photo: Matthew Liberatore (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In their 5-2 week, the St. Louis Cardinals followed a home split with the Cubs with a sweep in Cleveland. Lefty Matthew Liberatore earned two wins, allowing just two runs in 13 innings. “Rare feats” by Cardinals this week in team history are remembered.
Game recaps
Monday, June 23, 2025 – Cardinals 8, Cubs 2
Behind four two-run home runs, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series on Monday at Busch Stadium.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits, fanned five and walked one to earn his fifth win.
Riley O’Brien relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless eighth. Roddery Muñoz tossed a scoreless ninth.
After three scoreless innings to begin the game, the Cardinals put up two runs in the fourth. Willson Contreras doubled and Lars Nootbaar followed with a two-run home run.
In the top of the fifth, the Cubs cut the lead to 2-1. The Cardinals immediately answered with four runs in the home fifth to increase the lead to 6-1. Pedro Pagés walked and Brendan Donovan thumped a two-run home run. Masyn Winn walked and Alec Burleson hit a two-run home run.
St. Louis added two runs in the sixth on a fourth two-run home run, this one by Nolan Gorman, to widen the lead to 8-1.
Chicago scored its final run in the seventh to close the scoring at 8-2.
St. Louis’ offense scored eight runs on 11 hits. Nootbaar, Donovan, Burleson and Gorman each had two RBI. Contreras was 3-for-4 and Arenado was 2-for-4.
Victor Scott stole his 22nd base of the season.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 – Cardinals 8, Cubs 7
The Cardinals edged the Cubs by the score of 8-7 on Tuesday in St. Louis. Called up from Memphis for the day, starter Michael McGreevy pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out one and walked one.
Steven Matz relieved McGreevy and surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Matz was awarded the win. JoJo Romero threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Phil Maton hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 15th save.
St. Louis took the lead in the second inning on a two-run home run by Lars Nootbaar, his second in two game. Chicago answered with a five-run top of the third to take the lead 5-2.
The Cardinals partially rallied for two runs in the home third on a two-run home run by Masyn Winn. It was the team’s sixth two-run home run of the series.
St. Louis added four more runs in the fourth to regain the lead. Nolan Gorman hit a solo home run to tie the score. Pedro Pagés doubled. Victor Scott walked. Winn doubled to plate Pagés and Scott. Winn scored on a sac fly by Alec Burleson.
The Cubs made the game tighter with two runs in the sixth to shrink St. Louis’ lead to 8-7.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on 10 hits. Winn was 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Gorman was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Donovan was 2-for-4. Nootbaar had two RBI.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Cubs 8
The Cardinals were blanked by the Cubs by an 8-0 score on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. Starter Erick Fedde pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up seven runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked two. Fedde took the loss.
John King relieved Fedde and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. Matt Svanson threw two scoreless innings. Position player Garrett Hampson tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. They added three runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth, and one in the fifth to lead 8-0.
The Cardinals scattered four hits. A double by Yohel Pozo was the only extra base hit. The offense was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
On defense, Pozo made a fielding error.
Thursday, June 26, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Cubs 3
On Thursday, the Cardinals were blanked for the second game in a row by the Cubs to split the home series.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked two. With no run support, Pallante took the loss.
Riley O’Brien relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless sixth. JoJo Romero surrendered a run in the seventh. Kyle Leahy tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cubs went up 1-0 in the second inning. They made it 2-0 in the fourth and added a third run in the eighth.
The Cardinals managed only three hits. Alec Burleson had the only extra base hit, a double. The offense was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On defense, Burleson had an outfield assist at second base. Leahy picked a runner off first base.
Friday, June 27, 2025 – Cardinals 5 at Guardians 0
The Cardinals blanked the Guardians by a 5-0 score on Friday in Cleveland.
Starter Sonny Gray pitched a “Maddux”, which is a nine-inning shutout with under 100 pitches thrown. Gray allowed only one hit, fanned 11 Guardians, and he completed the shutout with 89 pitches.
The Cardinals went up 3-0 in the third inning. Pedro Pagés hit a solo home run. Brendan Donovan walked. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out, eliminating Donovan at second. Alec Burleson followed with a two-run home run.
St. Louis added a run in the sixth to lead 4-0. Burleson doubled and scored on a double by Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals made it 5-0 in the eighth. Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar walked. Arenado plated Contreras on a single.
The offense scored five runs on seven hits. Burleson was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Arenado was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Saturday, June 28, 2025 – Cardinals 9 at Guardians 6
The Cardinals came back from a five-run deficit to defeat the Guardians in the second game of the series by the score of 9-6.
Starter Miles Mikolas had an off day. The right-hander pitched four innings, gave up six runs on seven hits, fanned five and walked one.
On Saturday, the bullpen was strong with five scoreless innings. Matt Svanson relieved Mikolas and threw the fifth to earn his first win. Steven Matz hurled 1 2/3 innings. Phil Maton added 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Helsley tossed the ninth to earn his 16th save.
The Cardinals took the lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Brendan Donovan. The Guardians put up a six run fourth inning against Mikolas to take the lead 6-1.
St. Louis began to claw their way back with two runs in fifth to cut the lead to 6-3. Donovan walked. Masyn Winn doubled. Alec Burleson drove in Donovan and Winn on a single.
The Cardinals went ahead 8-6 with a five run sixth. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Arenado singled. Nolan Gorman singled to score Nootbaar. Yohel Pozo singled. Victor Scott plated Arenado and Gorman on a double. Pozo came home on a sac fly by Donovan. Scott crossed the plate on a ground out by Masyn Winn.
In the ninth, Willson Contreras’ solo home run made it 9-6.
The offense scored nine runs on 14 hits. Scott was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Winn was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Contreras was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Gorman was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Burleson and Donovan both had two RBI.
Contreras stole his fourth base of the season.
Sunday, June 29, 2025 – Cardinals 7 at Guardians 0
On Sunday, the Cardinals blanked the Guardians, 7-0, to sweep the weekend road series.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched six scoreless innings, allowed three hits, struck out five and walked five to earn his sixth win.
JoJo Romero, Riley O’Brien, and John King each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
The Cardinals took the quick first inning lead via a three-run home run by Nolan Gorman. Victor Scott thumped a two-run blast in the seventh to increase the lead to 5-0.
In the eighth, St. Louis added two more runs to lead 7-0. José Fermín singled. Gorman walked. The runners moved up on a double steal. Fermín scored on a sac fly by Pedro Pagés. Garrett Hampson plated Gorman on a single.
The offense scored seven runs on 11 hits. Scott was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Winn was 2-for-4. Nolan Arenado was 2-for-3. Gorman had three RBI and two runs scored.
Fermín stole his first base. Scott was picked off and caught stealing. On defense, Liberatore picked a runner off first base.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a record of 5-2. They split the four-game home series with the first-place Cubs. They then swept the Guardians in three games.
Nine games over .500, St. Louis remains in third place in the NL Central, but only a half game back of the Brewers and 2.5 games back of the Cubs. The Cubs lost their series with the Astros, and the Brewers dropped a game to the Rockies in extra innings over the weekend.
The Cardinals offense was present and scoring runs in five of the seven games during the week. They were scoreless in the last two games of the Cubs series, facing two tough pitchers in Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga.
The top offensive performers over the last seven days by OPS are Willson Contreras (1.031) and Nolan Gorman (.951). Close behind were Masyn Winn (.898), Lars Nootbaar (.894), and Victor Scott (.818). At the bottom were Thomas Saggese (.000) and new Cardinal Garrett Hampson (.400).
Three of six rotation members had ERAs for the week under 4.00. They are Sonny Gray (0.00), Matthew Liberatore (1.38) and Andre Pallante (3.60). Michael McGreevy had his first subpar start so far this season with an ERA of 9.64. The Cardinals won that game against the Cubs anyway. Erick Fedde (17.18) was terrible in the Cubs series, and Miles Mikolas (13.50) had one bad inning against the Guardians, though the Cardinals won despite his poor performance.
The bullpen was good with only Steven Matz having a small struggle in one of his two appearances. Position player pitcher Garrett Hampson had a sparkling ERA of 0.00 in Wednesday’s 8-0 loss to the Cubs, retiring all three hitters faced on a total of three pitches.
The Cardinals start the coming week with a three-game series against the last-place Pirates in Pittsburgh. However, the Pirates are coming off a sweep of the Mets over the weekend during which they scored 30 runs in three games. St. Louis will finish the road trip at Wrigley, playing three against the Cubs next weekend.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 49 | 35 | 0.583 | |
| Milwaukee | 47 | 37 | 0.560 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 47 | 38 | 0.553 | 2.5 |
| Cincinnati | 44 | 40 | 0.524 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 35 | 50 | 0.412 | 14.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 6/23 The Cardinals recalled RHP Roddery Muñoz from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/23 The Cardinals optioned RHP Gordon Graceffo to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/24 The Cardinals optioned RHP Roddery Muñoz to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/24 The Cardinals recalled RHP Michael McGreevy from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/24 The Cardinals claimed 2B Garrett Hampson off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
- 6/24 The Cardinals designated SS Jose Barrero for assignment.
- 6/25 The Cardinals recalled RHP Matt Svanson from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/25 The Cardinals recalled 2B José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/25 The Cardinals optioned RHP Michael McGreevy to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/25 The Cardinals placed RF Jordan Walker on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 23. Appendicitis.
- 6/27 The Cardinals sent SS Jose Barrero outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 6/27 SS Jose Barrero elected free agency.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24. Thompson missed most of spring training. Thompson had a setback in his rehab and was sent for an evaluation. He has returned to the Cardinals spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida to resume his throwing program.
- C Iván Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Herrera felt pain on June 19. An MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain that could keep Herrera out for 2 to 6 weeks.
- RF Jordan Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 23. Walker reported pain in his right side and a scan revealed early signs of appendicitis. Walker is being treated with antibiotics in an effort to avoid surgery. He is feeling much better and has been sent on a rehab assignment to Memphis. A return by July 2 is the hope if all goes well.
- LF Lars Nootbaar received a pain-killing injection in his intercostal (which side not reported) due to reports of pain in that area. After the injection, Nootbaar was sidelined for the last two days of the Cubs series. He returned to the lineup for the beginning of the Guardians series but was out of the lineup for Sunday’s game due to pain he felt on a checked swing on Saturday.
Looking Ahead
Following the Guardians series, the Cardinals travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates for three games that extend into the first days of July. Erick Fedde Is set to start on Monday, followed by Andre Pallante on Tuesday and Sonny Gray on Wednesday.
After a travel day on Thursday, July 3, the Cardinals will face the Cubs once again, this time at Wrigley Field for a weekend series.
After a Monday off day, the Cardinals return home to Busch Stadium for a six-game homestand with the Nationals and the Braves before the All-Star Break begins on Monday, July 14.
After the break, the Cardinals will embark on a West Coast road trip with the first stop in Phoenix vs. the Diamondbacks in a weekend three-game set. The road trip ends in Denver with a three at the Rockies.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past returns to a series from last season in which we remember rare feats accomplished by former Cardinals during a specific period.
A “rare feat” is defined as one of the following: (1) a pitcher or pitchers throwing a no-hitter; (2) A batter hitting for the cycle, which is hitting at least one single, one double, one triple, and one home run in a single game; (3) A batter recording six hits in one game; (4) a player, either a position player or a pitcher hitting a home run in their first major league at bat; and (5) a player hitting three or more home runs in a single game.
During the period June 19 through 29, the following rare feats occurred. For each rare feat, its type, the date it occurred, and details of each occurrence are listed.
June 23, 1984 – Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee hit for the cycle in a 12-11 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 11 innings.
McGee’s first hit of the game was a triple to right in the second inning that cleared the bases for three runs.
In the fourth, McGee singled to left but was stranded. McGee hit a two-run home run in the sixth.
McGee’s final hit was an RBI double to left in the 10th. McGee’s final line was 4-for-6 with six RBI and three runs scored.
June 19, 1935 – In an 8-6 loss to the Reds at Crosley Field, future Hall of Famer Joe Medwick hit for the cycle.
In the first inning, Medwick hit an RBI double to left. He added an RBI triple to center in the third.
Medwick singled to lead off the fifth inning and scored on a triple by Bill DeLancey. In the ninth, Medwick hit a solo home run to left. His final line was 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.
June 24, 1897 – Dick Harley, who was a left fielder for the Cardinals for two seasons, 1897 and 1898, is recorded to have six hits in a game on this date. There are no records available, so no details are known other than he had the six hits in a 12-inning game in Pittsburgh.
June 24, 1931 – Right fielder George Watkins hit three home runs in a 4-2 win over the Phillies at the Baker Bowl.
The first long ball was a two-run shot in the fourth inning off Phillies pitcher Phil Collins. He hit a solo home run in the sixth off Collins.
Watkins’ final long ball was a solo shot off relief pitcher Jumbo Elliott in the ninth.
June 26, 1973 –Joe Torre hit for the cycle in a 15-4 blowout of the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. Torre was playing first base defensively.
Torre hit an RBI double in the first inning. In the third, Torre hit a solo home run to right.
A triple to right in the fourth did not score a run, but Torre came home on a sac fly by Ted Simmons. His final hit was an RBI single to center in the ninth. Torre went 4-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored.
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