photo: Quinn Mathews (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The injury bug has hold of the St. Louis Cardinals, losers of four of six last week. Quinn Mathews’ fourth MLB start was his best yet, with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts vs. Pittsburgh. Our history feature recaps past results between the Cardinals and Orioles.
Game Recaps
Monday, August 24, 2026 – Off day
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 – Cardinals 1, Orioles 13
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals were routed by the Orioles 13-1 at Busch Stadium in the first of a three-game series.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched four innings, gave up eight runs on eight hits, walked one and fanned seven. Liberatore took the loss, his 12th of the season.
Peter Strzelecki relieved Liberatore and surrendered four runs in 1/3 of an inning. Caleb Ferguson yielded one run in 1 2/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez threw two scoreless innings. Catcher Pedro Pagés tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Orioles went up 4-0 in the top of the third inning. The Cardinals answered with their only run of the game in the home third on a solo home run by Nathan Church.
Baltimore added eight runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to make it 13-1.
The Cardinals scored one run on seven hits. Church was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Liberatore made a throwing error.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 – Cardinals 7, Orioles 8
The Cardinals were edged by the Orioles 8-7 in Wednesday’s second game of the series. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up seven runs on 10 hits, walked two and struck out three.
Luis Gastelum, Ryne Stanek and George Soriano pitched a scoreless inning each. Riley O’Brien surrendered one run in the ninth and took the loss.
Baltimore went ahead 5-0 in the first and added two runs in the top of the second to extend the lead to 7-0.
St. Louis answered in the home second with a solo home run by Nolan Gorman.
The Cardinals surged to score six runs in the fifth and tie the game. Bryan Torres singled. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Torres and Wetherholt. Jordan Walker doubled to score Herrera. Nathan Church drove in Burleson and Walker on a double.
The Orioles scored one run in the ninth to take the lead 8-7 and win the game.
The offense scored seven runs on 11 hits. Herrera was 3-for-4. Torres was 3-for-3. Burleson and Church each had two RBI.
Church stole his ninth base. Torres swiped his second bag.
Thursday, August 27, 2026 – Cardinals 7, Orioles 5
The Cardinals salvaged one game of the series by beating the Orioles 7-5 on Thursday. The bullpen game by the Cardinals began with Gordan Graceffo, who pitched three scoreless, no-hit innings with four strikeouts.
Justin Bruihl followed Graceffo and surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. Luis Gastelum threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Caleb Ferguson relinquished three runs in the seventh. George Soriano yielded one run in the eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth for his 34th save.
The Cardinals went up 3-0 in the second inning. Alec Burleson singled. Joshua Báez doubled. Blaze Jordan followed with a three-run home run.
St. Louis added two runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0. Burleson singled. Ramón Urías hit a two-run home run.
In the top of the fifth, the Orioles scored one run.
The Cardinals answered with a run in the home fifth to make it 6-1. José Fermín singled and stole second. Iván Herrera walked. Jordan Walker singled. Fermín scored on a ground out by Burleson.
Baltimore added three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to shrink the lead to 6-5.
St. Louis responded with a run in the home eighth for the final score of 7-5. Urías walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nathan Church drove in Urías on a single.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on nine hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 2-for-4. Jordan had three RBI. Urías had two RBI and two runs scored.
Fermín stole his seventh base.
Friday, August 28, 2026 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 1
The Cardinals beat the Pirates by the score of 4-1 in the opener of the weekend series at Busch Stadium on Friday.
Starter Quinn Mathews pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up one run on five hits, walked one and fanned seven to earn his first major league win.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Mathews and threw two scoreless innings. Caleb Ferguson collected one out. Ryne Stanek tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the third inning. Nolan Gorman doubled and Jimmy Crooks followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis added a run in the fourth to lead 3-0. Jordan Walker and José Fermín singled. Walker came home on a sac fly by Nathan Church.
The Pirates scored their only run in the fifth inning.
The Cardinals made it 4-1 in the eighth. Walker singled and later scored on an error.
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. Walker was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Fermín was 2-for-4. Crooks had two RBI.
Saturday, August 29, 2026 – Cardinals 2, Pirates 6
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates in the second game of the series on Saturday.
Starter Kyle Leahy, who was on a pitch count, pitched three innings, gave up one run on four hits, walked one and struck out three.
Back from the minors, Brycen Mautz relieved Leahy and surrendered four runs in three innings and took the loss. Cade Winquest threw two scoreless innings. Ryan Fernandez allowed one run in the ninth.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals tied the game in the third on a solo home run by Joshua Báez.
Pittsburgh regained the lead 2-1 in the fourth, then extended the lead to 5-1 in the fifth.
St. Louis scored their second and final run in the sixth. Jordan Walker reached on an error, advanced on a fielder’s choice by Nathan Church and came home on an error.
The Pirates put up one more run in the ninth to win the game 6-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on three hits.
Báez made a fielding error.
Sunday, August 30, 2026 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 5
The Cardinals lost to the Pirates by a 5-4 score on Sunday. This is the second series St. Louis lost to Pittsburgh this season at Busch Stadium.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on six hits, walked two and fanned nine. Liberatore took the loss, his 13th this season.
Ryne Stanek secured the last out of the sixth. Luis Gastelum surrendered one run in the seventh. Gordon Graceffo tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Pirates scored two runs in the second inning and single runs in the third and fifth to lead 4-0.
The Cardinals responded with two runs in the home fifth to cut the lead to 4-2. Thomas Saggese singled. Bryan Torres walked. Iván Herrera singled to score Saggese. Alec Burleson drove in Torres on a single.
Pittsburgh made it 5-2 in the top of the seventh.
St. Louis partially answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to shrink the lead to 5-4. Ramón Urías walked. Saggese singled, advancing Urías to third. Urías came home on a sac fly by Torres. Herrera plated Saggese on a double.
The Cardinals scored four runs on nine hits. Herrera was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Torres was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Saggese was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Herrera stole his eighth base. Burleson swiped his fourth bag.
Urías made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 2-4. They lost both series, to the Orioles and the Pirates. The team is two games under .500 with a record of 68-70. They are hanging on to third place in the Division by one game over the Pirates and are 17.5 games back of the first-place Brewers.
The offense deteriorated over the last week. Four players had an OPS for the week over .900, but they are all part-time players, one of whom is now injured. They are Bryan Torres (1.583 in 6 ABs), Blaze Jordan (1.500 in 5 ABs), Thomas Saggese (1.200 in 5 ABs), and Jimmy Crooks (1.083 in 8 ABs). The highest regular player in OPS is Joshua Báez (.722).
At the bottom are Alec Burleson (.497), Nolan Gorman (.491), JJ Wetherholt (.343), José Fermín (.334) and Pedro Pagés (.200).
This week, the offense experienced injuries, including IL stints for three-quarters of the infield in JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Blaze Jordan. Reserve Everson Pereira went down with an injury the week before as well.
The pitching was not much better. Matthew Libertore (10.24 ERA in 2 starts), and Michael McGreevy (12.60 ERA in 1 start) were awful. Kyle Leahy is being held to a pitch count and pitched only three innings in his one start (3.00 ERA). Quinn Mathews pitched well (1.59 ERA in one start). Gordon Graceffo started a bullpen game and threw three scoreless innings then added two more scoreless innings in relief on Sunday.
The Cardinals’ rotation is down two starters and has had poor outings from two and a pitch count shortened outing from another. Andre Pallante may return soon, but it may not be before the injury riddled rotation has to face the Dodgers in the coming week. If Pallante doesn’t return for the series, Leahy could pitch another pitch count limited start against Tarik Skubal. Only McGreevy has been officially named as a starter in that series.
The bullpen has had some changes, with Caleb Ferguson released and replaced by Brycen Mautz, who didn’t pitch any better than Ferguson in his one appearance. Cade Winquest was added after Peter Strzelecki went down with an injury (but not before Strzelecki posted a 108.00 ERA in the 1/3 of an inning he pitched).
An injury hampered and fatigued offense plus an injury hampered pitching staff against the Dodgers this week is a recipe for disaster. The week ends with a series at Coors Field with the Rockies.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 85 | 52 | 0.620 | ||
| Chicago | 77 | 60 | 0.562 | 8 | |
| St. Louis | 68 | 70 | 0.493 | 17.5 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 67 | 71 | 0.486 | 18.5 | 6 |
| Cincinnati | 65 | 72 | 0.474 | 20 | 7.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/25 – The Cardinals placed SS Masyn Winn on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 22. Left thumb fracture.
- 8/25 The Cardinals recalled 3B Nolan Gorman from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/27 – The Cardinals placed RHP Peter Strzelecki on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 26. Right forearm extensor inflammation.
- 8/27 – The Cardinals selected the contract of RHP Cade Winquest from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/28 – The Cardinals placed 3B Blaze Jordan on the 10-day injured list. Left ankle sprain.
- 8/28 – The Cardinals recalled 3B Thomas Saggese from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/29 – The Cardinals designated LHP Caleb Ferguson for assignment and released him the next day.
- 8/29 – The Cardinals recalled LHP Brycen Mautz from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/30 – The Cardinals placed 2B JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list. Right wrist tendinitis.
- 8/30 – The Cardinals recalled 3B César Prieto from the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- 2B JJ Wetherholt was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 30. Right wrist inflammation. Wetherholt will see a specialist in Arizona before joining the team in Los Angeles. There is no indication that his season is over and Wetherholt hopes to be back after the minimum time.
- 3B Blaze Jordan was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 28. Left ankle sprain. Jordan was put in a walking boot and is expected to be out for several weeks. Next steps will be determined after the teams sees how his body responds in the next several days.
- RHP Peter Strzelecki was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 27, retroactive to August 26. Right forearm extensor inflammation. Strzelecki is expected to be back “soon”.
- SS Masyn Winn (left thumb) was injured in a slide on August 19 and was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 25, retroactive to August 22. Winn had a productive day swinging the bat on August 29 and manager Oli Marmol said he came out optimistic about Winn’s progress toward returning to the roster on the upcoming road trip.
- OF Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the August 21 game and was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 23. X-rays were negative. Pereira is not expected to travel with the team to Los Angeles. Exact next steps have not been clarified.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins (right flexor strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 22. Dobbins will get a second opinion on September 1.
- RHP Andre Pallante (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 21, retroactive to August 18. Pallante threw 50 pitches in a bullpen on August 28. How he recovers will determine next steps.
- RHP Max Rajcic had right UCL reconstruction surgery (Tommy John) on July 23, 2026. Rajcic will miss the remainder of the 2026 season and likely the entire 2027 season.
Looking Ahead
September begins with a West Coast road trip of nine games. It begins at Dodger Stadium for a three-game series.
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 for three games each in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals played the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game series at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, August 25 through Thursday, August 27. The Orioles are an American League team that from 1901 to 1954 were the St. Louis Browns.
The Cardinals and the Browns have an interesting history, but this week’s Blast from the Past will review the history between the Cardinals and the Orioles after the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles from 1955 through the present.
Prior to 1997, the American League and the National League played no games with each other during the regular season. In 1997, MLB instituted interleague play, with all NL and AL teams meeting each other on an alternating basis every three years. Thus, the Cardinals played the Orioles every third year.
In 2023, that process was changed to interleague play with every AL team playing every NL team every season.
The first season that the Cardinals played the Orioles was 2003. The two teams have played each other nine times since.
The Cardinals have faced 27 games in total with the Orioles since the institution of interleague play. Below is a list of notable facts pertaining to the history of the meetings between the two teams in that period.
- In the 27 games played between the Cardinals and the Orioles, the Cardinals have a record of 16 wins and 11 losses.
- Despite the fact that the Cardinals won more games, the Orioles scored more runs in those 27 games, 152 to 146.
- The Orioles also have more hits in those 27 games, 271 to 256.
- The Cardinals have hit 43 home runs to the Orioles 42.
- The Orioles have more doubles, 51-45, and more triples, 4-3.
- The Orioles have a higher batting average, .282 to .276.
- The Cardinals have a higher on base percentage, .341 to .334.
- The Orioles slugging is .475 to the Cardinals .470.
- The Cardinals have a higher OPS, .811 to .809.
The Cardinals and the Orioles have never faced each other in the postseason since the latter club moved in 1955. However, the Cardinals and Browns played in the 1944 World Series, which the Cardinals won.
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