gray (4.50) just missed the cut. Both Erick Fedde (6.94) and Andre Pallante (8.31) had subpar performances for the week.
The bullpen underperformers for the week are Ryan Fernandez (13.50), Phil Maton (15.43), and JoJo Romero (16.20). Maton had one bad appearance against the Braves. Romero and Fernandez have been struggling for several weeks and Fernandez was optioned to Memphis. Romero had a short appearance on Sunday in which he did not give up runs.
The main issue with this team right now is their inability to win on the road. Why that is the case is a mystery to be solved.
The team embarks on a short road trip to Cincinnati for four games. The Reds have been playing like their hair is on fire and there is no tomorrow. They have won six of their last 10 games, though to put it in perspective they have been playing underperforming opponents, all last place teams. In contrast, the Cardinals have played three better teams, one of which, the Mets, has the best record in the majors right now.
Therefore, the Cardinals must go to Cincinnati and prove the Reds to be a mirage. After the Reds series, St. Louis returns home to a tough challenge in the Mets again.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 17 | 12 | 0.586 | |
| Cincinnati | 15 | 13 | 0.536 | 1.5 |
| Milwaukee | 14 | 15 | 0.483 | 3 |
| St. Louis | 12 | 16 | 0.429 | 4.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 18 | 0.379 | 6 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
Without providing details, national writer Bob Nightengale speculates that two teams with closing problems, Arizona and Philadelphia, are interested in acquiring St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley.
Transactions
- 4/22 The Cardinals optioned CF Michael Siani to the Memphis Redbirds
- 4/22 The Cardinals activated SS Masyn Winn from the 10-day injured list.
- 4/25 The Cardinals recalled RHP Riley O’Brien from the Memphis Redbirds
- 4/25 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Fernandez to the Memphis Redbirds.
First reported by journalist Francys Romero, the Cardinals plan to call up add red-hot Memphis infielder Jose Barrero on Monday.
Barrero, 27, has a nine-game hitting streak and an 18-game on-base streak. For the season, the right-handed hitter is slashing .299/.396/.517/.913 with 13 RBI and five steals in six tries over 23 Triple-A games.
Whether he plays with St. Louis remains to be seen, however, Barrero can not only back up shortstop, but also center field, which is a need since Michael Siani was sent down last week.
Katie Woo added that Barrero will replace Thomas Saggese on the active roster, with the latter returning to Triple-A.
Called up on April 4, Saggese’s playing time decreased with the return of Winn. In 44 plate appearances over 14 games with St. Louis, the 23-year-old slashed a respectable .341/.364/.512/.876 with seven RBI.
The Cardinals will also need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate the addition of Barrero. Candidates for removal may include Michael Helman, Ryan Loutos, Roddery Muñoz and Jose Fermin.
Update
On Monday afternoon, the Cardinals confirmed the above transactions while adding that right-handed pitcher Ryan Loutos has been designated for assignment.
The 26-year-old reliever appeared in three games with St. Louis in 2024 and did not allow a run in 2 1/3 innings. Loutos did not make the team out of 2025 spring training and has not been called up this season.
With Memphis in 2025, Loutos has a 3.38 ERA in eight appearances covering eight innings. He also converted both save opportunities he received after going 18-of-20 in the category in 2024.
St. Louis has seven days to pass Loutos through waivers, lose him if claimed, release or trade him.
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. He is taking batting practice and catching from a fastball machine. His plan is to run the bases this week. He may go on rehab assignment as early as May 1.
- SS Masyn Winn (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list and returned to the lineup.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals begin a four-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday. Andre Pallante is set for the Monday start. No pitchers have been announced for the remainder of the series, but Steven Matz is expected to return to an expanded rotation.
The Reds series ends on Thursday, May 1, and the Cardinals return home for a weekend series against the Mets. The homestand continues with three versus the Pirates.
After a travel day on Thursday, May 8, the Cardinals visit the Washington Nationals for three. The road trip continues with three games at the Phillies followed by a travel day on Thursday, May 15.
The Cardinals finish the road trip with a weekend set with the Royals in Kansas City.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast of the Past continues our 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.
This week the installment looks at Cardinals who made their major league debuts during the period April 21 through April 27. The name of player, the date he debuted, how he performed, and any other relevant details are noted.
April 23, 1994 –John Mabry made his major league debut with the Cardinals in a 15-5 loss to the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium. Mabry played right field and hit sixth in the lineup. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Mabry’s hit was an RBI double to center in the fourth inning that scored Bernard Gilkey. Mabry played for the Cardinals in three separate stints, 1994-98, 2001, and 2004-05. Mabry then worked as an analyst for Fox Sports Midwest and later was the assistant hitting coach/hitting coach for the Cardinals during the managerial tenure of Mike Matheny. After Matheny was fired, he followed Matheny to the Kansas City Royals. He later was a coach with the Miami Marlins.
April 25, 2022 – Current Cardinal Brendan Donovan made his major league debut in a 5-2 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium. Donovan entered the game as a pinch runner for Yadier Molina in the eighth inning and scored a run on a Tyler O’Neil single.
Donovan was in the starting lineup the next day against the Mets, playing at first base and hitting ninth. He went 0-for-2 but was on base once on a hit by pitch. He collected his first hit, a single to right, two days later against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
April 26, 2010 – Current outfield coach Jon Jay made his major league debut with the Cardinals on this date. In a 4-3 win over the Braves at Busch Stadium, Jay entered the game as a pinch hitter for Kyle Lohse in the sixth inning. He struck out swinging.
Jay had his first hit in the first game he started, on April 30 against the Reds at Busch Stadium. The right fielder hit second and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. The hit was a ground rule double to left against Reds starter Johnny Cueto. Jay later scored on a single by Matt Holliday.
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