photo: Nathan Church (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinals won both road series this week, in Atlanta and Chicago. Jordan Walker is an All-Star as the NL RBI leader plated nine for the week. Nathan Church hit three homers with eight RBI. Our history feature looks at the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry on July 4 over the years.
Walker is an All-Star
The rosters for the annual All-Star Game to be played at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 14 were announced on Saturday.
The National League squad includes one St. Louis Cardinal player, right fielder Jordan Walker. This will be Walker’s first All-Star Game appearance.
Walker was the first-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2020 as a high school third baseman from Georgia. Walker made his major league debut on opening day of the 2023 season.
Walker had a decent rookie season in 2023, slashing .276/.342/.445 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI. He struggled throughout the next two seasons, so much so that he was sent down to the minor leagues for much of the 2024 season, except for 51 games.
Walker missed part of the 2025 season with a wrist injury and a bout with appendicitis. He played in 111 games in 2025, slashing .215/.278/.315 with six home runs and 41 RBI.
Walker’s 2026 season has become his renaissance, as he currently sits atop the NL leaderboard with 67 RBI. He has hit 20 home runs and is slashing .292/.352/.529 with an .881 OPS.
Years of hard work and perseverance 💪
The moment Jordan Walker found out he's heading to the All-Star Game: pic.twitter.com/YiQdzU2TxO
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 4, 2026
Walker is the sole representative for the Cardinals at the All-Star Game. Rookie sensation JJ Wetherholt, the current favorite for Rookie of the Year, was not initially chosen despite ranking sixth in fWAR in MLB among qualified players and first in fWAR among all qualified second basemen.
Earlier, it was announced that that Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol will serve as one of the National League coaches under manager Dave Roberts.
The All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14 at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia beginning at 7:00 pm CT. It will be televised by FOX.
Game Recaps
Monday, June 29, 2026 – Off
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 – Cardinals 5 at Braves 3
The Cardinals defeated the Braves in the opener of a three-game series at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up one run on one hit, walked four and fanned nine to earn his fourth win.
George Soriano relieved Liberatore and surrendered one run in 1 2/3 innings. JoJo Romero yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning. Ryan Fernandez secured two outs. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 21st save.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
The Cardinals answered with four runs in the fourth. Nelson Velázquez hit a solo home run. Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar singled. Nathan Church followed with a three-run home run.
St. Louis added a run in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-1. Winn walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Blaze Jordan.
The Braves chipped away with a run in the seventh and a run in the eighth but fell short in the end.
The Cardinals scored five runs on six hits. Velázquez was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-4. Church had three RBI.
Winn stole his seventh base of the season.
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 – Cardinals 1 at Braves 5
The Cardinals fell to the Braves in the second game of the series on Wednesday.
Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out three. McGreevy took the tough loss.
Max Rajcic relieved McGreevy and threw a scoreless seventh. Justin Bruihl surrendered two unearned runs in 1/3 of an inning. Gordon Graceffo yielded one run in the final 2/3 of an inning.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Iván Herrera hit a ground-rule double and scored on a single by Jordan Walker. It would be their only run of the night.
The Braves tied the game in the home first and added another run in the third to lead 2-1. Atlanta scored three insurance runs in the eighth for the final score of 5-1.
The Cardinals scored one run on two hits. The offense was 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left two men on base.
Walker stole his 11th base of the season.
Blaze Jordan made two fielding errors. Walker had two outfield assists, one at third base and one at home plate.
Thursday, July 2, 2026 – Cardinals 11 at Braves 5
The Cardinals pounded the Braves by an 11-5 score on Thursday to win the series. Starter Dustin May pitched just 2/3 of an inning, gave up five runs on five hits, walked two and struck out one. May took a line drive to the right ankle in the first inning, and after trying to continue, was eventually taken out of the game.
The bullpen was strong. Justin Bruihl relieved the injured May and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Ryan Fernandez hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Gordon Graceffo tossed a scoreless sixth for the win. JoJo Romero, George Soriano, and Matt Svanson each pitched a scoreless inning to follow.
The Cardinals went ahead 3-0 in the top of the first inning. JJ Wetherholt singled. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Jordan Walker hit a three-run home run.
The Braves answered with a five-run bottom of the first to take the lead.
The score remained 5-3 until the top of the seventh inning, when the Cardinal offense went on a seven-run spree to retake the lead 10-5. Masyn Winn singled and Nathan Church hit a two-run home run. Blaze Jordan walked. José Fermín singled. Bryan Torres pinch ran for Jordan. Wetherholt singled to score Torres. Herrera drove in Fermín on a single. Alec Burleson reached on a fielder’s choice as Herrera was tagged out. Wetherholt came home on a single by Walker. Burleson scored on a double by Lars Nootbaar. Masyn Winn reached on a fielder’s choice to plate Walker.
St. Louis added a final run in the ninth on a solo home run by Burleson to win 11-5.
The Cardinals scored 11 runs on 15 hits. Walker was 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Winn was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Nootbaar was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Church had two RBI. Burleson scored two runs.
Friday, July 3, 2026 – Cardinals 17 at Cubs 1
The Cardinals massacred the Cubs by a 17-1 score in the first of a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Friday.
Starter Andre Pallante pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed five hits, walked one and struck out two to earn his 10th win.
Max Rajcic relieved Pallante and surrendered one run in 2 1/3 innings. Ryne Stanek tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals went ahead 3-0 in the second inning. José Fermín doubled. Blaze Jordan singled. Nathan Church hit a three-run home run.
St. Louis added three more runs in the third to increase the lead to 6-0. Iván Herrera singled. Jordan Walker doubled. Herrera came home on a sac fly by Nelson Velázquez. Masyn Winn plated Walker on a single. Fermín drove in Winn on a double.
The Cardinals continued the offensive onslaught into the fourth with five runs frame to extend the lead to 11-0. Herrera, Walker and Velázquez walked. Alec Burleson singled to plate Herrera and Walker. Winn followed with a three-run home run.
In the fifth, the Cardinals increased the lead to 14-0. Jordan and Herrera singled. Walker was hit by a pitch. Velázquez walked and Jordan scored. Burleson drove in Herrera and Walker on a single.
Two more runs came home in the sixth for a 16-0 lead for St. Louis. Jordan and Church singled. Wetherholt was hit by a pitch. Herrera plated Jordan and Church on a single.
The Cardinals added one run in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by pinch hitter Bryan Torres for 17-0 lead.
The Cubs finally got on the board in the home seventh with their only run of the game.
The Cardinals scored 17 runs on 17 hits. Winn was 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-5 with four RBI. Herrera was 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Church was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Velázquez had two RBI. Fermín was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jordan was 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Walker scored three runs.
Burleson made a fielding error.
Saturday, July 4, 2026 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 0
In a much lower scoring contest than the day before, the Cardinals blanked the Cubs, 3-0.
Starter Kyle Leahy pitched five scoreless innings, allowed three hits, walked two and fanned six to earn his seventh win.
George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless inning each. O’Brien received his 22nd save.
The Cardinals took the lead in the first inning on a solo home run by JJ Wetherholt on the first pitch he saw from Shota Imanaga.
St. Louis made it 2-0 in the third. Nathan Church and Wetherholt walked. Iván Herrera singled to score Church.
The game remained at 2-0 until the Cardinals added a third run in the eighth. Walker doubled and scored on a single by Alec Burleson.
The offense scored three runs on eight hits. Wetherholt was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Burleson was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Burleson stole his third base of the season.
Sunday, July 5, 2026 – Cardinals 4 at Cubs 6
The Cardinals were unable to complete the three-game sweep of the Cubs, losing 6-4 on Sunday at Wrigley Field.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on four hits, walked two and struck out three. Liberatore took the loss.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and surrendered two unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Cubs went up 2-0 in the first inning.
The Cardinals took the lead 3-2 in the top of the sixth. JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson singled. Jordan Walker hit a three-run home run.
Chicago answered the Cardinals with a four-run home sixth to retake the lead 6-3.
St. Louis added a run in the eighth. Wetherholt singled and advanced to third on a ground out by Iván Herrera. Burleson singled. Wetherholt scored on a sac fly by Walker.
The offense scored four runs on six hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Burleson was 2-for-4. Walker had four RBI.
Walker was caught stealing.
Walker and José Fermín each made a throwing error, leading to the two unearned runs while Svanson was on the mound.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a good week, going 4-2 and winning the series with the Braves and Cubs. They remain in third place in the NL Central, 7.5 games back of the Brewers and 1.5 games back of the Cubs. They currently hold the third wild card spot, just percentage points ahead of Miami.
The offense vastly improved from last week. They raised their run differential back into a positive number by scoring 41 runs while allowing only 20 in the last six games.
The top offensive performers over the last seven days are Jordan Walker (1.199) and Nathan Church (.928). Bryan Torres had a 1.250 OPS in four at-bats and Nelson Velázquez had a 1.042 OPS in eight at-batss. Next are JJ Wetherholt (.894) and Masyn Winn (.893).
At the bottom are Blaze Jordan (.498), Lars Nootbaar (.450) and Pedro Pagés (.286).
The starting pitching was good except for Dustin May, who was injured in his last start by a line drive to the right ankle, so he has an excuse. He only pitched 2/3 of an inning before being removed from his last start. Matthew Liberatore made two starts. The first one was an improvement over his previous starts, but the second one was less so. Combined, he had a 3.60 ERA for the week.
The bullpen was better as well over the last week as six relievers did not allow an earned run. Gordon Graceffo was sent down to Memphis to make room for Ryne Stanek, who returned from paternity leave. Graceffo has struggled a bit lately, so the time in Memphis may be good for him.
It remains to be seen whether the pitching will hold up over a full season. They have been almost totally injury-free to date, which has been a major factor.
The Cardinals were not expected to contend, and the fact that they currently are is a testament to the offense more than the pitching. It is unlikely that the Cardinals will be buyers at the deadline regardless of their status in the standings, though some movement around the margins is not out of the question. It seems highly likely that some players from the major league roster will be traded, specifically Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero. Romero is in his walk year, and Nootbaar has only one more year of control.
The deadline is a little less than a month away so some activity will be occurring soon, more likely after the All-Star break if not before.
The Cardinals play their final week before the break at home. It begins with five games with the Brewers, including a doubleheader on Tuesday to make up for a previously rained out game. They finish the week with a weekend series against the Braves.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Milwaukee | 55 | 33 | 0.625 | |
| Chicago | 50 | 40 | 0.556 | 6 |
| St. Louis | 47 | 40 | 0.540 | 7.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 46 | 45 | 0.505 | 10.5 |
| Cincinnati | 41 | 48 | 0.461 | 14.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 6/30 The Cardinals placed RHP Ryne Stanek on the paternity list.
- 6/30 The Cardinals activated RHP Ryan Fernandez from the 15-day injured list.
- 7/3 The Cardinals activated RHP Ryne Stanek from the paternity list.
- 7/3 The Cardinals optioned RHP Gordon Graceffo 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 activated from the 15-day injured list.
- RHP Dustin May (right ankle contusion) left his last start against the Braves on Thursday July 2 after getting hit in the right ankle by a line drive. May is listed as day to day.
Looking Ahead
The team returns home from the series at Wrigley Field that ended on Sunday for an eight game homestand before the All-Star break. They play a five-game series with the Brewers, including a doubleheader on Tuesday, followed by a weekend series with the Braves.
Following the break, the Cardinals will begin the second half on the road in Phoenix for three games with the Diamondbacks. The road trip ends in Los Angeles for a three-game set against the Angels.
The final homestand in July begins with a makeup game with the Diamondbacks on Thursday, July 23. This game was originally scheduled to be played on Thursday, June 25 at Busch Stadium, but was postponed due to rain. Following the make up game, the Cardinals play a weekend series against the Reds.
The final series of the homestand is four games with the Cubs.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals played a series with the rival Cubs over the Independence Day weekend at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals beat the Cubs in the first two games, which included a 3-0 shutout on Independence Day.
The rivalry between these two teams is one of baseball’s three most storied, which also includes the Yankees/Red Sox and the Dodgers/Giants.
In honor of the 250th birthday of the United States of America, this week’s Blast from the Past looks at the history of meetings between the Cardinals and the Cubs on July 4, Independence Day, since the St. Louis franchise became the Cardinals in 1901.
- The Cardinals and the Cubs have met 32 times on July 4 since 1901. Of those 32 times, 21 were days with doubleheaders. That means they played 53 games.
- The record in those 53 games is Cubs 28 and Cardinals 25.
- The first meeting was on July 4, 1905, and was the first of the 21 doubleheaders. The Cardinals lost both games.
- The last year the two teams played a July 4 doubleheader was 1957. There have been eight more matchups on July 4 since then.
- 17 of the 32 matchups were played in St. Louis, and 11 of those were doubleheaders.
- Of the 11 single game matchups, five were played in Chicago – 1909, 1951, 2003, 2025 and 2026. The Cardinals won four of the five, in 1909, 1951, 2003, and 2026.
- The six single game matchups in St. Louis were in 1920, 1969, 1975, 1978, 1982, and 2008. The Cardinals won two of these games, in 1920 and 1982.
- The record for the Cardinals in the 11 single-game matchups is 6-5.
- The record for the Cardinals in doubleheaders is 19-23.
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