photo: JJ Wetherholt (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals went 3-3 for the second consecutive week as the bats stayed hot while the pitching had moments of triumph and stumbles. JJ Wetherholt led the offense with a .400 batting average, two home runs, three RBI, and a 1.163 OPS over the period. Our history feature looks at the series history and memorable moments between the Cardinals and Padres.
Game Recaps
Monday, June 15, 2026 – Cardinals 3, Padres 0
The Cardinals blanked the Padres 3-0 in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
Starter Dustin May pitched a complete game on one hit, one walk, and nine strikeouts to earn his fifth win.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn singled. Jimmy Crooks doubled home Nootbaar and Winn.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth to extend the lead to 3-0. Iván Herrera walked and scored on a double by Alec Burleson.
The offense scored three runs on eight hits. Jordan Walker was 2-for-4. Nootbaar was 2-for-3. Winn was 2-for-4. Crooks had two RBI.
Nootbaar was caught stealing third base.
The Cardinals did not commit an error.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 – Cardinals 3, Padres 2
The Cardinals edged the Padres in a 3-2 win in the second game of the series at Busch Stadium.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched seven innings, gave up two runs on four hits and fanned six to earn his eighth win.
Ryne Stanek relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 18th save.
The Cardinals grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Lars Nootbaar walked and scored on a double from Blaze Jordan.
Nathan Church plated Jordan on a single.
The Padres scored their first run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 2-1. The Cardinals answered with a run in the home half of the fifth to extend the lead to 3-1. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson singled. Herrera advanced to third on a fly out by Jordan Walker and scored on a sac fly by Nootbaar.
The Padres added a run in the sixth to shrink the lead to 3-2.
The Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits. JJ Wetherholt was 3-for-4.
On the bases, Wetherholt stole his eighth of the season.
On defense, center fielder Nathan Church had an outfield assist at second base.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 – Cardinals 1, Padres 6
The Cardinals fell to the Padres by the score of 6-1 in the final game of the series. Starter Kyle Leahy pitched six innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, walked one, and fanned seven. Leahy took the loss.
Matt Svanson threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Leahy. Justin Bruihl recorded one out in the eighth before being placed due to injury. Chris Roycroft surrendered three runs in the final 1 1/3 innings.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. They added a run in the fourth and a run in the top of the fifth to move ahead 3-0.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1. Blaze Jordan walked. Nathan Church singled. Jordan was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice by Iván Herrera. Alec Burleson singled home Church.
The Padres scored three runs in the ninth to win 6-1.
On the basepaths, Herrera stole his fifth bag of the season. Masyn Winn was picked off first base and caught stealing second base.
On defense, shortstop Winn made a fielding error. Right fielder Jordan Walker had an outfield assist at second base.
Thursday, June 18, 2026 – Cardinals 6 at Royals 14
The Cardinals were routed by the Royals in the first of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits and two strikeouts. Liberatore took the loss.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Liberatore and surrendered four runs in 1 2/3 innings. Max Rajcic yielded one run in two innings. Justin Bruihl relinquished two runs, one earned, in the final 2 2/3 innings.
The Cardinals struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt singled. Iván Herrera walked. Jordan Walker reached on a fielder’s choice error, with Wetherholt home on the play. Nelson Velázquez walked. Herrera came home on a sac fly by Alec Burleson.
The Royals scored one run in the home half of the first to cut the lead to 2-1 and added six runs in the second to move ahead 7-2.
In the top of the fourth, the Cardinals scored one run to shrink the lead to 7-3. Blaze Jordan and José Fermín hit back-to-back singles. Herrera was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jordan Walker singled to bring Jordan home.
The Royals answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to inflate the score to 11-3. St. Louis responded with a run in the fifth to make it 11-4. Masyn Winn doubled and scored on a single by Fermín.
Kansas City scored a run in the sixth to lead 12-4. In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals put up two runs to reduce the lead to 12-6.
Winn singled. Jordan doubled. Winn came home on a ground out by Fermín. Pedro Pagés plated Jordan on a sac fly.
The Royals added a run in the bottom of the inning to and scored again in the eighth for the final score of 14-6.
The offense scored six runs on 13 hits. Fermín was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Wetherholt was 3-for-4. Winn was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Jordan was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
On defense, Velázquez made a fielding error in the outfield.
Friday, June 19, 2026 – Cardinals 5 at Royals 6
The Cardinals were edged by the Royals in a 6-5 contest on Friday in the second game of the series.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched five innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out two. McGreevy took the loss.
George Soriano relieved McGreevy and surrendered one run in the sixth.
Matt Svanson tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Iván Herrera walked and Alec Burleson doubled to put two in scoring position. Herrera scored on a sac fly by Jordan Walker.
St. Louis added a run in the third to lead 2-0. Nathan Church walked and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Herrera singled to plate Church.
The Royals tallied four runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead. They added a run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings to extend the lead to 6-2.
The Cardinals rallied for three runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 6-5. Jordan Walker singled. Lars Nootbaar grounded into a force out, eliminating Walker at second. Masyn Winn doubled to bring Nootbaar home. Nelson Velázquez walked and scored on a single from Blaze Jordan.
The offense scored five runs on eight hits. Walker was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jordan had two RBI.
Walker was picked off first base. Center fielder Nathan Church made a throwing error.
Saturday, June 20 – Off day
Sunday, June 21, 2026 – Cardinals 12 at Royals 10
The Cardinals won a wild game over the Royals on Father’s Day.
The game ended in a 12-10 score at Kauffman Stadium where the balls were flying and the teams combined for eight home runs.
Starter Dustin May followed his complete game shutout against the Padres with a clunker in Kansas City. May lasted only two innings, gave up six runs on six hits, walked one and struck out two.
Max Rajcic relieved May and surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings. Matt Svanson threw 2/3 scoreless innings. Gordon Graceffo hurled a scoreless fifth to earn the win.
JoJo Romero yielded one run in the sixth. Ryne Stanek and George Soriano each tossed a scoreless inning. Riley O’Brien relinquished two runs in the ninth.
The Cardinals pounced early with five runs in the top of the first. JJ Wetherholt hit a lead-off home run.
Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson walked. Lars Nootbaar doubled to plate Herrera. Masyn Winn followed with a three run home run.
The Royals answered with two runs in the home half of the first to cut the lead to 5-2. In the top of the second, St. Louis put up four runs to stretch the lead to 9-2.
Nathan Church doubled and Wetherholt followed with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot. Herrera singled and came home on an Alec Burleson triple.
Burleson came home on a single from Winn.
Kansas City responded with a four run bottom of the second to trim the lead to 9-6. They made it 9-7 in the fourth.
The Cardinals posted three runs in the fifth on a three-run home run by Herrera to extend the lead to 12-7.
The Royals chipped away at the lead with a run in the sixth and two runs in the ninth for the final score of 12-10.
The Cardinals scored 12 runs on 16 hits. Wetherholt and Herrera were both 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Burleson was 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-5 with four RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Church scored two runs.
On defense, shortstop Winn made a throwing error.
Big Picture
The Cardinals had a 3-3 week as they won two of three from the Padres and lost two of three with the Royals. The team remains in second place in the NL Central, five games behind the Brewers, and two games ahead of the third place Cubs.
The offense continues to score runs, sometimes in bunches as demonstrated in the final game of the series with the Royals. The top performers for the week by OPS are JJ Wetherholt (1.163), Masyn Winn (1.087), and Nathan Church (1.083). Next in line were Iván Herrera (.883) and Lars Nootbaar (.873).
At the bottom were Pedro Pagés (.000) and Jimmy Crooks (.478). Both are catchers who do not play every day, though Crooks has seen at-bats at DH.
The pitching was a mixed bag. Dustin May had his best start of the season against the Padres, throwing a complete game one-hit shutout on Monday. He followed that with his worst start of the season against the Royals on Sunday, lasting only two innings and giving up six runs.
Matthew Liberatore pitched a 1 2/3 inning disaster in the first game in Kansas City, making Michael McGreevy the only starting pitcher to throw five innings in Kauffman Stadium, though he gave up five runs in the outing.
Pallante was the only starter to have an ERA under 4.00 for the week, as he fortuitously avoided pitching in Kansas City.
The bullpen was not much better than the starting staff. Chris Roycroft’s brief time in the bullpen has ended for good, as he was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Max Rajcic.
Ryne Stanek and Max Svanson performed well over the week, while the remaining pitchers had performances that varied from okay to stomach-churning.
The Cardinals will return home to play a seven-game stretch at Busch Stadium. The Arizona Diamondbacks and old friend Nolan Arenado come into town for a four-game series. That series is followed by a weekend set against the Miami Marlins, a team the Cardinals lost 2-of-3 with on the road in April.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 46 | 29 | 0.613 | |
| St. Louis | 41 | 34 | 0.547 | 5 |
| Chicago | 40 | 37 | 0.519 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh | 39 | 39 | 0.500 | 8.5 |
| Cincinnati | 37 | 39 | 0.487 | 9.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 6/18 The Cardinals optioned RHP Chris Roycroft to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/18 The Cardinals designated RHP Chris Roycroft for assignment.
- 6/18 The Cardinal selected the contract of RHP Max Rajcic from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/19 The Cardinals sent RHP Ryan Fernandez on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds.
Injury Report
- 3B Ramón Urías was placed on the 60-day injured list on June 12. He has elbow lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in both elbows.
- RHP Ryan Fernandez was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 5 with low back pain. Fernandez was sent on a rehab assignment to the Memphis Redbirds on June 19.
Looking Ahead
The last homestand of June begins on Monday, June 22, with four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Andre Pallante will start on Monday, followed by Kyle Leahy on Tuesday. No pitchers for the remainder of the series have been named but will likely be Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy.
The homestand ends with a weekend series with the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. The team has an off-day on Monday.
The Cardinals go on the road to play the Braves in a three-game series beginning Tuesday, June 30. The road series ends in Chicago at Wrigley Field for a weekend set with the Cubs.
The team returns home for a seven game homestand before the All-Star break. They play a four-game series with the Brewers, followed by a weekend series against the Braves.
Following the All-Star break, the Cardinals begin the second half of the season on the road in Phoenix to play a three game series with the D-backs. The road trip ends in Los Angeles for a three game series against the Angels.
Blast from the Past
This past week, the Cardinals played two series, one with the San Diego Padres, and the final one with the Kansas City Royals. The series with the Padres was a home series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals went to Kansas City over the weekend to play the Royals. In both cases, the series was the final meeting of the year between the two teams.
The Padres and the Royals came into existence as two out of four teams that were added in the baseball expansion in 1969. The other two teams were the Montreal Expos and the Seattle Pilots. The Pilots played only one season before relocating to Milwaukee to become the present day Milwaukee Brewers. The Expos played from 1969 to 2004 and were relocated to become the Washington Nationals in 2005.
The history between the Cardinals and the Royals was the subject of a prior Blast from the Past this season. This week’s Blast from the Past chronicles the history between the Cardinals and the Padres. Below is a statistical history between the two teams from 1969 through the present, followed by some notable trades made between the two teams.
- The first series ever played between the Cardinals and the Padres was played at Busch Stadium II from May 9 to May 11, 1969. The Cardinals lost the first game 7-6, but won the final two games by scores of 5-3 and 4-2.
- The win/loss record between the two teams since 1969 is 309 wins and 220 losses for the Cardinals.
- An individual stat comparison between the two teams since 1969 is as follows:
- The Cardinals have a team OPS against the Padres of .722 vs .679 by the Padres.
- The Avg comparison is .265 for the Cardinals vs .249 for the Cardinals.
- The Cardinals have stolen more bases than the Padres, 431 for the Cardinals and 301 for the Padres.
- In total Hits, the Cardinals have 4,736 vs. 4,393 for the Padres.
- The Cardinals have scored 2,332 runs vs 1,969 for the Padres.
- The Cardinals and the Padres have met in the playoffs four times, in the 1996 NLDS, the 2005 NLDS, the 2006 NLDS, and the 2020 Wild Card Series. The results are as follows:
- 1996 NLDS – The Cardinals swept the Padres 3-0.
- 2005 NLDS – The Cardinals again swept the Padres 3-0.
- 2006 NLDS – The Cardinals beat the Padres 3-1.
- 2020 Wild Card Series – The Padres beat the Cardinals 2-1.
- The Cardinals have made some notable trades with the Padres since 1969. They are listed below:
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Ozzie Smith (Getty Images) May 26, 1978 – The Cardinals acquired OF George Hendrick from the Padres for RHP Eric Rasmussen.
- December 10, 1981 – The Cardinals acquired SS Ozzie Smith and two other players from the Padres for Garry Templeton and Sixto Lezcano.
- December 14, 2007 – The Cardinals acquired 3B David Freese from the Padres for CF Jim Edmonds.
- December 8, 2015 – The Cardinals acquired IF Jedd Gyorko from the Padres for OF Jon Jay.
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