photo: Andre Pallante (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals had a 4-2 week as starting pitching again led the way. In 11 2/3 innings, Andre Pallante posted a 3.09 ERA. Our history section details the Cardinals-Royals head-to-head results over time.
Game Recaps
Monday, May 11, 2026 – Off day
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – Cardinals 6 at Athletics 4
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Athletics in the first of a three-game series in Sacramento. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up three runs on four hits, walked three and fanned four for his fourth win.
Ryne Stanek relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless sixth. JoJo Romero hurled a scoreless seventh. George Soriano surrendered one run in the eighth. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 12th save.
The Cardinals went up 4-0 in the first inning. JJ Wetherholt drew a walk. Iván Herrera singled. Jordan Walker plated Wetherholt on a single. José Fermín doubled to score Herrera and Walker. Fermín came home on a single by Yohel Pozo.
The Athletics answered with three runs in the second.
In the sixth, St. Louis put up two runs to extend their lead to 6-3. Nolan Gorman singled and Wetherholt followed with a two-run home run.
The Athletics added a final run in the eighth for the final score of 6-4.
The Cardinals offense scored six runs on 11 hits. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Walker was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Herrera was 2-for-5. Fermín had two RBI.
Walker was caught stealing.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – Cardinals 2 at Athletics 6
The Cardinals fell to the Athletics by a 6-2 score in Sacramento on Wednesday. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched five innings, gave up four runs on nine hits, walked two and fanned five. Liberatore took the loss, his second of the season.
Matt Svanson relieved Liberatore and threw a scoreless sixth. Justin Bruihl surrendered one run in 1/3 of an inning. Gordon Graceffo yielded one run in the final 1 2/3 innings.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Nolan Gorman and Masyn Winn singled. Nathan Church singled and Gorman scored.
The Athletics put up four runs in the fifth inning to take the lead.
In the top of the seventh, St. Louis scored their second run to cut the gap to 4-2. Pedro Pagés and JJ Wetherholt singled. Pagés came home on a sac fly by Iván Herrera.
The Athletics answered with single runs in the home seventh and eighth to take the game 6-2.
The Cardinals offense scattered 13 hits but scored just two runs. Alec Burleson was 3-for-5. Wetherholt was 2-for-4. Winn was 2-for-4. Church was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Winn was picked off and caught stealing. Church was caught stealing.
Walker made a throwing error. Liberatore picked a runner off first base.
Thursday, May 14, 2026 – Cardinals 5 at Athletics 4
The Cardinals edged the Athletics on Thursday to win the road series. Starter Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits, walked one and struck out three.
Ryne Stanek relieved McGreevy and surrendered two runs in just 1/3 of an inning. JoJo Romero yielded one run in 2/3 of an inning. Matt Svanson threw a scoreless eighth and received the win. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 13th save.
The Athletics took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth on a solo home run by Victor Scott.
St. Louis added two runs in the sixth to take the lead. Jordan Walker thumped a solo home run. Masyn Winn reached on an error and scored on a single by Nolan Gorman.
The Athletics regained the lead 4-3 with a three run seventh. The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the ninth to lead and win 5-4.
The offense scored five runs on nine hits. Walker was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Yohel Pozo was 3-for-4.
Friday, May 15, 2026 – Cardinals 5, Royals 4 (11 innings)
To open the Rivalry Series at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals topped the Royals by the score of 5-4 in extra innings on Friday. Starter Dustin May pitched six innings, gave up three runs on four hits, walked four and struck out three.
George Soriano relieved May and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. JoJo Romero hurled 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth. Ryne Stanek allowed an unearned run in the 10th. Gordon Graceffo threw a scoreless 11th to earn his third win.
The Royals scored two runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead. The Cardinals quickly answered with two runs in the home half of the inning to tie. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch. Jordan Walker hit a two-run home run.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth on a solo home run to Pedro Pagés to take the lead 3-2. Kansas City responded with one run in the sixth to re-tie the game.
The game eventually went into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Royals plated the tiebreaker runner to take the lead 4-3.
The Cardinals matched the Royals, sending the tiebreaker runner home to tie the game again at 4-4 on a single by Alec Burleson.
In the 11th, the Royals failed to score in their half-inning. The Cardinals succeeded in getting the man on second, Nathan Church, to the plate on a single by Yohel Pozo for the walk off win.
The Cardinals scored five runs on 12 hits. Walker was 3-for-5 with two RBI. Burleson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nolan Gorman was 2-for-4.
Church stole his fourth base of the season.
Saturday, May 16, 2026 – Cardinals 4, Royals 2
The Cardinals were again the victors over the Royals on Saturday in the second game of the three-game series. Starter Kyle Leahy pitched six innings, gave up one run on five hits, walked three and struck out two to earn his fifth win.
Gordon Graceffo relieved Leahy and threw a scoreless seventh. Justin Bruihl hurled a scoreless eighth. George Soriano surrendered one run in the ninth but received his second save.
The Cardinals went ahead 1-0 in the first inning. Iván Herrera hit a ground rule double. Jordan Walker singled. Alec Burleson drove in Herrera on a sac fly.
The Royals tied the game in the top of the fifth. St. Louis answered with two runs in the home fifth to lead 3-1. Thomas Saggese singled. Nathan Church doubled. Victor Scott reached on a fielder’s choice and Saggese scored. Church came home on a sac fly by Masyn Winn.
The Cardinals added a fourth run in the eighth to extend their lead to 4-1. Victor Scott singled but was eliminated on a force out by Winn. Winn advanced to second on a wild pitch. Burleson plated Winn on a single.
Kansas City cut the lead to 4-2 in the ninth but Soriano and the Cardinals held on.
The offense scored four runs on eight hits. Scott was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Church was 2-for-3. Burleson had two RBI.
Scott was picked off and caught stealing
Sunday, May 17, 2026 – Cardinals 0, Royals 2
The Cardinals were blanked by the Royals by a 2-0 score in the final game of the series on Sunday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up two runs, one earned, on eight hits and fanned seven. Pallante took the tough loss.
Matt Svanson relieved Pallante and threw a scoreless inning. Justin Bruihl hurled 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Matt Pushard tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and added a second run in the fourth.
The Cardinals were held scoreless and scattered five hits, all singles. They were 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Victor Scott made a fielding error.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals finished the week with a 4-2 record. They took both series with the Athletics and the Royals with two wins in each. St. Louis remains 1.5 games back of the Cubs and are in third place, just behind the Brewers by winning percentage in the NL Central.
The offensive performance for the team over the last seven days was very steady but not overwhelming. The team run differential is only +3 compared to the fourth place Pirates with a run differential of +18. The offense scored enough to win but did not blow teams away.
The top offensive performances by OPS for the week were Yohel Pozo (1.112 in 9 ABs), Nolan Gorman (.950), and Jordan Walker (.948).
No Cardinal had an OPS for the week under .500 except for César Prieto (.000) who only had one AB the entire week.
As for pitching, the key to the week was improved starting pitching. Kyle Leahy and Michael McGreevy both had ERAs of 1.50 for the week. Andre Pallante made two starts with a combined ERA of 3.09. Two starters had ERAs for the week over 4.00. They are Matthew Liberatore (7.20) and Dustin May (4.50). The team lost the game Liberatore started but won May’s start.
The bullpen has been better of late but still needs improvement. The weak links this past week were George Soriano and Ryne Stanek.
The above stated run differential of only +3 is as much if not more the fault of the pitching. Out of 46 games played to date and 27 wins, there have only been two shutouts and three games of one run allowed.
As for defense, the team ranks third in Defensive Runs Saved and eighth in Outs Above Average. While the team defense is very good, they have committed 20 errors so far which is high for only playing 46 games. This needs to improve.
The Cardinals will finish the homestand with three games against the Pirates. They then go on the road to play the last place Reds in a weekend series.
Stay tuned as the season progresses.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB |
| Chicago | 29 | 18 | 0.617 | |
| Milwaukee | 26 | 18 | 0.591 | 1.5 |
| St. Louis | 27 | 19 | 0.587 | 1.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 24 | 23 | 0.511 | 5 |
| Cincinnati | 24 | 23 | 0.511 | 5 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 5/15 The Cardinals sent LF Lars Nootbaar on a rehab assignment to the Palm Beach Cardinals.
- 5/16 The Cardinals activated LHP Matt Pushard from the 15-day injured list.
- 5/16 The Cardinals designated LHP Jared Shuster for assignment.
Injury Report
- OF Lars Nootbaar (heel surgery) was sent on a rehab assignment to the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals on May 15. Nootbaar will progress through the Cardinals system, with games in both Double-A and Triple-A before his activation. He will be on the rehab assignment beyond his eligible return date of May 24.
- LHP Matt Pushard was activated from the 15-day IL and has returned to the major league roster.
- 3B Ramón Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 5. He has right elbow lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). Urías will be shut down multiple weeks before reevaluating.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals finished the first series of the homestand against the Royals on Sunday. Coming up is an important period of interdivision games.
After an off day Monday, the homestand continues with three games against the Pirates. Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to make the Tuesday start, followed by Michael McGreevy on Wednesday and Dustin May on Thursday.
After the Pirates, the Cardinals go on the road to play the Reds and Brewers in a six-game road trip.
The team will end May at home in a weekend series with the Cubs.
June will begin with three games against the Rangers. After a Thursday off day, the homestand will continue with a weekend set with the Reds.
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals and the Royals just played a weekend series. They have faced off in at least one regular season series since 1997 when interleague play was first introduced. They also played in the postseason, specifically in the 1985 World Series, a set marred by controversy.
The Cardinals’ franchise is much older than the Royals. The Cardinals have existed since before the dawn of the 20th century. Officially the Cardinals have existed with that name since 1900. However, the franchise began in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings.
The Royals, on the other hand, came into existence in 1969 as an expansion franchise. The city of Kansas City previously hosted the Athletics from 1955 through 1968. Before that, the Athletics franchise had been in Philadelphia for decades, then moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1969.
The Cardinals and the Royals have played a total of 136 head-to-head games. The Cardinals held an 81-55 record over the Royals as of May 16, 2026.
This week’s Blast from the Past chronicles regular season statistical history between the two franchises since interleague play began in 1997. Also included is postseason history since 1969. Below are some notable statistical records between the teams. All regular season numbers include games up to and including Saturday, May 16, 2026.
-
- Since 1997, the number of runs scored in the head-to-head games is 717 for the Cardinals, and 603 for the Royals.
- Head-to-head hit totals are 1286 for the Cardinals and 1232 for the Royals.
- Head-to-head totals in home runs are 161 for the Cardinals and 113 for the Royals.
- The Royals have stolen more bases than the Cardinals, 71 to 68. The Royals also lead in triples, 33 to 18. The Cardinals have a slight edge in doubles, 245 to 243.
- Comparatively, the Cardinals have a higher batting average in their contests with the Royals. St. Louis’ BA is .273 vs. the Royals at .261.
- The OBP, SLG, and OPS comparisons are as follows – Cardinals: .348 OBP, .436 SLG and .784 OPS. Royals: .316 OBP, 398 SLG, and .715 OPS.
In the postseason, the comparisons are obviously different since the two teams have only met in the postseason once, in 1985, and the Royals came away with the title.
In that series, which the Royals won four games to three, the run totals were 28 for the Royals vs. 13 for the Cardinals. The Royals had a higher BA, .288 to .185 for the Cardinals. In OPS, it was Royals .747 vs. Cardinals .516.
Overall, as the stats above indicate, the Cardinals have dominated the Royals in regular season matchups. The Royals have the head-to-head lead in the postseason based on the one time the two teams faced off.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book 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 2026 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.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.