photo: Riley O’Brien (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Short on pitching during a tough road trip, the Cardinals went just 3-5, capped off by an especially painful ninth inning loss on Sunday. Our history feature highlights the team’s past highs and low seasons in one-run games.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 17, 2026 – Cardinals 2 at Reds 1 (game one)
The St. Louis Cardinals edged the Reds by a 2-1 score in the opener of a twin bill on Monday.
Spot starter Quinn Mathews pitched four innings, gave up one run on two hits, walked three and fanned seven.
Luis Gastelum relieved Mathews and threw a scoreless fifth. Gordon Graceffo, George Soriano, and Ryne Stanek each hurled a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth for his 31st save.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Joshua Báez was hit by a pitch. Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson doubled to plate both runners.
The Reds scored one run in the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1. That score remained through the completion of the game.
The Cardinals scored two runs on seven hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4.
Monday, August 17, 2026 – Cardinals 5 at Reds 6 (10 innings, game two)
The Cardinals lost the second game of the twin bill by the score of 6-5.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched six innings, gave up four runs on 10 hits, walked one and fanned five.
Peter Strzelecki relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in three innings. Justin Bruihl relinquished the winning walk off run in the ninth and took the loss.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the fourth to take the lead. Iván Herrera hit a solo home run. Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker singled. Burleson scored on a single by Masyn Winn.
St. Louis widened their lead to 4-1 with a two-run top of the sixth. Walker doubled and scored on a single by Nathan Church. Bryan Torres walked. Blaze Jordan singled to plate Church.
Cincinnati answered with three runs in the home sixth to tie the game.
The Cardinals made it 5-4 in the eighth as Walker singled and later scored on a single by Torres.
The Reds responded with a run in the ninth to tie the game again and send it into extra innings.
The Cardinals failed to score in the top of the 10th. The Reds won the game in a walk off in the bottom of the frame.
The Cardinals scored five runs on 11 hits. Walker was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. JJ Wetherholt was 2-for-5.
Walker stole his 17th base. Church had an outfield assist at second base.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 – Cardinals 3 at Reds 0
The Cardinals blanked the Reds by a 3-0 score on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
Starter Kyle Leahy pitched five scoreless innings, allowed three hits and fanned six.
Ryne Stanek, Gordon Graceffo, and George Soriano threw a scoreless inning each. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 32nd save.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Masyn Winn hit a solo home run.
St. Louis added a run in the seventh as Winn doubled and scored on a double by José Fermín.
In the eighth, the Cardinals extended the lead to 3-0. Jordan Walker singled. Alec Burleson doubled. Walker came home on a sac fly by Joshua Báez.
The offense scored three runs on seven hits. Winn was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 – Cardinals 4 at Reds 5
The Cardinals were topped by the Reds on Wednesday by a 5-4 score in Cincinnati.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six innings, gave up three runs on four hits, and fanned nine. Despite the quality start, Liberatore took the loss.
Luis Gastelum relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless seventh. Justin Bruihl surrendered two runs in the eighth.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the fourth inning. Alec Burleson walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nathan Church singled to score Burleson. Masyn Winn walked. Church came home on a single by Bryan Torres.
The Reds put up three runs in the sixth and two in the eighth to lead 5-2.
St. Louis rallied for two runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 5-4. JJ Wetherholt was hit by a pitch. Jordan Walker hit a two-run home run.
The Cardinals scored four runs on nine hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4. Walker had two RBI.
Joshua Báez stole two bases. Blaze Jordan made a throwing error.
Thursday, August 20, 2026 – Cardinals 10 at Reds 9
The Cardinals beat the Reds by the score of 10-9 in the final game of the series on Thursday.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on three hits, walked two and fanned four.
Ryne Stanek relieved McGreevy and surrendered two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Peter Strzelecki threw two scoreless innings to earn the win. George Soriano relinquished four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Riley O’Brien secured the final out of the ninth for his 33rd save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt was hit by a pitch. Iván Herrera singled. Herrera advanced to third on a fly out by Alec Burleson and scored on a ground out by Jordan Walker.
St. Louis added three runs in the third. Wetherholt singled. Herrera walked. Walker followed with a three-run home run.
The Reds surged for five runs in the sixth to take the lead 5-4.
In the top of the ninth, the Cardinals posted six runs to regain the lead 10-5. José Fermín singled. Bryan Torres was hit by a pitch and Masyn Winn pinch ran. Wetherholt reached on an error as Fermín and Winn scored. Herrera was intentionally walked. Burleson singled to plate Wetherholt. Walker drew a walk. Joshua Báez walked and Herrera came home. Fermín singled to drive in Walker and Báez.
The Reds rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth but fell just short.
The Cardinals scored 10 runs on eight hits. Fermín was 2-for-2 with two RBI. Walker had four RBI and two runs scored. Wetherholt scored three runs. Herrera scored two runs.
Báez was caught stealing.
Friday, August 21, 2026 – Cardinals 6 at Phillies 7 (10 innings)
The Cardinals lost their third one-run game of the week, this time in the series opener in Philadelphia.
Starter Hunter Dobbins pitched four innings, gave up three runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three. Dobbins left early with an elbow injury.
Caleb Ferguson relieved Dobbins and surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Gordon Graceffo threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Justin Bruihl hurled two scoreless frames. Luis Gastelum yielded two runs, one earned, in the ninth and took the loss.
The Cardinals went up in the first inning on a two-run home run by Joshua Báez.
The Phillies tied the game in the second and added a run in the third to take the lead 3-2.
In the top of the sixth, on a two-run home run by Jordan Walker, the Cardinals regained the lead at 4-3.
Philadelphia answered with two runs in the home sixth to retake the lead 5-4.
The Cardinals scored one run in the eighth to tie the game 5-5. Alec Burleson singled and advanced to second on a passed ball. Burleson later came home on a single by Bryan Torres.
The game went into extra innings. St. Louis scored the tiebreaker runner in the top of the 10th to go ahead 6-5. Fermín singled to score Burleson from second base.
The Phillies won the game 7-5 with a two-run bottom of the 10th against Gastelum.
The Cardinals scored six runs on 12 hits. Walker was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Fermín was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Báez had two RBI.
Church stole his eighth base.
Saturday, August 22, 2026 – Cardinals 3 at Phillies 12
The Cardinals were walloped by the Phillies in a 12-3 rout on Saturday.
Starter Quinn Mathews pitched five innings, gave up seven runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out three. Mathews took the loss.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Mathews and surrendered four runs in two innings. Catcher Pedro Pagés pitched the eighth and yielded one run.
The Phillies went up 3-0 in the first and added four runs in the third to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals scored their first run in the top of the sixth. Blaze Jordan doubled and later scored on a single by Alec Burleson.
Philadelphia responded with four runs in the home sixth to extend the lead to 11-1.
In the top of the eighth, a solo home run by JJ Wetherholt gave St. Louis its second run. The Phillies answered with a run to add on to the lead of 12-2.
The Cardinals scored one more run in the ninth to bring the final to 12-3. Nathan Church tripled and came home on a ground out by José Fermín.
The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Church was 2-for-4.
Sunday, August 23, 2026 – Cardinals 4 at Phillies 6
The Cardinals were swept by the Phillies after a catastrophic loss in Sunday’s final inning.
Starter Kyle Leahy pitched only four innings, due to a pitch limit due to the number of innings he has thrown this season. Those four innings were scoreless, with two hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts.
Luis Gastelum, Justin Bruihl, Ryne Stanek, and George Soriano each hurled a scoreless inning. Asked to protect a 4-0 lead, Riley O’Brien surrendered six runs and took the brutal walkoff loss with two out in the ninth. The final blow was a two-run home run to dead center by Kyle Schwarber.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt singled and stole second. Alec Burleson singled to score Wetherholt.
St. Louis added a run in the fourth. Jordan Walker singled and stole second. Burleson singled to plate Walker.
The Cardinals made it 3-0 in the fifth on a solo home run by José Fermín. In the seventh, the team extended the lead to 4-0. Ramón Urías and Pedro Pagés singled. Wetherholt singled to drive in Urías.
The Cardinals scored four runs on 10 hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Wetherholt was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Wetherholt stole his 14th base. Walker swiped his 18th bag.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week on the road with a record of 3-5. They won three of five at the Reds but were swept by the Phillies. The Cardinals have dropped to a .500 record at 66-66 and remain in third place in the Division, 15 1/2 games back of the Brewers. They are 5 1/2 games out a Wild Card spot with three teams to pass.
The week, in two words, was a disaster. Because of a previously rained out game, the schedule forced them to play five games in four days in Cincinnati, then three games in Philadelphia with no off day. The players were understandably gassed, especially the bullpen, where no fresh arm was provided until Saturday after six games in a row were played. The situation was made worse by injuries to Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins, with both placed on the injured list, and the absence of Masyn Winn for the final series because of an injury to his thumb from sliding into a base. The team also put OF Everson Pereira on the injured list due to a hit by pitch on his hand. The return of Ramón Urías from the 60-day injured provided some mitigation.
The culmination of the terrible week was the loss to the Phillies on Sunday. The Cardinals had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, before closer Riley O’Brien gave up six runs as the Phillies walked off the win and sweep.
The Cardinals have an off-day Monday, before a six-game homestand. The absence of two members of the rotation, and a pitch limit on a third, means pitching is going to be more of an issue than it has been all season. Quinn Mathews was brought up to replace Pallante, but the replacement for Dobbins is unknown. Some maneuvering will be needed to cover Leahy’s reduced innings as well. What that would entail is unknown, but six games are to be played before rosters expand by two players to 28 on September 1.
The top offensive players by OPS for the week were Jordan Walker (1.065), Masyn Winn (.956) and Nathan Church (.923).
At the bottom were Joshua Báez (.373) and Jimmy Crooks (.237 in 12 ABs). The three-catcher situation remains, and Iván Herrera continues to get most of the at-bats (29).
As previously discussed, the pitching circumstances can reasonably be considered at a near crisis level. The off day will help, but having two starters injured and a third with a pitch limit is not a sustainable situation. Mathews has little major league experience, and any replacement for Dobbins, if he comes from within the organization, is likely going to be even greener. A starter from outside the organization can only be obtained through free agency or as a waiver claim. Those types of pitchers at this late stage in the season are generally only available because they have failed to perform at an acceptable level.
The remaining long-term starters, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy and Kyle Leahy, continue to perform in a decent fashion, though Liberatore and McGreevy had some difficulties in their starts this past week.
The bullpen was bad, to put it bluntly. Gordon Graceffo and Peter Strzelecki were the only relief pitchers who made all good appearances over the week. ERAs of double digits or close to it were prevalent during the week.
The team returns home for a six-game homestand with the Orioles and the Pirates to end the month.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 81 | 50 | 0.618 | ||
| Chicago | 75 | 56 | 0.573 | 6 | |
| St. Louis | 66 | 66 | 0.500 | 15.5 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 63 | 69 | 0.477 | 18.5 | 8.5 |
| Cincinnati | 62 | 69 | 0.473 | 19 | 9 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/18 The Cardinals optioned RHP Quinn Mathews to the Memphis Redbirds (27th man doubleheader).
- 8/21 The Cardinals recalled RHP Ryan Fernandez from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/21 The Cardinals placed RHP Andre Pallante on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 18. Right elbow inflammation.
- 8/22 The Cardinals recalled LHP Quinn Mathews from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/22 The Cardinals placed RHP Hunter Dobbins on the 15-day injured list. Right flexor strain.
- 8/23 The Cardinals placed OF Everson Pereira on the 10-day IL with a hand injury.
- 8/23 The Cardinals activated IF Ramon Urias from the 60-day IL.
Injury Report
- RHP Max Rajcic had right UCL reconstruction surgery (Tommy John) on July 23. Rajcic will likely miss the entire 2027 season.
- SS Masyn Winn (left thumb) was injured on a slide in the August 19 game in Cincinnati. Winn has not started since, but has come in late to pinch hit and/or as a defensive replacement. Winn is considered day to day.
- RHP Andre Pallante (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 21, retroactive to August 18. Pallante’s injury is not considered serious but it will keep him off the roster for at least three starts.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins (right flexor strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 22. Dobbins will be further evaluated when the team returns to St. Louis.
- OF Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the eighth inning of the August 21 game. X-rays were negative, but he was placed on the 10-day IL on Sunday.
Looking Ahead
The month of August ends with a six-game homestand that begins with the Baltimore Orioles, followed by a weekend set with the Pirates.
September begins with a West Coast road trip of nine games. It begins at Dodger Stadium for three. The team travels to Denver to take on the Rockies at Coors Field for three and the road trip concludes in San Francisco for three with the Giants.
After a travel day on Thursday, September 10, the Cardinals return to St. Louis for a nine-game homestand of three games each with the White Sox, Giants, and Nationals.
The season concludes with the final road trip of three games each in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals had a tough time lately, losing leads in the final innings. This is most likely due to the ineffectiveness of the bullpen, which has been an issue all season. The problem has been exacerbated by the offense not being as prolific after the All-Star break, putting the Cardinals in close games often.
This past week the issue was even more apparent, as the team won or lost five of the eight games by one run. It appears that they may be on pace for a high volume of one-run games this season as they have already played 42 such games with 30 more contests remaining on the schedule.
This week’s Blast from the Past looks at the Cardinals’ past records in one-run games, highlighting relevant related facts.
- The most one-run games played in a season by the Cardinals was 65 in 1992. In that year, the team’s record in one-run games was 34-31.
- The fewest one-run games in a season was 22 in 1896. Their record was 10-12. The Cardinals played 13 one-run games in 2020, but that was not a full season due to the Pandemic. That record was 7-6.
- The Cardinals’ best season record in one-run games was 29-14 in 1975, for a win percentage of 67%.
- The Cardinals’ worst record in one-run games was 8-24 in 1898, which was a win percentage of 25%.
- The team the Cardinals have the best win percentage against in one-run games is the Baltimore Orioles of 75% (3-1). This is also the fewest one-run games played against any team.
- The teams the Cardinals have the worst win percentage against in one-run games is the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers. St. Louis is 1-7 against both teams, for a win percentage of 12.5%.
- The team the Cardinals have played the most one-run games against is the Pittsburgh Pirates with 760. St. Louis’ record is 371-389, a win percentage of 48.8%.
- In 2026, St. Louis is 22-20 in one-run games with 30 contests left in the season.
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