photo: Brendan Donovan (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals went a dismal 1-5 in Pittsburgh and Chicago, including a 31-inning scoreless streak and four shutouts. Brendan Donovan is the team’s lone All-Star. In our history feature, past Cardinals consecutive scoreless stretches are highlighted.
Game recaps
Monday, June 30, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Pirates 7
The St. Louis Cardinals were blanked by the Pirates by a 7-0 score on Monday. Starter Erick Fedde pitched five innings, gave up seven runs on 10 hits and walked three. Fedde took the loss.
John King and Matt Svanson combined for the final three scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and added six runs in the fifth.
St. Louis scattered four hits, singles from Willson Contreras, José Fermín, Victor Scott, and Masyn Winn. The offense put no runners in scoring position and left three on base.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Pirates 1
The Cardinals were again held scoreless by a 1-0 score on Tuesday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed one hit, struck out three and walked two.
Phil Maton relieved Pallante, surrendered the game’s only run in the eighth and took the loss.
The Cardinals scattered seven hits including doubles by Masyn Winn, José Fermín and Yohel Pozo.
The offense was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Pirates 5
The Cardinals completed the trifecta of not scoring in the series at the last place Pirates, who won Wednesday’s game, 5-0. Starter Sonny Gray pitched 6 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on five hits, fanned six and walked one. Gray took the loss.
Riley O’Brien relieved Gray and surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Kyle Leahy tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Pirates scored a run in the second inning and a four-run seventh sealed the win.
The Cardinals managed six hits, including doubles by Brendan Donovan, José Fermín and Alec Burleson. Lars Nootbaar, Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo rounded out the hits with singles.
The hapless offense went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.
Thursday, July 3, 2025 – Off day
Friday, July 4, 2025 – Cardinals 3 at Cubs 11
After the off day, the Cardinals came to Wrigley Field and despite scoring, they managed far less than the Cubs scored against them. The opener was lost 11-3.
Starter Miles Mikolas threw batting practice for six innings, giving up eight runs on 10 hits, six of which were home runs. He did strike out four Cubs.
John King relieved Mikolas and continued the home run derby, relinquishing two more long balls in the seventh inning and three runs.
Matt Svanson tossed a scoreless eighth.
The Cubs began the scoring with two runs in each of the first and second innings, and three runs in the third to lead 7-0.
The Cardinals avoided the shutout in the fourth on a solo home run by Brendan Donovan. Chicago came back with a run in the fifth to lead 8-1, then to 11-1 with three runs in the seventh.
St. Louis plated two runs in the ninth to cut the score to 11-3. Garrett Hampson doubled. Alec Burleson walked. Lars Nootbaar singled to score Hampson. Burleson was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice by Thomas Saggese. Nolan Gorman walked. Pedro Pagés walked and Nootbaar came home.
The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits, the Donovan home run, the Hampson double, and Nootbaar single. They were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left six on base.
Saturday, July 5, 2025 – Cardinals 8 at Cubs 6
The Cardinals played their only winning game this week, an 8-6 victory over the Cubs.
Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out four and walked four.
Kyle Leahy relieved Liberatore and surrendered two runs in 1/3 of an inning and was charged with a blown save. Steven Matz yielded one run in 1 2/3 innings and received the win. JoJo Romero allowed one unearned run in the eighth. Ryan Helsley tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 17th save.
St. Louis went up 2-0 in the first inning. Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras walked. Alec Burleson singled. Thomas Saggese singled to plate Donovan and Contreras.
Chicago cut the lead to 2-1 in the second. The Cardinals increased the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth on a solo home run by Nolan Gorman.
The Cubs quickly made it 3-2 in the home fourth. They took a 4-3 lead in the sixth and widened it to 5-3 in the seventh.
In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals surged for five runs to regain the lead 8-5. Burleson thumped a solo home run. Saggese singled. Lars Noobaar bunted for a single. Gorman singled to plate Saggese. Yohel Pozo, pinch hitting for Pedro Pagés, annihilated a pitch for a three-run home run out of the stadium and on to Waveland Ave.
The Cubs managed a sixth run in the bottom of the eighth, but the Cardinals held on to win 8-6.
The offense scored eight runs on 13 hits. Burleson was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Saggese was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Gorman was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Donovan was 2-for-4. Pozo had three RBI.
On defense, Pozo was charged with catcher interference.
Sunday, July 6, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Cubs 11
The Cardinals lost in another blowout on Sunday in the final game of the series. Starter Erick Fedde did not make it out of the second inning. The right hander pitched 1 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on two hits, and walked four. Fedde took the loss, his ninth of the season.
John King relieved Fedde and surrendered four runs, two earned, in 2/3 innings. Matt Svanson yielded four runs, three earned, in 2 2/3 innings. Riley O’Brien threw two scoreless innings. Kyle Leahy tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Cubs scored one run in the first inning, added two in the second, five in the third, two in the fourth, and one in the fifth to blow up the lead to 11-0.
The Cardinals were unable to put a run on the board. They scattered six hits. Willson Contreras was 2-for-3.
The offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On defense, Thomas Saggese made a throwing error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a terrible week to say the least as they went 1-5, including four shutouts. They were swept by the last-place Pirates and lost two of three to the division-leading Cubs. St. Louis remains in third place in the NL Central, 6.5 games back of Chicago.
There was very little offense during the week and the top performers by OPS are not regular players. They are reserves Yohel Pozo (1.250) and José Fermín (1.055). The next closest was Brendan Donovan at .851.
At the bottom were half the regular starting lineup: Thomas Saggese (.467), Lars Nootbaar (.417), Victor Scott (.358), Masyn Winn (.356), Pedro Pagés (.269) and Nolan Arenado (.000). Arenado had only 6 at-bats this week due to a shoulder injury.
Two starting pitchers had ERAs under 4.00 for the week. They are Matthew Liberatore (3.60) and Andre Pallante (0.00). Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas were both in double digits.
The bullpen was even worse. Only Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Riley O’Brien had a good week but Helsley was given just one save opportunity.
Fortunately for them, the All-Star break, and some much-needed time off, is only a week away. It can’t come soon enough for this reeling team.
The final two series before the break are with the Nationals (who just fired their GM and their manager) and the Braves, who seem to be out of the playoff picture, barring a miracle or a complete overhaul.
Donovan is an All-Star
Congratulations are in order for Brendan Donovan, who was named as St. Louis’ only representative to the National League team for the 2025 All-Star Game. It is the 27-year-old’s first selection. The Game will be played in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 15.
Congratulations to Brendan Donovan on being selected to the NL All-Star team!
Donovan is the first homegrown #STLCards player drafted in the 7th round or later to be selected to his first All-Star game since Trevor Rosenthal (21st rd.) in 2015 and the first position player since… https://t.co/9eczxQYHmB
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 7, 2025
A well-deserved honor for Brendan Donovan! pic.twitter.com/TFsrpV0oOE
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 6, 2025
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 54 | 36 | 0.600 | |
| Milwaukee | 50 | 40 | 0.556 | 4 |
| St. Louis | 48 | 43 | 0.527 | 6.5 |
| Cincinnati | 46 | 44 | 0.511 | 8 |
| Pittsburgh | 38 | 53 | 0.418 | 16.5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 7/2 The Cardinals sent RF Jordan Walker on a rehab assignment to the Springfield Cardinals.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 7. Thompson had a setback in his rehab and returned to the Cardinals spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida to resume his throwing program. There have been no updates on Thompson’s progress for quite some time.
- C Iván Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 20 with a left hamstring strain. An MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain that could keep Herrera out for two to six weeks. A return will not occur until after the All-Star Break and possibly not until late July.
- 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 was treated with antibiotics to avoid surgery. He is currently on a rehab assignment with the Springfield Cardinals. Walker needs to regain his timing and become game ready before he returns.
- 1B Willson Contreras (left hand contusion) was hit on the hand by a 99-mph fastball by Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes on July 1. Contreras was out of the lineup for the final game of the Pirates series on Wednesday but returned for the Cubs series.
- 3B Nolan Arenado was scratched from the lineup on July 5 with right shoulder pain diagnosed as an impingement. He missed the final two games of the Cubs series and is listed as day to day.
Looking Ahead
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.
Andre Pallante is scheduled to make the Tuesday start against the Nationals, followed by Sonny Gray on Wednesday and struggling Miles Mikolas on Thursday.
After the All-Star break, the Cardinals embark on a West Coast road trip with the first stop in Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks in a weekend three game set. The road trip ends in Denver with three against the Rockies.
The team returns home from Colorado for a seven game homestand to end the month of July. Former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and the San Diego Padres come to Busch Stadium for four beginning Thursday, July 24, followed by a three-game series with the Miami Marlins.
Blast from the Past
The current Cardinals had an absolutely brutal week offensively, losing three straight games without scoring at the Pittsburgh Pirates. The losses were by a 7-0 score on Monday, 1-0 on Tuesday, and 5-0 loss on Wednesday.
The scoreless streak totaled 31 innings. It began with a scoreless ninth inning in their 7-0 win over the Guardians on Sunday, June 29 and ended with a run scored in the fourth inning of the 11-3 loss to the Cubs on July 4.
This is a lot of scoreless innings, you say. Yes, it is, but it is not the MLB record. The record for consecutive innings without scoring an earned run belongs to the 1968 Chicago Cubs.
From June 15-21, 1968, the Cubs went 48 consecutive scoreless innings. During this stretch the Cubs played two games against the Atlanta Braves, three games with the Cardinals and one game with the Cincinnati Reds. All three games with the Cardinals were shutouts losses for Chicago.
The Philadelphia Athletics also had a 48-inning scoreless streak in September 1906.
You might not remember that the Cardinals had an even worse scoreless streak than 31 innings in the not too distant past. In fact, the Cardinals were one inning short of tying the Cubs and the Athletics in as recently as 2022.
This week’s Blast from the Past remembers a 47-inning streak of not scoring an earned run that occurred across two series with the Reds and the Padres in September 2022.
It began with a September 17 doubleheader against Cincinnati at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Reds in the first game of the twin bill 5-1. The Cardinals scored all five of their runs in the first three innings. The next five innings were scoreless.
The second game was a 1-0 win in extra innings for the Cardinals. However, the one run was scored in the 11th inning and was not an earned run. It was the result of a throwing error by Reds center fielder Nick Senzel.
The Cardinals lost the final game of that series on Sunday, September 18 by the score of 3-0.
After an off day, the Cardinals played the Padres in San Diego for three games. The Cardinals lost the first two games, 5-0 and 1-0. At this point, the Cardinals had gone 25 innings (16 in the DH and nine in the next day shutout) against the Reds without an earned run, and 18 more innings against the Padres (two shutouts). That totaled 43 innings.
In the final game of the series, the Cardinals won 5-4. They didn’t score their first run until the fifth inning, so tack on four additional scoreless innings for a total of 47 innings without scoring an earned run.
Thus, the Cardinals came within one inning of tying the Cubs and the Athletics for most consecutive innings without scoring an earned run. This was the final month of the regular season in 2022, the last season in which the Cardinals made the playoffs. The Wild Card quickly lost to the Phillies in two games, one of which was a 2-0 shutout.
A 31-inning scoreless streak is not good, but it could be worse and it was for the 2022 Cardinals.
Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2025 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Bluesky @mrlyn59.bsky.social.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redist