photo: Pedro Pages (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
For the week, the Cardinals went a dismal 1-5 at home, falling three games under .500. Unlikely Pedro Pagés led the inconsistent offense with a 1.494 OPS. Our history feature highlights rare feats during August in team history.
Game recaps
Monday, August 11, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Rockies 2
The St. Louis Cardinals edged the visiting Rockies by a 3-2 score on Monday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out three and walked one.
Kyle Leahy relieved Mikolas and threw the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Victor Scott drew a walk and stole second base. He came home on a single by Alec Burleson.
The Rockies scored two runs in the seventh to take a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals regained the lead at 3-2 in the eighth inning. Nolan Gorman walked. Thomas Saggese singled. Pinch hitter Brendan Donovan plated both runners with a double.
The Cardinals scored three runs on nine hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Saggese was 3-for-4. Donovan had two RBI.
On the bases, Scott stole two bases, his 30th and 31st of the season. Burleson swiped his fifth bag. Saggese stole his first base.
On defense, Gorman made a throwing error. Willson Contreras had a missed catch error.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Rockies 3
The Cardinals were blanked by the Rockies by the score of 3-0 on Tuesday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched four innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out three and walked one. Liberatore took the loss.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw three scoreless innings. Jorge Alcalá hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
Colorado scored twice in the fourth inning and added a run in the fifth to lead 3-0.
St. Louis offense scattered six hits. Brendan Donovan was 2-for-4. A double by Nolan Gorman was the only extra base hit. They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 – Cardinals 5, Rockies 6
The Cardinals played a second one-run game against Colorado but lost this one 6-5. The Cardinals dropped both three-game series with the Rockies, who have won only 34 games so far this season, fewest in MLB by a considerable margin.
Starter Michael McGreevy made a quality start, as he pitched six innings, gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out two.
Kyle Leahy relieved McGreevy and surrendered one run in the seventh. Riley O’Brien hurled a scoreless eighth. JoJo Romero yielded two runs in the ninth and took the loss.
The Cardinals took the lead 2-0 in the second inning. Lars Nootbaar and Thomas Saggese singled. Pedro Pagés drove in both runners with a double.
The Rockies cut St. Louis’ lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth. The Cardinals answered in the home half of the inning on a solo home run by Nootbaar.
In the top of the fifth, Colorado made it 3-2, but St. Louis again responded in the bottom of the inning, this time with two runs to extend the lead to 5-2. Masyn Winn singled and Alec Burleson followed with a two-run home run.
The Rockies continued to add on with single runs in the sixth and seventh and two in the ninth to take a 6-5 lead. St. Louis failed to respond.
The offense scored five runs on nine hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Pagés was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Iván Herrera stole his fifth of the season.
Thursday, August 14, 2025 – Off day
Friday, August 15, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Yankees 4
At Busch Stadium, the Cardinals lost to the Yankees by the score of 4-3, their third one run decision of the week. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up four runs on six hits, fanned eight and walked three. Pallante took the loss.
The bullpen was solid but the offense could not recover. Jorge Alcalá relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless sixth. Ryan Fernandez hurled a scoreless seventh. Matt Svanson tossed the final two scoreless innings.
Down 4-0, the Cardinals awakened in the sixth and scored a run. Lars Nootbaar doubled and came home on a single by Masyn Winn.
St. Louis added two in the seventh to bring the score close enough to lose by only one run. Jordan Walker drew a walk and stole second base. Pedro Pagés was hit by a pitch. Victor Scott doubled to score Walker. Pagés came home on a wild pitch.
The offense scored three runs on six hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits.
On the bases, Walker stole his seventh base of the season. On defense, Fernandez made an error on a pickoff attempt.
Saturday, August 16, 2025 – Cardinals 8, Yankees 12
The Cardinals lost the second game of the series to the Yankees by the score of 12-8. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up six runs on nine hits, fanned seven and walked two. Gray took the loss.
Kyle Leahy relieved Gray and did not record an out. He surrendered three runs before he was replaced by Roddery Muñoz, who yielded three more runs in 1 1/3 innings. Andre Granillo threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings to end the game.
The Yankees took the lead at 2-0 in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Alec Burleson tripled and scored on a single by Iván Herrera.
St. Louis put up four runs in the second to take a 5-2 lead. Nolan Gorman walked. Pedro Pagés singled. Victor Scott singled to score Gorman. Masyn Winn followed with a three-run home run.
St. Louis’ lead was brief, as New York came back with one run in the third and three in the fourth to regain the lead, 6-5. They added three more runs in the top of the sixth.
In the home sixth, the Cardinals crept closer at 9-7. Jordan Walker doubled and Gorman followed with a two-run home run.
The Yankees widened the gap with three runs in the seventh for a 12-7 lead. The Cardinals tried to rally in the ninth but had only a solo home run by Pagés.
The offense scored eight runs on 12 hits. Winn was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Pagés was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Alec Burleson was 3-for-5. Gorman had two RBI and two runs scored.
Sunday, August 17, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Yankees 8
The Cardinals fell to the Yankees in the final game of the series as they were swept to conclude their homestand. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up three runs on four hits, struck out one and walked five.
Kyle Leahy relieved Mikolas and surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings. Riley O’Brien threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. JoJo Romero yielded four unearned runs in 2/3 of an inning as second baseman Thomas Saggese committed two costly errors. Jorge Alcalá secured the final out of the ninth.
The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the home half. Iván Herrera reached on an error. Jordan Walker drew a walk. Thomas Saggese doubled to score both runners.
The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth. Lars Nootbaar singled and advanced on an error. He came home on a single by Alec Burleson.
St. Louis took a 4-3 lead in the sixth on a solo home run by Yohel Pozo. The Yankees tied it up in the seventh.
The wheels came off the bus for the Cardinals in the ninth as the Yankees put up four unanswered runs to win, 8-4.
The Cardinals scored four runs on seven hits. Nootbaar was 3-for-4. Saggese was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
On defense, Saggese made two errors, one fielding and one throwing. Pozo had a passed ball.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had another terrible week, winning only one of six games at home. They were 1-2 against the Rockies and were swept by the Yankees.
St. Louis remains mired in fourth place, out of reach of the Division title, 18 games behind Milwaukee and four games behind the third place Reds. They are five games out of the final Wild Card.
The offense remains inconsistent and lacks an inability to rise to the occasion. Even brief comebacks fade under pressure. The recent injuries to Donovan, Contreras, and now Victor Scott hasn’t helped the situation. Arenado is still out as well, though he did not perform well this season offensively anyway.
The top performers by OPS for the week were Pedro Pagés (1.494), and Alec Burleson (.902). Close behind are the now injured Victor Scott (.899), and Lars Nootbaar (.842). At the bottom are Iván Herrera (.448), Willson Contreras (.333, and out with injury the last four games), and Jordan Walker (.301).
The starting pitching has not been good at all. Only Miles Mikolas had an ERA below 4.00 for the week (3.86) and that is in two starts, with the last one on Sunday not being particularly good. Sonny Gray (10.80) was awful against the Yankees. Andre Pallante (7.20) and Matthew Liberatore (6.75) were also subpar. Michael McGreevy (4.50) was okay.
Even the normally good defense is showing warts. There were some bad throws and grounders being booted on the infield.
At this point, the best that can be hoped for is to play out the remainder of the season with some measure of success (.500 at least?) and try to stay out of last place. The Pirates appear to have that position locked up, but stranger things have happened.
The Cardinals head out on a road trip to Florida to play the Marlins and the Rays. The team already lost a series to the Marlins in St. Louis, so there is no guarantee the road trip won’t be as bad as the homestand just was.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 78 | 45 | 0.634 | ||
| Chicago | 70 | 53 | 0.569 | 8 | |
| Cincinnati | 65 | 60 | 0.52 | 14 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 61 | 64 | 0.488 | 18 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 52 | 73 | 0.416 | 27 | 14 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/17 The Cardinals placed CF Victor Scott on the 10-day injured list. Left ankle sprain.
- 8/17 The Cardinals recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/17 The Cardinals optioned RHP Roddery Muñoz to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/17 The Cardinals selected the contract of OF Nathan Church 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 Thompson was set to resume his throwing program. Whether and/or when Thompson may return to the big league roster is unknown.
- LHP John King was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 30. Left oblique strain. Over the weekend, King began a rehab stint with Memphis.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. The third baseman has been bothered by shoulder pain for some time. Arenado has reported to the Cardinals spring training facility for a strengthening program. The latest update is that Arenado is not expected to return to the roster during the upcoming road trip to Florida. When he will return to the roster (if at all) is yet to be determined.
- 2B Brendan Donovan (left foot and groin). Donovan last played on Wednesday against the Rockies, reportedly having foot problems along with the previously reported groin issues. The team is attempting to avoid an IL stint. Donovan was not in the lineup for Sunday’s final game against the Yankees.
- 1B Willson Contreras has been out of the lineup for three consecutive games due to a contusion suffered when hit on his left foot by a pitch in Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. He tested the foot on Saturday for a possible return to the lineup but was not in the lineup on Sunday as anticipated.
- CF Victor Scott suffered an ankle sprain on Saturday night while attempting to catch an Aaron Judge home run. He stayed in the game for a short time but came out in the sixth inning. Scott was put on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, August 17, replaced by Nathan Church on the roster.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals are starting a road trip to Florida, beginning with a three-game series at the Marlins Monday, August 18 through Wednesday, and ending with a three-game set at the Tampa Bay Rays. The expected pitchers vs. the Marlins are Matthew Liberatore on Monday, Michael McGreevy on Tuesday and Andre Pallante on Wednesday.
The Rays series begins on Thursday, August 21, and ends on Sunday, August 24, with an off day in the middle on Saturday, August 23. The game was moved off the Saturday date due to a conflict with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pre-season football game, which will be played at Raymond James Field across the street from Steinbrenner Field.
The team returns briefly to St. Louis after the road trip for four games with the Pirates beginning Monday, August 25. They end the month of August with three games in Cincinnati against the Reds.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to a previous series highlighting rare feats performed by former or current Cardinals during the history of the franchise during a specific time period.
This installment will cover a larger period, from August 1 through August 17.
A rare feat is 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.
For each rare feat, the type of feat, the date it occurred, and details of each occurrence are listed below.
In this installment, all rare feats occurred in games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. All three highlighted individuals later became Cardinals Hall of Famers and two have been enshrined in Cooperstown (only Bill White remains).
August 5, 1931 – On this date, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field, first baseman Jim Bottomley went 6-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored in a 16-2 win over the Pirates.
The sequence of hits went as follows: In the first inning, Bottomley singled and was left stranded; he hit an RBI single to left in the third; Bottomley singled and scored in an eight run fifth inning; he doubled and scored in the sixth; a single in the seventh scored two runs; his final hit was a single in the ninth, but he was again left on base.
August 14, 1960 – On this day, Cardinals first baseman Bill White hit for the cycle in a 9-4 loss to the Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader at Forbes Field.
In the first inning, White hit a triple to center but was stranded. White doubled to right in the third and was left on base again. He hit an RBI single to center in the fifth, scoring Curt Flood. In the seventh, White hit a solo home run to right.
August 14, 1971 – On this day, Bob Gibson pitched the only no-hitter of his career in an 11-0 shutout of the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium.
Gibson of course pitched all nine innings, striking out 10 Pirates and walking three. His final hitter was Willie Stargell, who struck out looking. Gibson had two innings in which he faced five batters. He faced only three batters in five frames.
The number of pitches thrown was not recorded. Gibson’s Game Score was 94.
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