photo: Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Last week, the Cardinals went 4-3 against two division opponents and are two games under .500 for the season. Pedro Pages remains the team’s hottest hitter. Our history feature highlights first MLB hits that were home runs.
Game recaps
Monday, August 25, 2025 – Cardinals 7, Pirates 6
The St. Louis Cardinals edged the Pittsburgh Pirates by a 7-6 score at Busch Stadium on Monday. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up four runs on six hits, fanned seven and walked two.
Kyle Leahy relieved McGreevy and surrendered one unearned run in the seventh. JoJo Romero threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien yielded one run in the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. St. Louis tied the game in the second. Nolan Gorman walked before Thomas Saggese and Jordan Walker singled to load the bases. Gorman scored on a sac fly by Nathan Church.
The Pirates came back with three runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead.
In the fifth, the Cardinals put up five runs and went ahead 6-4. Church singled and advanced to second on a fielding error. Lars Nootbaar grounded out, sending Church to third. Masyn Winn singled to score Church. Alec Burleson hit a ground-rule double. Willson Contreras plated Winn and Burleson on a single. Gorman drove in Contreras on a double. Gorman scored on a single by Saggese.
In the seventh, Pittsburgh cut the lead to 6-5. They tied the game 6-6 with a run in the top of the ninth.
In the home half of the inning, Burleson thumped a solo home run to give St. Louis the walk off victory, 7-6.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on 11 hits. Burleson was 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Saggese was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Contreras had two RBI before his ejection.
In the seventh inning, Contreras struck out and had words with home-plate umpire Derek Thomas. The first baseman bumped Thomas, spiked his helmet, threw his bat and tossed a bucket of chewing gum onto the field. Contreras is appealing his six-game suspension and fine and continues to play.
When Contreras finally does serve his time, the Cardinals are limited at first base alternatives with Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan currently on the injured list.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Pirates 8
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates by an 8-3 score at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up eight runs, seven earned, on eight hits, struck out three and walked one. Pallante took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Pallante and threw two scoreless innings. Jorge Alcalá hurled a scoreless eighth. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Pirates went up 5-0 in the first inning. They added two runs in the second and one in the third to lead 8-0.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the fourth to get on the board. Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Nolan Gorman followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis added one run in the sixth to shrink the lead to 8-3. Lars Nootbaar walked. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Nootbaar advanced to third on a ground out by Alec Burleson and came home on a ground out by Contreras.
The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits. Gorman had two RBI. The offense was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.
On defense, Nootbaar made a fielding error.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 – Cardinals 1, Pirates 2
The Cardinals lost by 2-1 margin to the Pirates on Wednesday. Starter Sonny Gray pitched seven innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits, fanned seven and walked three. Gray took the loss, his seventh.
Matt Svanson relieved Gray and threw two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the second inning. Masyn Winn singled and Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés singled to score Winn.
The Pirates took a 2-1 lead with two runs in the sixth.
The Cardinals weak offense scored one run on four hits. Pagés was 2-for-4 with an RBI. The offense was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On defense, Willson Contreras made a throwing error.
Thursday, August 28, 2025 – Cardinals 4, Pirates 1
On Thursday, the Cardinals won 4-1 and split the four-game series with the last place Pirates. Starter Miles Mikolas pitched five innings, gave up one run on four hits, struck out five and walked one.
Kyle Leahy threw two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Riley O’Brien hurled a scoreless eighth. JoJo Romero tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Lars Nootbaar singled and scored on a double by Iván Herrera.
St. Louis broke the tie with a three-run seventh to go ahead 4-1. Masyn Winn walked. Thomas Saggese doubled to score Winn. Jordan Walker followed with a two-run home run.
The offense scored four runs on seven hits. Saggese was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 3-for-4. Walker had two RBI.
On defense, Yohel Pozo had a passed ball.
Friday, August 29, 2025 – Cardinals 7 at Reds 5 (10 innings)
The Cardinals defeated the Reds in a 7-5 extra innings contest at Great American Ballpark on Friday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked two.
Jorge Alcalá relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless sixth. Gordon Graceffo surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. JoJo Romero hurled 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Matt Svanson pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless 10th and earned his first save.
The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the first inning on a solo home run by Iván Herrera. The Reds answered with two runs in the home first to take a 2-1 lead.
St. Louis answered with two the second to regain the lead. Thomas Saggese doubled. Jordan Walker reached on an error but was caught stealing second. Pedro Pagés hit a two-run home run.
The Cardinals added a run in the third to increase the lead to 4-2. Herrera singled. Willson Contreras reached on catcher interference. Nolan Gorman singled. Masyn Winn singled and Herrera scored.
Cincinnati cut the lead to 4-3 in the sixth and tied the game in the seventh.
The Cardinals broke the tie with a run in the top of the eighth. Herrera walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on a double by Winn.
The Reds tied the game again in the home eighth. The teams took a 5-5 tie into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, the Cardinals scored two runs. Nathan Church started the inning on second base and advanced on a fly out by Lars Nootbaar. Contreras reached on a throwing error and Church came home. Gorman walked. Winn singled to plate Contreras.
The Reds failed to score in the home 10th.
The Cardinals scored seven runs on nine hits. Winn was 3-for-5 with three RBI. Pagés was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Herrera was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the bases, Walker and José Fermín were both caught stealing.
Saturday, August 30, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Reds 2
The Cardinals beat the Reds by a 4-2 score on Saturday to take the series in Cincinnati. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits and walked two. McGreevy earned his sixth win of the season.
Jorge Alcalá relieved McGreevy and surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. JoJo Romero and Kyle Leahy each threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to protect the win.
Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
St. Louis scored two runs in the fourth to go ahead. Jordan Walker and Thomas Saggese walked. Pedro Pagés was hit by a pitch. Nathan Church plated Walker and Saggese on a single.
In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals extended their lead to 3-1 on a solo home run by Willson Contreras.
The Reds answered with a run in the home seventh to cut the lead to 3-2. In the eighth, the Cardinals responded with a solo home run by Pagés to increase the lead to 4-2.
The offense scored four runs on seven hits. Lars Nootbaar was 2-for-5. Church had two RBI.
Sunday, August 31, 2025 – Cardinals 4 at Reds 7
The Cardinals fell to the Reds in the final game of the series and were unable to complete the sweep. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up five runs, two earned, on six hits, fanned six and walked four. Pallante took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. Andre Granillo yielded one run in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar singled and Iván Herrera singled to put runners on the corner. Nootbaar scored on a sac fly by Nolan Gorman. Thomas Saggese plated Herrera on a single.
The Reds came back to take the lead with a three-run second inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third as Nootbaar tripled and scored on a sac fly by Herrera.
Cincinnati put up two runs in the fifth to take the lead 5-3. St. Louis added a run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Jimmy Crooks, his first as a big-leaguer.
The Reds added single runs in the sixth and eighth to win by three.
The Cardinals scored four runs on seven hits. Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On defense, César Prieto made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals ended the week with a record of 4-3. They split four with the Pirates and took two of three at Cincinnati. The Cardinals remain in fourth place in the NL Central, 17 games out of first place and 1.5 games behind the third place Reds. They are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card with a month left in the season.
The offense has been hit or miss for some weeks now, though they have scored more runs even in losses than in previous weeks. There were no shutouts this past week and only one one-run game. There definitely has been improvement, though not enough to move them significantly closer to a playoff spot.
The top offensive performances for the past week by OPS are Jimmy Crooks (1.250 in four ABs), Pedro Pagés (1.175), Iván Herrera (1.131), and Alec Burleson (.916), who is now on the injured list.
At the bottom are Masyn Winn (.499), Nolan Gorman (.487), Willson Conteras (.430), César Prieto (.400 in 5 ABs), Jordan Walker (.374), and Nathan Church (.336).
The starting pitching, which has been the Achillies Heel for much of the season, showed some improvement this past week. Three starters had ERAs under 4.00, Sonny Gray (1.29), Miles Mikolas (1.80), and Michael McGreevy (3.75). Matthew Liberatore missed at 5.40. Andre Pallante (8.10) is still struggling, though there was some improvement in his second start of the week.
The bullpen has shown some movement but is holding its own. John King is back on the IL. JoJo Romero and Matt Svanson continue to impress, following the trade of three top relievers at the trade deadline. Kyle Leahy and Ryan Fernandez were also very good.
The Cardinals return home for a two-series homestand against the Athletics and Giants. Both are sub-.500 teams (as are the Cardinals), so there is opportunity for advancement in the standings.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 85 | 53 | 0.616 | ||
| Chicago | 78 | 59 | 0.569 | 6.5 | |
| Cincinnati | 69 | 68 | 0.504 | 15.5 | 4 |
| St. Louis | 68 | 70 | 0.493 | 17 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 61 | 77 | 0.442 | 24 | 12.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 8/25 The Cardinals recalled RHP Gordon Graceffo from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/25 The Cardinals optioned RHP Andre Granillo to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/27 The Cardinals placed LHP John King on the 10-day injured list retroactive to August 26. Mid-back strain.
- 8/27 The Cardinals recalled RHP Andre Granillo from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/29 The Cardinals placed C Yohel Pozo on the 7-day concussion injured list.
- 8/29 The Cardinals placed OF/1B Alec Burleson on the 10-day injured list. Right wrist inflammation.
- 8/29 The Cardinals selected the contract of 2B César Prieto from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 8/29 The Cardinals selected the contract of C Jimmy Crooks 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 he was set to resume his throwing program. Whether and/or when Thompson may return to the big league roster in 2025 is unknown.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 1. Right shoulder strain. The latest on the third baseman is that he will return to St. Louis soon to have his shoulder evaluated by team doctors. At that point a rehab assignment will be formulated if Arenado’s shoulder checks out.
- 2B Brendan Donovan (left groin and foot) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18, retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. Improvement in Donovan’s foot and groin have been reported and baseball activities have resumed in the form of hitting balls off a tee and coach flipped balls in the batting cage.
- CF Victor Scott (left ankle sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 17. Scott is currently on a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals and should be activated when rosters expand.
- LHP John King (mid back strain) has been placed on the 15-day injured list just days after returning from a previous IL stint for an oblique injury. The current injury appears to be tied to the oblique and was suffered during warm up tosses on August 26.
- C Yohel Pozo was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list on August 29. During the game on August 28 with the Pirates, Pozo took a foul tip off his catcher’s mask and concussion symptoms appeared after the game.
- OF Alec Burleson was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 29 with right wrist inflammation. The wrist had been bothering him for some time. Burleson had an injection in the wrist. The stay on the injured list is expected to not exceed the minimum time required.
Looking Ahead
The final month of the regular season begins at Busch Stadium with a three-game series against the Athletics. After an off day on Thursday, September 4, the homestand continues with a weekend series with the Giants.
A road trip begins on Monday, September 7 in Seattle for three games against the Mariners. The road trip ends in Milwaukee for a weekend series.
The Cardinals return to St. Louis for three with the Reds, which will be the final time the teams play this season.
After an off day Thursday, September 11, the homestand continues with a weekend series with the first-place Brewers for the final time in 2025.
The team will conclude the season on the road starting with a series in San Francisco with the Giants and ending in Chicago against the Cubs.
Blast from the Past
Two Cardinals made their major league debuts this weekend in Cincinnati. Both César Prieto and Jimmy Crooks had their first major league hit in Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Reds.
Crooks’ hit was a solo home run in the seventh inning for the Cardinals’ fourth and final run of the game.
Many in the history of the franchise hit a home run for their first major league hit. In this week’s Blast from the Past, we will highlight a handful of former Cardinals from that list.
The date of the home run, where and when it occurred, what type of home run and any other notable details about the home run or the player are identified.
Eddie Morgan – This outfielder-first baseman played for two seasons for the Cardinals, 1936-37. Morgan made his major league debut for the Cardinals on April 14, 1936 in a 12-7 loss to the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. He pinch hit in the seventh inning for pitcher Bill McGee and hit a two-run home run to center with Leo Durocher on second base.
Morgan appeared in only eight games for the Cardinals that season.
Wally Moon – Moon, who was also an OF/1B, debuted for the Cardinals on April 13, 1954. Moon was later named the NL Rookie of the Year, slashing .304/.371/.435 in 716 PAs, which included 12 home runs and 76 RBI.
On that date, April 13, 1954, in a 13-4 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium I, Moon started in center and hit second. In the first inning, Moon hit the first of his 12 home runs that season, a solo shot.
Moon played for the Cardinals for five years and was traded to the Dodgers after the 1958 season.
Keith McDonald – Catcher Keith McDonald had a very short career, playing in only two major league seasons, both with St. Louis. He appeared in only eight games in total.
On July 4, 2000, in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth inning of a 14-3 win over the Reds at Busch Stadium II, McDonald hit a solo home run to left in his first major league at bat.
Hector Luna – This second baseman made his major league debut for the Cardinals on April 8, 2004 in an 11-5 loss to the Brewers at Busch Stadium II. Luna started at second base and hit seventh.
In his first major league at bat, leading off the third inning, Luna hit a solo home run to left. It was Luna’s only hit of the game.
The Cardinals traded Luna to the Cleveland Indians in July 2006.
Adam Wainwright – Pitcher Adam Wainwright made his major league debut with the Cardinals on September 11, 2005. He began his career as a reliever, so he did not have any at bats as a pitcher until May 24, 2006 in a 10-4 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. His first major league at bat was as a pitcher in the fifth inning, after he came in to pitch in the fourth.
On the first pitch from Giants pitcher Noah Lowry, Wainwright hit a solo home run to left.
Oscar Taveras – The Cardinals no. 1 prospect made his major league debut on May 31, 2014 in a 2-0 win over the Giants at Busch Stadium III.
Taveras started the game in right and batted sixth. In the fifth inning, his second plate appearance, Taveras hit a solo home run to left off Giants pitcher Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit.
Taveras played for the Cardinals only that season, as he tragically died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on October 26, 2014.
Paul DeJong – Shortstop Paul DeJong made his major league debut on May 28, 2017 in an 8-4 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field.
DeJong came into the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning for pitcher John Brebbia. In his first major league at bat, DeJong hit a solo home run to left off Rockies reliever Greg Holland.
Lane Thomas – Thomas made his major league debut on April 17, 2019 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Thomas came in for defense late in the game and did not have an at-bat.
His first at-bat for the Cardinals came two days later, on April 19, 2019 in a 5-4 loss to the Mets at Busch Stadium III. Thomas did not start but entered to pinch hit for Ryan Helsley in sixth inning. Against Seth Lugo, Thomas hit a two-run home run to right, scoring Dexter Fowler, who had reached on a ground rule double.
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