photo: Willson Contreras (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinals went an uninspiring 3-3 in Florida and remain three games under .500. Willson Contreras is the only consistent hitter as the injuries increase. Our history feature highlights prior late-August MLB debuts.
Game recaps
Monday, August 18, 2025 – Cardinals 8 at Marlins 3
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Marlins by the score of 8-3 at Loan Depot Park on Monday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, fanned five and walked one.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw two scoreless innings to earn his second win. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless eighth. Jose Alcalá tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Marlins scored single runs in the first and fourth innings to lead 2-0.
The Cardinals put up three runs in the fifth to take the lead. Pedro Pagés walked. Nathan Church reached on a fielder’s choice as Pagés advanced to second on a throwing error. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. Lars Nootbaar singled to score Pagés. Nootbaar advanced to second on another wild pitch. Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Church. Nootbaar came home on a sac fly by Willson Contreras.
Miami tied the game in the sixth.
St. Louis answered with one run in the seventh to regain the lead at 4-3. Herrera reached on a fielding error and advanced to second. Burleson drove him in on a single.
The Cardinals added a run in the eighth to make it 5-3. Nolan Gorman walked and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Thomas Saggese. Pagés singled to score Gorman.
St. Louis posted a three-run ninth to extend the lead to 8-3. Burleson singled and Garrett Hampson pinch ran. Contreras singled. Hampson scored on a passed ball before Gorman hit a two-run home run.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 10 hits. Burleson was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gorman had two RBI and two runs scored.
On defense, third baseman Gorman made a throwing error.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 – Cardinals 7 at Marlins 4
The Cardinals defeated the Marlins by a 7-4 score on Tuesday.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up four runs, two earned, on five hits and fanned five and received his fifth win.
The bullpen came through as Matt Svanson, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless inning each. O’Brien earned his second save.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Iván Herrera singled to score Nootbaar.
St. Louis added two runs in the second. Thomas Saggese singled. Nathan Church was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced on a ground out by Nootbaar. Herrera plated Saggese and Church on a single.
The Cardinals made it 4-0 in the third. Nolan Gorman walked. Saggese singled. Pedro Pagés singled in Gorman.
The Marlins got on the board with two runs in the fourth.
The Cardinals answered with two runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 6-2. Masyn Winn singled and stole second base. Saggese also singled and stole second base. From third, Winn scored on a passed ball. Saggese came home on a sac bunt by Church.
Miami added two in the sixth.
St. Louis put up an insurance run in the seventh for a 7-4 lead. Winn was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and advanced to third on a throwing error. Winn came home on a sac fly by Saggese.
The offense scored seven runs on 12 hits. Herrera was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Saggese was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Nootbaar and Contreras were 2-for-5. Winn scored two runs.
Herrera stole his sixth base of the season. Winn swiped two bags. Saggese stole his second base.
On defense, McGreevy made a throwing error. Winn had a fielding miscue.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 – Cardinals 2 at Marlins 6
The Cardinals fell to the Marlins in the final game of the series on Wednesday, missing the chance to sweep. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked three. Pallante took the loss.
Anthony Veneziano relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless inning. Andre Granillo surrendered one run in one inning. Ryan Fernandez tossed the final 2/3 of a scoreless inning.
The Marlins went up 1-0 in the second and added two runs in the third to lead 3-0.
In the fifth, the Cardinals cut the lead to 3-1. Yohel Pozo took first base on a dropped third strike/passed ball. Jordan Walker singled. Pozo scored on a ground-rule double by Lars Nootbaar.
Miami increased its lead to 4-1 with a run in the home fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Willson Contreras’ solo home run closed the gap to 4-2.
The Marlins scored again in the bottom of the sixth and made it 7-2 in the eighth.
The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On defense, Thomas Saggese made a throwing error. Nootbaar had an outfield assist at second base. Pallante picked a runner off first base.
Thursday, August 21, 2025 – Cardinals 7 at Rays 4
The Cardinals won over the Rays by a 7-4 score to open the series at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched five innings, gave up three runs on six hits, fanned six and walked one and received his 12th win of the season.
Kyle Leahy relieved Gray and surrendered one run in the sixth. Matt Svanson threw a scoreless seventh. JoJo Romero tossed the final two scoreless innings to earn his fourth save.
Tampa took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
St. Louis put up a five run second inning. Nolan Gorman singled. Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés grounded into a force with Gorman out at third. Nathan Church reached on a fielder’s choice and Saggese came home. Lars Nootbaar doubled to score Pagés. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch scored Church and advanced the runners to second and third. Alec Burleson plated Nootbaar and Herrera on a single.
The Rays added two runs in the third to cut the lead to 5-3.
The Cardinals answered with a run in the fourth. Church reached on an error and stole second base. Nootbaar singled. Church came home on a single by Herrera.
In the top of the seventh, Willson Contreras’ solo home run increased the lead to 7-3. The Rays made it 7-4 in the home half to conclude the scoring.
The Cardinals plated seven runs on 10 hits. Burleson was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Contreras was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Gorman was 2-for-4. Church scored two runs.
Church stole his first base in the majors. Nootbaar was picked off and caught stealing.
On defense, Church had an outfield assist at third base.
Friday, August 22, 2025 – Cardinals 6 at Rays 10
The Cardinals lost the second game of the series to the Rays on Friday. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up five runs, four earned on 10 hits, struck out one and walked one. Mikolas took the loss.
Anthony Veneziano relieved Mikolas and surrendered two runs in three innings. Ryan Fernandez yielded two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Jorge Alcalá allowed one run in the eighth.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals tied the score in the top of the second. Nolan Gorman walked. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out. Winn advanced to second on a ground out by Thomas Saggese and came home on a single by Yohel Pozo.
Tampa added two runs in the home second to regain the lead. They added onto their lead with two runs each in the third and fourth pad their lead to 7-1.
St. Louis cut the lead to 7-2 in the sixth. Willson Contreras hit a ground-rule double. Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch. Saggese grounded into a force out and Contreras scored.
The Cardinals put up a four-run top of the seventh to close the gap to 7-6. Jordan Walker singled. Nathan Church followed with a two-run home run. Iván Herrera singled and Contreras hit a two-run home run.
The Rays extended their lead to 9-6 with two runs in the home seventh and added a 10th run in the eighth.
The Cardinals scored six runs on nine hits. Contreras was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Church was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
On defense, Gorman made a throwing error. Mikolas picked a runner off first base.
Saturday, August 23, 2025 – Off day
This date was held open due to the NFL game held at the adjoining football stadium.
Sunday, August 24, 2025 – Cardinals 2 at Rays 7
The Cardinals lost the series to the Rays with a defeat on Sunday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave four runs on three hits, fanned five and walked three. Liberatore took the loss.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Andre Granillo yielded two runs in two innings. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Rays scored one run in the fourth, added four in the fifth and two in the sixth to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals were held scoreless until the seventh. Alec Burleson reached on an error. Nolan Gorman walked. Jordan Walker singled to plate Burleson.
St. Louis added a second run in the ninth. Burleson singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gorman plated Burleson on a single.
The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Burleson scored two runs.
On the bases, Contreras was caught stealing.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a 3-3 record. They won 2 of 3 from the Marlins and lost the series to the Rays with the margin flipped. The team remains in fourth place and has sunk farther behind. St. Louis is four games back of the third-place Reds and are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card. The chances for the postseason are low at this point.
The offense has marginally improved over the past week, but it doesn’t matter as much when the pitching gives up more runs. Having three position players on the injured list doesn’t help, either.
The list of top offensive players for the week by OPS is a very short list of one, Willson Contreras (1.088). Next closest are Nolan Gorman (.873), and Lars Nootbaar (.793). At the bottom are Yohel Pozo (.200), Masyn Winn (.347), Pedro Pagés (.421) and Iván Herrera (.442).
As for pitching, the only starter with an ERA for the week under 4.00 was Michael McGreevy (3.00). Miles Mikolas had another very short road outing and was rocked (13.50). Sonny Gray (5.40), Matthew Liberatore (6.75 in two starts), and Andre Pallante (8.44) rounded out the week.
It appears with only a little more than a month left in the regular season that the team is out of the postseason hunt and is left to just play out the final games. The schedule isn’t set up to allow for any kind of a run, as remaining opponents include the Brewers, Cubs, Reds and Mariners, all above .500 teams. The Pirates, Athletics and Giants are the only sub-.500 teams remaining on the schedule.
The coming week the Cardinals play four games at home with Pittsburgh and three games with the Reds in Cincinnati.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 81 | 50 | 0.618 | ||
| Chicago | 76 | 55 | 0.580 | 5 | |
| Cincinnati | 68 | 63 | 0.519 | 13 | 1.5 |
| St. Louis | 64 | 67 | 0.489 | 17 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 57 | 74 | 0.435 | 24 | 12.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/18 The Cardinals placed 2B Brendan Donovan on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 15. Left groin strain.
- 8/18 The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/24 The Cardinals activated LHP John King from the 10-day injured list.
King, 30, had been on the IL since July 30. In three rehab games with Memphis totaling 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
- 8/24 The Cardinals optioned LHP Anthony Veneziano to the Memphis Redbirds.
Veneziano, 27, was claimed off waivers from Miami on August 4. He joined St. Louis on the 17th when Roddery Muñoz was returned to Memphis. With St. Louis, Veneziano appeared in two games and threw four innings. He allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
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 he was set to resume his throwing program. Whether or when Thompson may return to the big league roster is unknown.
- LHP John King was activated from the 10-day injured list on August 24.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. Arenado was sighted in the dugout for the Miami Marlins series but was only present for a visit while continuing to rehab in Jupiter. The plan is for the third baseman to begin some light hitting and then to throwing if he is pain free. No return date has been reported.
- 2B Brendan Donovan (left groin) Donovan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18, retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. No details have been reported concerning a return date or if Donovan will require a rehab assignment.
- CF Victor Scott (left ankle sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 17. An MRI showed no structural damage. It is hoped that Scott will be able to return on August 27.
- SS Masyn Winn was scratched from Sunday’s game with knee soreness. He was given a pain-killing injection and is hopeful to play on Monday.
Looking Ahead
Following the Rays series, the Cardinals return briefly to St. Louis for four games with the Pirates beginning Monday, August 25. Michael McGreevy is scheduled to make the Monday start, followed by Andre Pallante, Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore.
The team ends August with three games in Cincinnati with the Reds.
The final month of the regular season begins at Busch Stadium with a four-game set with the Athletics. After an off day on Thursday, September 4, the homestand continues with a weekend series versus the Giants.
A road trip begins on Monday, September 7 in Seattle for three with the Mariners. The road trip ends in Milwaukee for a weekend set.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to highlighting debuts of current or former Cardinals players during a relevant period in the history of the franchise.
Late season debuts are quite common, especially following the expansion of rosters which occurs at the beginning of September. Additionally, the major league rules allow a prospect to retain their rookie status for the following season if they do not surpass 130 at bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days on an active roster the previous season. These thresholds can be maintained with a call up in mid to late August.
The following is a list of major league debuts that took place during the period August 18 through August 24, throughout the history of the franchise. One is a current member of the team’s active roster.
For each debut, the following will be chronicled: (1) the date of the debut, (2) the name of the debuting player, (3) how that player performed on his debut date, and (4) any other relevant or interesting details of the debut or a following game.
August 18, 1989 – On this date, 3B/1B/C Todd Zeile made his major league debut. Zeile played in both games of a doubleheader against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium as the Cardinals lost both.
In the opener, Zeile entered the game as a pinch hitter for Dan Quisenberry in the eighth inning and grounded out to third base.
Zeile was in the starting lineup for the second game as the catcher and hit eighth. He went 2-for-4. In the second inning, Zeile lined out to right. In the fifth, Zeile’s first major league hit was a single to right. He was stranded. Zeile hit an infield single to the shortstop in the seventh inning but was forced out at second by a bunt groundout from Vince Coleman. Zeile struck out swinging in the eighth.
August 18, 2023 – On this day, current Cardinal shortstop Masyn Winn made his major league debut in a 7-1 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium. Winn was in the starting lineup at shortstop batting ninth and went 1-for-4.
Winn’s first at bat came in the second inning. He struck out looking. He hit an infield single to third base off Mets starter Joey Lucchesi in the fifth but was stranded.
He grounded out to second in the seventh and flied out to center in the ninth.
August 19, 2020 – On this date in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season, RHP Johan Oviedo made his major league debut.
Oviedo faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field as the Cardinals lost, 4-2. Oviedo pitched five innings and gave up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Oviedo’s first major league strikeout victim wa Javier Baez in the first inning.
Oviedo made five starts in 2020. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 2, 2022 for Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton and remains in the Bucs rotation today.
August 21, 1990 – On this date, future Cardinals Hall of Fame center fielder Ray Lankford made his major league debut in a 7-2 loss to the Braves at Busch Stadium.
Lankford was in the starting lineup batting sixth. Lankford went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
In the second inning, Lankford singled to center off John Smoltz for his first major league hit. He was stranded.
In the fourth, he flied out to left. Lankford grounded out to the pitcher in the sixth. His final at-bat was an RBI double to RF in the eighth, scoring Todd Zeile. Lankford came home on a single by Rex Hudler.
August 22, 1977 – On this day, third baseman Ken Oberkfell made his major league debut in an 8-6 win over the Dodgers at Busch Stadium.
Oberkfell pinch hit for pitcher John Denny in the third inning and flied out to center. Oberkfell started only one game in 1977, on September 11th, he played for six innings and was hitless.
Oberkfell’s first major league hit did not occur until his last game that season. On October 2, 1977, in a 6-4 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium, Oberkfell replaced Garry Templeton in the fifth inning playing second base. He moved to third base in the sixth and came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. His first major league hit occurred in the eighth inning, an RBI single to right scoring Dane Iorg,
August 23, 1999 – On this date, LHP Rick Ankiel made his major league debut in an 11-7 loss to the Montreal Expos in Montreal.
Ankiel started and went five innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out six and walked two.
His first major league strikeout victim was Rondell White in the first inning, swinging. Ankiel left the game in the sixth after a leadoff single, and wa replaced by Heathcliff Slocumb.
Ankiel made five starts in 1999 and pitched out of the bullpen in his final four appearances.
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